Writing a Thesis Stament

1. Writing a Thesis Stament

2. What is a thesis statement? A sentence that • summarizes the main idea of a paper • clearly communicates the writer’s argument • lets the reader know what to expect

3. What makes a good thesis statement? • Arguable - reasonable people could disagree • Supportable - can be backed up with evidence • Specific - not too vague, general, or broad • “Maps out” the paper - gives the reader a guide • Third person - no “I”, “me”, or “you”

4. Good Thesis Statements • Long-distance solo flights are dangerous because there is no relief for the pilot, it is difficult to maintain fuel levels, and emergency response is unreliable. • The best explanation for Amelia Earhart’s disappearance is a plane crash because she was low on fuel, weather conditions were poor, and an extensive search found no sign of her survival. • Amelia Earhart may have survived the supposed plane crash on her round-the-world flight because wreckage of her plane was never found, her body was never found, and there is photo evidence that her plane landed near a small South Pacific island.

5. Bad Thesis Statements • Amelia Earhart was the first woman to take a solo flight around the world. • I think Amelia Earhart died in a plane crash because she never returned home. • There are many theories about what really happened to Amelia Earhart.

6. Are these good or bad thesis statements? • Amelia Earhart was married to George Putnam. • Amelia Earhart is an American hero because she set goals, she fought to achieve them, and she believed women could do anything that men could do. • I look up to Amelia Earhart because she was willing to risk it all to make a name for herself.

7. Are these good or bad thesis statements? • Young girls should admire Amelia Earhart because she was smart, pretty, and daring. • If Amelia had accepted the warnings and advice of the men in her life, she would never have disappeared because she would have stayed safely on the ground. • There must be an answer to the Amelia Earhart mystery because the Discovery Channel, The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, and even Hillary Clinton are still trying to solve it.