GILCHRIST: Thesis Statement Boot Camp

​Hi! I'm sorry I couldn't be here at school with you today. You'll use this program to complete my lesson on thesis statements.

You have TWO BIG JOBS for me today, in this order:

1. Be respectful to your substitute teacher.

2. Work hard to stay on task and complete this lesson.

Click forward to start my lesson!

Writing Thesis Statements

for T.D.A. Prompts

What do you know about a

THESIS STATEMENT?

Multiple Select

Which of these are true about THESIS STATEMENTS?

(Choose TWO correct answers)

• A thesis statement shows the reader what you'll be writing about.

• A thesis statement comes at the BEGINNING of an essay.

• A thesis statement comes at the END of an essay.

• A thesis statement includes a direct quotation from an outside text.

​Great job!

For the next slide, I'll need you to complete the "Taking Notes" section of your handout.

Please read the notes on the next slide and copy the HIGHLIGHTED words into the blanks on your handout.

THESIS STATEMENT: a short statement that
summarizes the main point or claim of an essay.

You spend the rest of the essay proving your
thesis statement!

The thesis statement is a like map of your essay.
It mentions the topics of the upcoming
paragraphs.

Thanks!

For the next few slides, you'll be reading some sample thesis statements and examining their different parts.

Please read the statements and answer the questions about them to show your understanding.

Sample Thesis Statements

What do you think each essay will be about?

The author shows that Peg is determined during
her physical therapy and her accordion lessons.

In “The Changing Earth,” photographs and
diagrams demonstrate the concept that the
earth is always changing.

Multiple Choice

Read this thesis:

The author shows that Peg is determined during her physical therapy and her accordion lessons.

Based on this thesis, what will this essay PROVE about Peg?

• Peg has Polio.

• Peg will drink a milkshake.

• Peg is determined.

• Peg will learn to love the accordion.

Multiple Select

Read this thesis:

The author shows that Peg is determined during her physical therapy and her accordion lessons.

Based on this thesis, what are the two examples the essay will give to prove that Peg is determined?

• Peg's Homecoming float

• Peg's physical therapy

• Peg's bag of letters from school

• Peg's accordion lessons

Multiple Choice

Read this thesis:

In "The Changing Earth," photographs and diagrams demonstrate the concept that the earth is always changing.

Based on this thesis, what will this essay PROVE about the earth?

• The earth is always changing.

• The earth is made of tectonic plates.

• The earth is really, really, really old.

• Many geologists have taken photographs of the earth.

Multiple Select

Read this thesis:

In "The Changing Earth," photographs and diagrams demonstrate the concept that the earth is always changing.

Based on this thesis, what examples will the essay give to prove that the earth is always changing?

• the glossary

• photographs

• diagrams

• chapter titles

Look Closely

What is this thesis going to prove?

What will the body paragraphs be about?

JHIS has the most fun principals because
Mr. Very is funny and Dr. McCauley spins

the wheel of fun.

Multiple Choice

Read this thesis:

JHIS has the most fun principals because Mr. Very is funny and Dr. McCauley spins the Wheel of Fun.

Based on this thesis, what will the essay PROVE?

• A funny principal is important

• Gill Hall school needs its own Wheel of Fun

• JHIS has the most fun principals

• Dr. McCauley has a very strong arm.

Multiple Select

Read this thesis:

JHIS has the most fun principals because Mr. Very is funny and Dr. McCauley spins the Wheel of Fun.

Based on this thesis, what examples will the essay give to prove that JHIS has the most fun principals?

• Mr. Very is funny.

• Mr. Very could beat Mr. Liberatore in an arm-wrestling match.

• Dr. McCauley is the fastest runner of all the building principals.

• Dr. McCauley spins the Wheel of Fun.

Look Closely

What is this thesis going to prove?

What will the body paragraphs be about?

Chick-fil-a is better than McDonald’s

because their nuggets taste better and
their ice cream machine usually works.

Multiple Choice

Read this thesis:

Chick-fil-a is better than McDonald's because their nuggets taste better and their ice cream machine usually works.

Based on this thesis, what will the essay PROVE?

• At least McDonald's is open on Sundays.

• Chicken nuggets are the best food.

• McDonald's is better than Chick-fil-a.

• Chick-fil-a is better than McDonald's.

Multiple Select

Read this thesis:

Chick-fil-a is better than McDonald's because their nuggets taste better and their ice cream machine usually works.

Based on this thesis, what two examples will the essay use to show that Chick-fil-a is better?

• Chick-fil-a's ice cream machine usually works.

• Nothing is superior to the Shamrock Shake.

• Chick-fil-a's nuggets taste better.

• McDonald's has better fries.

Wonderful work! I hope those exercises helped.

For the next two slides, you'll need to use your handout again. Read thesis checklist, then click forward to read the writing prompt.

You will also find the writing prompt on the front of your handout under "Blooket Thesis."

After you read the prompt, try to write a thesis of your own on the lines provided. You may want to start with the name of your favorite Blooket game mode!

Thesis

Checklist

Your thesis should contain:

❏ A claim that you want to prove

❏ Two examples you can explain

in your body paragraphs

❏ Some of the words restated

from the prompt

Write your

own thesis on

your paper!

Prompt

The Blooket program allows

students to practice their school
facts using online games. Write
an essay explaining which Blooket

game mode is the most fun to

play. Use evidence from your own
experience to support your claim.

❏

A claim

❏

2 examples

❏

Some
restated
words from
the prompt

Way to go - that was hard, but you CAN do hard things!

For the next slides, I'm going to give you two examples of thesis statements that might have answered this Blooket prompt.

Please read both statements and choose the one that is better. I'd also like you to think about WHY the other statement wasn't as good.
After reading all these thesis statements, if you realize that you could make your own better, please go back to your handout and make a change to make it better!

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a BETTER thesis statement?

• The best game mode on Blooket is Crypto Hack because of the sneaky passwords and legal hacking.

• Because Crypto Hack is the best.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a BETTER thesis statement?

• Fishing Frenzy is the best game mode because you can upgrade your lures to catch more rare Blooks like the Rainbow Narwhal and it will say Angler’s Legend on the screen.

• The Fishing Frenzy game mode is the most fun to play because of Lure Upgrades and rare Blooks.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a BETTER thesis statement?

• Gold Quest is best. Because you get gold.  You steal gold from other people.

• Gold Quest is the most fun game mode to play because players earn gold and steal gold.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a BETTER thesis statement?

• Battle Royale is the most fun for a big group because players get a funny team name and get to face off one-on-one.

• If you get a lot of people they should play Battle Royale.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a BETTER thesis statement?

• In Monster Brawl you can choose a Clock Tower map and the monsters keep spawning more and more.

• Monster Brawl is the most fun game mode because players have lots of choices and chances to level up.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a BETTER thesis statement?

• The most fun game mode is Deceptive Dinos because you can cheat or catch other cheaters.

• In Deceptive Dinos. You excavate or investigate.  You catch the cheaters.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a BETTER thesis statement?

• You can only play Santa’s Workshop at Christmas.

• Santa’s Workshop is the most fun because it’s around at the holidays and players can get extremely high scores.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a BETTER thesis statement?

• The most fun game mode is Factory because it is simple to play and easy to get upgrades.

• Some people like Factory. They get Blooks from the Wonderland Box.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a BETTER thesis statement?

• In Tower Defense you can pick the Lost Desert. And a flame dragon and elf archer.

• Tower Defense is the most fun game mode because it has cool weapons and lots of strategy.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a BETTER thesis statement?

• Nightmare mode in Tower Defense 2 and the Fractured Factory.

• Tower Defense 2 is the most fun game mode because it is really challenging and different every time.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a BETTER thesis statement?

• The most fun game mode is Tower of Doom because you can play alone and you don’t have to be fast.

• I play Tower of Doom by myself on the bus.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a BETTER thesis statement?

• You can make the kingdom a good kingdom or a bad kingdom.

• Crazy Kingdom is the most fun game mode because the player can control the kingdom and talk to the characters.

You're getting to be a pro at this!

Now you'll need some passages to read. Please go ask your teacher for a precious PINK PACKET of passages. (I love alliteration!)

Please DO NOT WRITE IN THE PINK PACKET. I made one class set to save paper (I love trees, too), and you'll have to give it back so other kids can use it. You should only write on your white handout.

Remember, WRITE ON WHITE, NO INK ON PINK!

Now, read each passage and each prompt, then write a thesis that answers the prompt.

Write your

own thesis on

your paper!

Prompt

“Animal Instinct” argues that
animals may be more likely than

humans to survive a tsunami.
Write an essay analyzing the
ways animals might sense an
oncoming tsunami. Use text

evidence to support your claim.

❏

A claim

❏

2 examples

❏

Some
restated
words from
the prompt

Write your

own thesis on

your paper!

Prompt

Sometimes, readers have to make

inferences about the main

character of a story. Write an
essay analyzing how the Peggy
Ann’s dialogue reveals her true

character in “Sick.” Use evidence

from the text to support your

argument.

❏

A claim

❏

2 examples

❏

Some
restated
words from
the prompt

Write your

own thesis on

your paper!

Prompt

The theme of “One Lucky Fish” is

the importance of Greg’s

relationship with his fish, Fin.
Explain how key details in the
story support this theme. Use
text evidence to support your

response.

❏

A claim

❏

2 examples

❏

Some
restated
words from
the prompt

You've done a fantastic job! Thanks for your hard work on a lesson this challenging.

Here's what I'd like you to do now:

1. Return your pink packet to the teacher.

2. Put your white handout in your Take-Home Folder on the "Keep at Home" side.

3. Read a book silently until the bell rings. If you didn't bring one of your own, feel free to borrow one from my bookshelves. Just please put it back before you leave!