Thesis Statements and Topic Sentences

True or False: A topic sentence needs to relate to the thesis or claim

• True

• False

Which is true about a thesis/claim?

• It needs to make a provable statement

• It should set up the structure for the rest of your essay

• It should be free of personal pronouns

• All are true

Which of the following is a good thesis statement:

• I think Lord of the Flies is a really good book about the battle between good and evil

• The characters of Piggy, Simon, Jack, and Ralph all demonstrate the theme of the battle between good and evil

• When Piggy and Simon are killed and JAck steals the conch and Ralph has to his and run for his like, I thnk this demosntrates the theme of good v. evil.

• Theme is good vs. evil.

True or False: Thesis statements should be the FIRST sentence of your introduction

• True

• False

What is a topic sentence

• The first sentence of your essay that lets your reader know the topic of the paper

• The last sentence of the intro that makes a claim about the paper

• The first sentence of a paragraph that highlights what that paragraph will be about

What does the thesis statement do?

• Clearly responds to the prompt

• Hooks the reader's attention

• Asks the reader a question to ponder

• Gives background and details about the text

The thesis statement is. . .

• The hook for your essay

• The most interesting part of your essay

• The roadmap for your essay

• A good way to end your essay.

You can think of the thesis as. . .

• The arms and legs of your essay

• The fingers of your essay

• The heart of your essay

• The evil witch of your essay

How long should your thesis statement be?

• As long as it takes

• At least 2 sentences

• 1 or 2 sentences

• Exactly 1 sentence

Where does the thesis statement go?

• The very first sentence of your essay

• The last sentence of the introduction

• The very last sentence of the essay

• In the middle of the introduction