A thesis statement is responsible for the direction and organization of any piece of writing. Without a thesis statement, a reader doesn’t have a road map to follow while reading. Teach students how to write thesis statements by using the following steps: Define, Summarize, Test.
Define: Start by having students define the goal or purpose of their writing. By being able to identify what they hope their reader will learn or how their reader will respond, it becomes easier for students to narrow down their ideas to create a functional thesis statement. Use questions such as the ones listed below to help students through this step:
- What will your reader learn?
- What action do you hope for your reader to take?
- What should your reader be able to do after reading your writing?
- How should your reader respond?
Summarize: A thesis statement is a one-sentence summary of your writing. If the thesis statement was separated from the rest of the paper and given to a reader who did not have prior knowledge of the paper, the reader should be able to accurately, state the main idea and purpose of the writing.
Test: Have your students give their thesis statement to a reader to see if the thesis statement provide enough detail and accurate information that gives the reader a firm understanding of the main idea and purpose. Based on the reader’s response, instruct students to revise their thesis statements by using the feedback that they received.