thesis in kid words

How to Teach Children to Write a Thesis Statement

Shandi stevenson.

By helping students to understand the purpose of a thesis statement, how it is put together and where it belongs in a composition, you can equip them with a skill that will make writing faster and easier. The ability to write an effective thesis statement makes it easier for students to write good papers and develops skills such as summary, organization and argumentation that will be valuable for the rest of their lives.

Explore this article

Purpose of a Thesis Statement
Good and Bad Thesis Statements
Methods for Writing the Statement
Practice Writing Thesis Statements

1 Purpose of a Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is usually the last sentence of the first paragraph of a composition. It states the topic of the paper and the argument the author will make about the topic . It also outlines, in order, the points the paper will make to construct that argument. The first paragraph of the composition should provide an introduction to the paper's topic and its importance. The thesis statement then provides the specific approach to the topic the author will take. The succeeding body paragraphs refer back to and develop the points mentioned in the thesis statement. For example, the thesis statement, "School lunch reform is important, because it makes students healthier, helps students learn better and saves schools money," should be followed by one body paragraph discussing the health benefits of lunch reform, one discussing the academic benefits and one discussing the financial benefits.

2 Good and Bad Thesis Statements

Once students understand what a thesis statement's basic function is, it is helpful to have students practice recognizing effective and ineffective thesis statements. Use a page of thesis statements, some of which are correct and others which are not, have students practice recognizing which sentences meet the requirements of a good thesis statement and which do not. Students can then explain and discuss their reasoning. Allowing students to work on this in small groups can be a helpful way for them to grasp the skill quickly. Have students work individually or in groups to rewrite and improve poor thesis statements. The two most important concepts for students to grasp about the thesis statement are that it must state an opinion or an argument , rather than a fact and that it must be as specific as possible . Most students begin by writing thesis statements that are much too broad and must learn to narrow the focus.

3 Methods for Writing the Statement

Students may find it helpful to first write thesis statements for existing compositions, of which only the thesis statement has been left out or covered up. Students identify the essay's argument and its main points and draft a thesis statement to reflect them. This allows students to practice writing a thesis statement without having to plan and organize an argument at the same time. Students can also compare their thesis statements with other students', and with the original; this allows them to recognize that there is no one right way to phrase a thesis statement, yet every thesis statement must include certain elements.

Some students may then find it helpful to practice writing their own thesis statements using a fill-in "template," such as: " ** is important because of ** , ** and ** __," or "Martin Luther King Jr. changed America in three important ways: _, _ and ____." This exercise helps students make the transition to generating and organization their own arguments, while still getting a little help structuring and wording the thesis statement.

4 Practice Writing Thesis Statements

Once they have mastered the basic concept and structure of the thesis statement, students will benefit from practicing the skill as often as possible, and from plenty of feedback on how they can improve their thesis statements. It can take a long time for the skill to become second nature. In addition to requiring students to include thesis statements in all their compositions, consider using other games and activities for extra practice, such as letting students submit thesis statements to a contest and vote on the winner, working as a class to write a "thesis statement" for a math, science or social studies lesson on the board and letting students write thesis statements about things that interest them.

1 Indiana University Writing Center: Thesis Statements
2 Slide Share: Thesis Statement Power Point
3 University of Michigan: Templates
4 Teachers Net: Using Spongebob to Teach Thesis Statement
5 Gustavus Adolphus College: Tips on Writing a Thesis Statement

About the Author

Shandi Stevenson is a teacher, tutor and author whose work has appeared in national and international publications including "Shibboleths," "Homeschooling Today," and "Resort Living." She holds a Bachelor of Arts in literature in English and a Master of Arts in humanities.

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Thesis facts for kids

A thesis (plural: 'theses') is a document written in support of an idea that is presented for discussion or disputation. In modern usage it usually refers to a document presented as a requirement for an academic degree or professional qualification. It presents the author's research and findings. In the academic context it means the same as dissertation . The term dissertation can be used to describe an argument without relation to academic degrees. The term thesis may also be used for the central claim of an essay or other work.

Thesis Types

Images for kids.

Senior thesis:

There are different types of thesis paper for different fields, for example, if you are an English major then for your thesis you can be asked to write a short story, a media student can be asked to submit a short film.

Graduate thesis:

A graduate thesis also known as graduate dissertation is something a student works on with a member of the faculty who has specialized in the relevant field. A dissertation is 50-100 pages long. In fields such as science, it is based on an experiment whereas, for humanities, it is an extended version of your college paper.

Originally, the words "dissertation" and "thesis" had separate meanings. When, at ancient universities, the professor had completed his lecture, there would be a disputation. During this, students could take up certain points and argue them. The position that one took during a disputation was the thesis , while the dissertation was the line of reasoning with which one supported it.

The word "thesis" comes from the Greek θέσις , meaning "position", and refers to an intellectual proposition . "Dissertation" comes from the Latin dissertātiō , meaning "discourse".

Doctoral ceremony at Leiden University (7 July 1721).

Cover page to Søren Kierkegaard 's university thesis (1841).

The cover of the thesis presented by Claude Bernard to obtain his Doctorate of Medicine (1843).

Cover page of a licentiate dissertation in Sweden

This page was last modified on 20 February 2024, at 12:05. Suggest an edit .

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5 Tips for Teaching How to Write A Thesis Statement

The first time I had students write a thesis, I assumed they knew how to do it. After all, I learned all about the five-paragraph essay myself in middle school in the same school district. To my disappointment, not a single student knew how to write an adequate thesis statement. I realized it was a skill I was going to have to teach myself. After several papers and many years, here are my tips for teaching how to write a thesis statement.

Image of students in a classroom writing with text overlay that says,

Tips for Teaching How to Write a Thesis Statement #1: Teach Directly

You need a whole lesson around the thesis statement.

It can be ten minutes or a whole class period with note-taking and an activity.

But you have to spend some time directly teaching the thesis statement. You can’t expect students–even seniors in high school–to know what a thesis statement is, its purpose, or where it’s supposed to go.

If you’re teaching an essay writing unit, go ahead and explain the whole essay structure. But make sure you plan some time to specifically touch on the thesis statement and its role.

Don’t have a thesis-specific lesson? Check out my five-paragraph essay mini-lessons here , which include some thesis-specific slides.

Tips for Teaching How to Write a Thesis Statement #2: Explain The Role of a Thesis

I think it’s easy for students to grasp the concept of a thesis. It states what the essay is going to be about. They can get that.

But I think it’s much harder for students to understand how the thesis also guides and outlines the rest of the essay.

By the time they’re writing the conclusion statements for their body paragraphs, they’ve forgotten their own thesis and rarely reference it. Instead of letting their thesis dictate the topic of their body paragraphs, they get stuck trying to come up with something new.

Don’t just tell students what a thesis is. Spend some time showing them how the thesis continues to be referenced in every following paragraph. Show them how the ideas presented in their thesis statement will guide the following paragraphs.

Not sure how? This Unscramble the 5-Paragraph Essay Activity is a great start . Students will have to put the sentences in an essay in order, which can lead to some great discussions about how a strong thesis statement adds clarity to the rest of the essay’s structure.

Tips for Teaching How to Write a Thesis Statement #3: Give Students A Framework

If your students are struggling with writing strong thesis statements, give them a framework.

I know as teachers, it can get really boring to read “W is true because X, Y, Z.” But the structure does work, and it’s a great place for struggling writers to start.

If you’ve used other writing frameworks in class (such as claim, evidence, and reasoning or C-E-R ), your students will be familiar with having a structure for their writing. They’ll be familiar with the concept already and a lot more confident producing their own thesis statements.

Engage your students in more creative writing!

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Tips for Teaching How to Write a Thesis Statement #4: Provide Lots of Examples

As with teaching all new skills, you can never have enough examples.

If your students are writing essays, provide them with examples for the topic they’re covering. But also provide lots of examples for other essay topics.

Give them examples that are both strong and weak, and let them discuss why each is which.

Let them peer-edit one another’s thesis statements.

You can do this in a note-taking style lesson, sit and get discussions, or, my personal favorite, a gallery walk.

If this last idea is interesting to you, check out my Writing Strong Thesis Statements Activity . You’ll place examples of both strong and weak thesis statements around the room. Then, students will have to walk around the room, identifying which statements are strong and which are weak. It’s a great jumping off point for deeper discussions around effective theses.

Tips for Teaching How to Write a Thesis Statement #5: Give Sentence Starters for More Scaffolding

If your students are still struggling, give them sentence starters.

Provide students with the thesis statement itself. Leave a blank for their overall argument and their three supporting reasons (if that’s the structure you expect from them).

Even if your students do alright with writing thesis statements, it might be nice to offer a variety of sentence starters to encourage them to try a new structure for their thesis.

Image of a student writing with text overlay that says,

Bonus Tip: Teach the Plural Form

This is a little silly, but I thought I would add it. Teach students that the plural of “thesis” is “theses.”

Every time I use the word “theses” in my classroom, students are tickled by it. I’m not sure why they find the plural version so odd, but it’s an interesting tidbit you can casually share with your students during one of your essay-writing lessons.

Like all good teaching, taking it slow and offering multiple forms of scaffolding is the key to teaching how to write a thesis statement.

If you’re looking for thesis or general essay-writing resources, check out my 5-Paragraph Essay Writing Resources Bundle!

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Forming a Thesis Statement

Minilesson print.

The whole purpose of writing is to transfer an idea from your head into someone else's. If you can state your idea in a single, clear sentence, your reader can easily grasp it.

Use this simple formula to craft an effective thesis statement (for an essay) or topic sentence (for a paragraph).

Topic (who or what am I writing about? )

+ Focus (what specific thought or feeling do I have about my topic?)

_________________________________

= Thesis Statement (or Topic Sentence)

Here are some examples of the formula in action with different forms of writing.

Explanatory

Antibiotic resistance (topic) creates superbugs through the misuse of modern medicine (focus).

Sex and gender (topic) are related but different, one defined by biology and the other by culture (focus).

Narrative Writing

My hectic senior year of high school (topic) embodied the word overcommitment (focus) .

Your Turn Use the formula to create thesis statements for the following topics. Note: The focus is up to you.

Career opportunities
Community involvement
Generational differences
The search for colleges
Lasting lessons of high school

From 30 in Write for College

Teacher Support:

Click to find out more about this resource.

Answers will vary.

Standards Correlations:

The State Standards provide a way to evaluate your students' performance.

110.38.c.10.C
110.39.c.10.C
110.38.c.5.J
110.39.c.5.J
LAFS.1112.W.1.1
LA 12.2.1.b
LA 12.2.2.a
LAFS.1112.W.1.2
110.38.c.10.A
110.39.c.10.A
LAFS.1112.W.1.3

k12.thoughtfullearning.com

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How to Teach Your Child to Write an Essay – Step by Step

Children are naturally creative, and essay writing should come easy to them. But it usually doesn’t.

So, how can you teach your child essay writing while making the process enjoyable for both of you?

I’m Tutor Phil, and in this article I’ll show you how to teach your child how to express thoughts on paper, even if some resistance is present.

We’ll first learn three principles that will help you make progress fast. And then we’ll go through the step-by-step process of teaching your child how to write an essay.

Principle 1. Clarity equals motivation

We’ve all heard the expression: “You can lead the horse to the water, but you can’t make it drink.” One of your concerns can be your child’s motivation.

You may be convinced that your child hates writing or is really bored with it. Perhaps your child will do anything to avoid sitting down to write.

And you know what – any or all of the above may be true. But your child can still learn how to write an essay because it is not the lack of motivation per se that is the problem.

In this short video, Dr. Lee Hausner gives some eye-opening advice about motivating a child:

Here are the key points Dr. Hausner makes:

You cannot create motivation in somebody else.
Strong parents often mistakenly feel that they can transfer their motivation onto their children.
Motivation is internal.
Simplistic formula: “ Activity + Satisfaction = Motivation .”
Conversely, “ Activity + Stress & Pressure = Avoidance .”
Create an environment where your child can be successful and enjoy what he does.
Encourage and reward any small success and bit of progress.

Let’s apply these principles to motivating a child in writing an essay.

How to motivate a child to write

Chances are that if your child would rather not engage in writing, that is primarily because the process is fuzzy in his mind (and I’ll use the pronoun “he” to refer to your child throughout the tutorial, for the sake of elegance and brevity).

You see, essay writing is not really taught in school. It is taught kind of sort of, but not really.

Assigning a topic, grading the essays, and making suggestions for improvement is not teaching. It’s only a part of the process.

To teach is to give the student a method, a step-by-step process, in which every step can be measured and improved.

That’s what I’m about to give you. And that’s what you will need to effectively teach your child.

But when a child does not have a step-by-step method, the process is fuzzy in his mind. And whatever is fuzzy is viewed as complicated and difficult because it’s like eating an elephant whole.

Let’s revisit Dr. Hausner’s formula: “ Activity + Satisfaction = Motivation .”

Activity can be satisfying only if it is successful to some degree. When your child succeeds at something, and you acknowledge him for it, that becomes fun, enjoyable, and satisfying.

But you see, it’s hard to succeed at something without knowing what you’re doing. And even if you succeed, if you did not follow a recipe, then in the back of your mind you suspect that you probably can’t repeat or replicate the success.

Not knowing what to do while being expected to do it is a recipe for avoidance. And guess what – your child probably got his share of fuzzy instructions.

For example, consider this instruction:

“Tie it all together.”

This statement is meaningless – to a child or even to an adult. What does it really mean to “tie it all together?” And yet, this is how they usually teach how to write a conclusion paragraph, as an example.

But such a statement only creates fuzziness and demotivates.

So, in this tutorial, we’ll be cultivating clarity. I’ll be giving you crystal clear instructions so you could develop clarity in yourself and help your child develop it, too.

Principle 2. Writing is thinking on paper

An essay consists of sentences. The word “ sentence ” comes from the Latin word “sententia,” which means “thought.”

Thus, to write literally means to express thoughts on paper. Why is this important?

This is important because by teaching your child how to write an essay, you’re really teaching him how to think .

Your child will carry this skill through his entire life. It will be useful, even indispensable in:

Acing standardized tests
Writing papers in college
Putting together reports and presentation professionally
Defending a point of view effectively

You can tell I take essay writing seriously 🙂

But if you ever run out of patience yourself, just remember that you’re really teaching your child how to think.

Principle 3. Essays are built not written

When you child hears the word “ write ,” he gets that queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

We’ll make it a lot easier for him by thinking of writing an essay and referring to it as just “ building an essay.”

If your child has ever loved playing with Lego, then the method you’re about to learn will feel familiar, both in terms of motivation and developing the skill.

By the way, if you want to brush up your own essay writing skills before you sit down with your child to teach him, I highly recommend this article: Essay Writing for Beginners .

All right – without further ado, here are…

Six steps to teaching your child essay writing:

Step 1. Pick a topic and say something about it

In order to write, your child must write about something . That something is the subject of the essay. In this step, you want to help your child pick a topic and say something about it.

In essence, you’re asking your child these two questions:

What will your essay be about?

What about it?

For example,

“My essay will be about grandma’s lasagna.”

“Okay. What about grandma’s lasagna?”

“It’s my favorite food.”

The result will be a complete main point, also known as the thesis. A thesis is the main point of the entire essay summarized in one sentence:

“My grandma’s lasagna is my favorite food.”

Boom! Now, the reader knows exactly what this essay will be about. It is also clear that this is going to be a glowing review.

Here’s my short video explaining what a thesis is:

When teaching a child, it’s important to keep the topic unilateral. In other words, it should be either positive or negative. It should be one simple idea.

Don’t start out trying to develop a more complex topic that offers a balanced perspective with positives and negatives. Don’t do a compare/contrast, either. Keep it simple for now.

This is the first step because the main point is the genesis for all other ideas in the essay .

How to help your child pick a topic

Encourage your child to pick a topic he can get excited about because then he’ll be enthusiastic thinking and talking about it.

Try to think of some of the things you know he is interested in. He can write an essay about absolutely anything.

It doesn’t have to be a serious or an academic subject. It could be anything from apple pie to Spiderman.

Of course, the subject should be informed by your child’s age, as well. But once you sit down to work on essay writing, make it clear to your child that he can pick any topic he wants.

Ask your child what he would like to write about or “build into an essay.” And whatever he chooses, just run with it. That’s what your first essay together will be about.

Once you’re settled on the topic, just have your child write it down on a piece of paper or type it into the computer.

Here is a list of suggestions for essay topics to give a try:

What I love the most about the summer
My favorite thing to do on weekends
John is my best friend because…
Essay writing is…
My least favorite day of the week is…
My favorite season is…
It is important to be brave (intelligent, skillful at something, etc.)
If I could have any animal for a pet, it would be…
My sister (brother) makes my life (exciting, difficult, etc.)
Holidays are fun times (or dreadful times).

Remember – this is not the only or the last essay you’ll write together. Just encourage your child to pick a topic and write it down. Now, you’re ready for the next step.

Step 2. Practice the Power of Three

We’re building our essays, remember? Not writing them. At least at this point, all you’ve done is encouraged your child to pick a topic. No writing involved yet.

In this step, no real writing is involved, either. It’s just a mental exercise, really.

In writing or building an essay, it is necessary to break things into parts. Young children love to break things because they want to see how something works or what it looks like inside.

How do you write an essay about an egg?

You must first divide the concept of an egg into parts. How do you do that? I highly recommend this simple technique I call the Power of Three.

Three is an optimal number for a young brain, and really for adults, as well, to think about and process. Our brain thinks like this: “One, two, three, many.”

One doesn’t help us because you’re not dividing. Two is okay but not quite enough ideas to develop.

Three is easy to deal with while giving your child a challenge. And let’s set the record straight – thinking is not easy. It is challenging. This is why so few people teach it.

But we’re making it fun by breaking it into steps and providing clear instructions.

Okay, so back to the egg. Let’s apply the power of three to the idea of an egg:

You see, if we only have a whole egg as an idea, it’s like staring at the blank screen or sheet of paper. Nothing causes the writer’s block better than one solid piece.

But now that we’ve divided this idea into three sub-ideas, or supporting ideas, this makes our life discussing eggs a lot easier.

Now, if we wanted to write an essay about eggs, we can discuss:

The yolk and its color, taste, and nutritional content
The egg white, its color, taste, and nutritional content
The shell, its color, texture, and shape

Note that when we divide a topic or an idea, each part must be different from the other parts in some important ways. In other words, we want three distinct parts.

You can use this part of the tutorial and ask your child to think about how to divide an egg into parts. It’s a very intuitive step, and your child will love the challenge.

And by the way, you child may get very creative about it because the answer is not necessarily the yolks, the white, and the shell. It could be:

Chicken eggs
Ostrich eggs
Boiled eggs

Whatever way to divide eggs into three concepts your child comes up with, approve and praise it. Now, let’s apply the power of three to an actual topic.

We need a topic that we’ll use for the rest of the tutorial. Here it is:

“If I could have any animal for a pet, it would be a panther.”

Applying the Power of Three to an essay topic

Let’s apply what we just learned to this topic about a panther. Note that we have the entire thesis, a complete main point. Our subject is “a panther as a pet.”

We’re just using this example with an understanding that panthers don’t make good pets and belong in the wild. But since we asked, we should roll with the child’s imagination.

Now, you want to encourage your child to come up with three reasons why he would choose a panther as a pet.

This is a challenging step. The first one or two reasons will come relatively easily. The third reason usually makes the child, anyone really, scratch his head a little.

Let’s come up with three reasons why a panther might make a great pet.

Reason 1. Panthers are magnificently beautiful.

Great! That’s a good reason.

Reason 2. A panther is more powerful than virtually any other pet.

That’s another legitimate reason to want a panther for a pet – you’re the king of the neighborhood, if not the whole town.

And now, we’re thinking of reason 3, which will be the most challenging, so be ready for that.

Reason 3. Panthers are loyal.

I’m making this one up because I really have no idea if panthers are loyal to their human owners when they have any. But I need a reason, this is just a practice essay, and anything goes.

When your child comes up with a reason that is not necessarily true or plausible, let him run with it. What really matters is how well he can support his points by using his logic and imagination.

Working with facts is next level. Right now, you want your child to get comfortable dividing topics into subtopics.

The only criterion that matters is whether this subtopic actually helps support the main idea. If it does, it works.

Step 3. Build a clear thesis statement

Once you know the topic and the supporting points, you have everything you need to write out the thesis statement. Note that there is a difference between a thesis and a thesis statement.

Here’s a short video with a simple definition and example of a thesis statement:

Once you and your child have completed steps 1 & 2 thoroughly, step 3 is really easy. All you need to do is write out the thesis statement, using the information you already have.

In fact, at this point, you should have every sentence of your statement and just need to put them all together into one paragraph. Let’s write out our complete thesis statement:

“If I could have any animal for a pet, it would be a panther, for three reasons. Panthers are magnificently beautiful. They are more powerful than virtually any other kind of a pet. And they are loyal.”

Note that we added the phrase “ for three reasons ” to indicate that we are introducing the actual reasons. In other words, we are building an introductory paragraph. We’re just presenting our main and supporting points here.

When you read this opening paragraph, you unmistakably come away with a clear idea of what this essay is about. It makes a simple statement and declares three reasons why it is true. And that’s it.

It is so clear that not even the least careful reader in the world can possibly miss the point. This is the kind of writing you want to cultivate in your child. Because, remember, writing reflects thinking. It would be impossible to write this paragraph without thinking clearly.

Note also that there is no need for embellishments or other kinds of fluff. Elegant writing is like sculpture – you take away until there is no more left to take away.

And guess what – we now have a great first paragraph going! Without much writing, we have just written the first paragraph. We were mostly building and dividing and thinking and imagining. And the result is a whole opening paragraph.

Step 4. Build the body of the essay

The body of the essay is where the main point is supported with evidence. Let’s revisit one of the rules of writing – to write an essay, you need to divide things into parts.

The body of the essay is always divided into sections. Now, since your child is presumably a beginner, we simply call the sections paragraphs.

But keep in mind that a section can have more than one paragraph. An essay does not necessarily have the standard 5-paragraph structure. It can be as long as your child wants.

But in this tutorial, each of our sections has just one paragraph, and that’s perfectly sufficient.

How many sections will our body of the essay have? Well, we used the power of three, we came up with three supporting points, and so the body of the essay should naturally contain three paragraphs.

How long should the paragraphs be? Let me show you how to gauge word count.

This is just an example of how you can teach your child to distribute the number of words across paragraphs.

As you can see, our body paragraphs should probably be longer than the introductory paragraph and the conclusion.

This is how I always teach my students to go about a writing assignment that has a certain word count requirement. The essay above will contain about 400 words.

If your child needs to write 600 words, then the following might be a good distribution:

Introductory paragraph – 75 words
Body paragraph 1 – 150 words
Body paragraph 2 – 150 words
Body paragraph 3 – 150 words
Conclusion – 75 words

By doing this kind of essay arithmetic, it is easy to map out how much to write in each paragraph and not go overboard in any part of the essay.

Body paragraph structure

A paragraph in the body of an essay has a distinct structure. And this structure is not restrictive but it is rather liberating because your child will know exactly how to build it out.

The first sentence in the body paragraph is always the lead sentence. It must summarize the contents of the paragraph.

The good news is that this sentence is usually a form of one of the sentences that we’ve already written. How so?

Well, in our thesis statement, we have three supporting points. Each of them is essentially a lead sentence for that section or paragraph of the essay. For example, consider this sentence from our thesis statement:

“Panthers are magnificently beautiful.”

This is the first reason that your child would like a panther as a pet. It is also a very clear standalone sentence.

It is also an almost perfect lead sentence. I say “ almost ” because we don’t want to repeat sentences in an essay.

So, we’ll take this sentence as a base and add one or two words to it. We can also change a word or two by using synonyms. That way, we’ll expand it just slightly and turn it into a perfect lead sentence for our first body paragraph:

“ Panthers are very beautiful and graceful animals.”

Okay, so we added the epithet “graceful,” but that’s okay because grace is virtually synonymous with beauty. And now we have a great lead sentence and are ready to proceed.

Let’s write out the entire first body paragraph and see how it works:

“ Panthers are very graceful and beautiful animals. When portrayed in documentaries about animals, panthers are nicely balanced. They are not as huge as tigers or lions. And their size allows them to be nimble and flexible. Their size and agility make them move very beautifully, almost artistically. When I imagine walking with a pet like that on the street, I can see people staring at my panther and admiring its beauty. It would definitely be the most beautiful pet in my entire neighborhood.”

The first sentence, as we already know, is the lead sentence. The next three sentences explain how panthers’ balanced size and agility make them graceful.

The following sentence is an explanation of how these qualities make them beautiful through the power of movement.

And finally comes the most specific bit of evidence – an example. This child paints a perfect picture of himself walking his pet panther on a leash. People admire the animal’s beauty, and the kid gets a tremendous kick out of this experience.

It is an example because it contains imagery, perhaps even sounds. It is a specific event happening in a particular place and time.

As you can see, this paragraph proceeds from general to specific. It also follows the structure in the diagram perfectly.

Guide your child through writing two more of these paragraphs, following the same organization. And you’re done with the body.

Proceeding from general to specific

Argumentative (expository) essays always proceed from general to specific. Our most general statement is the thesis, and it’s the first statement in the essay.

Then we have our supporting points, and each of them is more specific than the thesis but more general than anything else in the essay.

Each lead sentence is slightly more specific than the preceding supporting points in the thesis statement.

Then, an explanation is even more specific. And finally, examples are the most specific elements in an essay.

When working with your child, cultivate this ability to see the difference between the general and the specific. And help your child proceed in that manner in the essay.

This ability is a mark of a developed and mature writer and thinker.

Step 5. Add the conclusion

I almost always recommend concluding an essay with a simple restatement. Meaning, your child should learn how to say the same things in different words in the conclusion.

Why did I say, “almost?” Because some teachers will require that your child write a conclusion without repetition.

In that case, the teacher should instruct the student what she expects to read in the conclusion. A great way to deal with this situation is to approach the teacher and ask what kind of a conclusion she expects.

And she’ll say what she wants, and your child will simply abide.

But in the vast majority of cases, simple restatement works just fine. All it really entails is writing out an equivalent of the thesis statement – only using different words and phrases.

Here is our thesis statement:

And here’s our conclusion:

“I would love to have a panther as a pet. Panthers are such magnificent animals that everyone would admire my pet. People would also respect it and keep some distance because of its power. And the loyalty of panthers would definitely seal the deal.”

All we did was restate the points previously made. Let your child master writing this kind of a conclusion. And if you’d like a detailed tutorial on how to write conclusions, I wrote one you can access here .

Step 6. Add an introductory sentence

The final step is to add one sentence in the first paragraph. I didn’t use to teach it because it’s perfectly fine to get straight to the point in an essay.

This little introduction is an equivalent of clearing your throat 🙂

However, teachers in school and professors in college expect some kind of an introduction. So, all your child has to do is add one introductory sentence right before the thesis.

This sentence should be even more general than the thesis. It should kind of pull the reader from his world into the world of the essay.

Let’s write such a sentence as our introduction:

“Not all pets are created equal, and people have their choices.”

And here’s our complete introductory paragraph:

And this concludes the tutorial. You can keep coming back to it as often as you want to follow the steps, using different topics.

If you’d like the help of a professional, don’t hesitate and hit me up .

Tutor Phil is an e-learning professional who helps adult learners finish their degrees by teaching them academic writing skills.

Why Thesis Statements Are Important for Kids

Should you teach thesis statements? If so, in what grade should you teach thesis statements? Hey, are thesis statements even important?

Most people don’t really understand what a thesis statement is, and even the people who do understand what a thesis statement is don’t really understand why it is important. Until a few years ago, I didn’t really get them. I didn’t think they were important. I always thought a thesis statement was just a word that English majors liked to use.

When getting my teaching credential I did get straight A’s, and I can honestly say that I never once thought about the term thesis statement . When getting my undergraduate degree, getting good grades was just one of my many interests, so I am quite sure that I cared even less about thesis statements back then. Don’t worry—I did just fine. So, how important are thesis statements if all of this is possible? Do thesis statements really help create good writing? Are thesis statements really an essential element of good writing?

Do We Really Need to Teach Thesis Statements in Elementary School and Middle School?

The California State Writing Standards for 5th grade states this:

Grade 5 Writing Strategies 1.0 – Students write clear, coherent, and focused essays.

Technically, and by definition, an essay has a thesis statement. Okay, so thesis statements may be important. However, when elementary and middle school students are struggling with paragraphs and grammar, thesis statements can SEEM quite unimportant.

In fact, when one considers Piaget’s constructivist learning theory , thesis statements can seem like a waste of time for students who still struggle with a variety of simple writing concepts. Do you want to spend valuable class time teaching students concepts that may not help them just yet? And surely you don’t want students to become so overwhelmed with writing that they think, “Okay, I admit it—I don’t understand writing… and I never will.” Thesis statements can have that effect. So should you or shouldn’t you teach them?

THESIS THINKING: The Real Reason Thesis Statements are Important

What I have now come to see is that you can use thesis statements as a tool for achieving many different writing and reading comprehension results.

Thesis statements have become a coat rack on which I hang many concepts. I’ve come to the conclusion that the most important thing about thesis statements is the THESIS THINKING that goes along with them.

John Truby, a screenwriting teacher, had this to say about story premises. The way he uses the term premise is what I have learned to teach my students about thesis statements.

The very first step in creating a good script is to figure out a great premise. Your premise is your story stated in a single line. It’s probably the most important element in any script, because if it’s not a good premise, there is very little that you can do to make the overall script work—make the overall script something that people will want to read. So it’s very important that you start with a good core idea. –– John Truby –– Screenwriting Teacher

Thesis is very closely related to premise. Let’s substitute thesis for premise and essay for script and see how it reads.

The very first step in creating a good essay is to figure out a great thesis. Your thesis is your essay stated in a single line. It’s probably the most important element in any essay, because if it’s not a good thesis, there is very little that you can do to make the overall essay work—make the overall essay something that people will want to read. So it’s very important that you start with a good core idea.

Put simply, THESIS THINKING is important in all kinds of writing. THESIS THINKING also helps with reading comprehension. In fact, thesis statements and THESIS THINKING help students in all these areas:

• Write powerful topic sentences that put forth important main ideas. • Find main ideas in text. • Write whole compositions with a purpose. • Master the different modes of writing. • Summarize a text. • Narrow or broaden a topic. • Develop clear and concise thinking and clear and concise writing. • Understand the purpose behind each of the different types of essays. • Write and read stories that contain a larger meaning and that communicate a larger message—i.e., stories that have a premise. • And many more!

Back to Piaget—Do Students Really Need to Understand Thesis Statements?

Beginning writers and struggling writers do need to understand thesis statements. However, they are not going to really understand them until they master a variety of foundational skills—skills that will make the concept of thesis statements have real meaning. Piaget certainly would not approve of demanding that students include thesis statements when students don’t understand the following basic concepts and when students don’t possess the following foundational writing skills:

Writing Foundation A: Students must understand and internalize two levels of beginning, middle, and ending:

1. Beginning, middle, and ending in paragraphs. 2. Beginning, middle, and ending in whole compositions.

Writing Foundation B: Students must be able to write basic whole compositions (essays, reports, narratives etc.) quickly and easily. They must own a method for breaking down writing topics and writing prompts and for organizing their thoughts. They must have a method for getting to work and finishing their work.

Writing Foundation C: Students must be in complete control over the paragraph and how paragraphs connect together within an essay. Students must also to be in complete control over the relationship that paragraphs have with the introduction and conclusion.

Parts to Whole: Create a True Foundation for Thesis Statements

As discussed before, thesis statements are, in one sense, the entire essay stated in a single sentence. The thesis statement represents the whole .

Unfortunately, students are taught parts—parts, parts, parts. Students learn that they must be able to write just one good sentence—then just one good paragraph. Then all of a sudden, completely out of the blue, some teacher jumps to the top-down approach. This teacher starts with the whole—i.e., thesis statements.

Students learn parts—and then students learn wholes. But they never have the entire process constructed for them in a way that makes sense. Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay is the foundation that makes sense. You will create Writing Foundation A, B, and C, all of them, quickly and easily.

One homeschooling parent had this to say when she found the Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay program:

A kind lady on this board put me on the trail of a writing program that I downloaded last night and I think it is revolutionary – I finally ‘get’ it.

A 7th grade teacher had this to say:

I was describing it to a colleague a little while ago as, ‘the basics made clearer.’ I have taught many of these ideas but not as an organized structure. I had no formal way of getting the ideas to be part of my students’ natural writing process. Thank you for this opportunity to enjoy teaching my students writing.

Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay is the only writing program I know of that is truly constructivist parts-to-whole essay teaching. That’s why it works! That’s why it makes sense to students, parents, and teachers! If you teach elementary school, or if you have a few struggling middle school writers, be sure to take a serious look at the program on the homepage!

Over 15 Years of Creating Writing Success for Beginning and Struggling Writers of All Ages!

The fastest, most effective way to teach students clear and organized multi-paragraph writing… guaranteed, create academic and professional success today by improving your critical thinking, logical arguments, and effective communication.

eBook Cover for Academic Vocabulary for Critical Thinking, Logical Arguments, and Effective Communication Curriculum

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9.1 Developing a Strong, Clear Thesis Statement

Learning objectives.

Develop a strong, clear thesis statement with the proper elements.
Revise your thesis statement.

Have you ever known a person who was not very good at telling stories? You probably had trouble following his train of thought as he jumped around from point to point, either being too brief in places that needed further explanation or providing too many details on a meaningless element. Maybe he told the end of the story first, then moved to the beginning and later added details to the middle. His ideas were probably scattered, and the story did not flow very well. When the story was over, you probably had many questions.

Just as a personal anecdote can be a disorganized mess, an essay can fall into the same trap of being out of order and confusing. That is why writers need a thesis statement to provide a specific focus for their essay and to organize what they are about to discuss in the body.

Just like a topic sentence summarizes a single paragraph, the thesis statement summarizes an entire essay. It tells the reader the point you want to make in your essay, while the essay itself supports that point. It is like a signpost that signals the essay’s destination. You should form your thesis before you begin to organize an essay, but you may find that it needs revision as the essay develops.

Elements of a Thesis Statement

For every essay you write, you must focus on a central idea. This idea stems from a topic you have chosen or been assigned or from a question your teacher has asked. It is not enough merely to discuss a general topic or simply answer a question with a yes or no. You have to form a specific opinion, and then articulate that into a controlling idea —the main idea upon which you build your thesis.

Remember that a thesis is not the topic itself, but rather your interpretation of the question or subject. For whatever topic your professor gives you, you must ask yourself, “What do I want to say about it?” Asking and then answering this question is vital to forming a thesis that is precise, forceful and confident.

A thesis is one sentence long and appears toward the end of your introduction. It is specific and focuses on one to three points of a single idea—points that are able to be demonstrated in the body. It forecasts the content of the essay and suggests how you will organize your information. Remember that a thesis statement does not summarize an issue but rather dissects it.

A Strong Thesis Statement

A strong thesis statement contains the following qualities.

Specificity. A thesis statement must concentrate on a specific area of a general topic. As you may recall, the creation of a thesis statement begins when you choose a broad subject and then narrow down its parts until you pinpoint a specific aspect of that topic. For example, health care is a broad topic, but a proper thesis statement would focus on a specific area of that topic, such as options for individuals without health care coverage.

Precision. A strong thesis statement must be precise enough to allow for a coherent argument and to remain focused on the topic. If the specific topic is options for individuals without health care coverage, then your precise thesis statement must make an exact claim about it, such as that limited options exist for those who are uninsured by their employers. You must further pinpoint what you are going to discuss regarding these limited effects, such as whom they affect and what the cause is.

Ability to be argued. A thesis statement must present a relevant and specific argument. A factual statement often is not considered arguable. Be sure your thesis statement contains a point of view that can be supported with evidence.

Ability to be demonstrated. For any claim you make in your thesis, you must be able to provide reasons and examples for your opinion. You can rely on personal observations in order to do this, or you can consult outside sources to demonstrate that what you assert is valid. A worthy argument is backed by examples and details.

Forcefulness. A thesis statement that is forceful shows readers that you are, in fact, making an argument. The tone is assertive and takes a stance that others might oppose.

Confidence. In addition to using force in your thesis statement, you must also use confidence in your claim. Phrases such as I feel or I believe actually weaken the readers’ sense of your confidence because these phrases imply that you are the only person who feels the way you do. In other words, your stance has insufficient backing. Taking an authoritative stance on the matter persuades your readers to have faith in your argument and open their minds to what you have to say.

Even in a personal essay that allows the use of first person, your thesis should not contain phrases such as in my opinion or I believe . These statements reduce your credibility and weaken your argument. Your opinion is more convincing when you use a firm attitude.

On a separate sheet of paper, write a thesis statement for each of the following topics. Remember to make each statement specific, precise, demonstrable, forceful and confident.

Texting while driving
The legal drinking age in the United States
Steroid use among professional athletes

Examples of Appropriate Thesis Statements

Each of the following thesis statements meets several of the following requirements:

Specificity
Ability to be argued
Ability to be demonstrated
Forcefulness
The societal and personal struggles of Troy Maxon in the play Fences symbolize the challenge of black males who lived through segregation and integration in the United States.
Closing all American borders for a period of five years is one solution that will tackle illegal immigration.
Shakespeare’s use of dramatic irony in Romeo and Juliet spoils the outcome for the audience and weakens the plot.
J. D. Salinger’s character in Catcher in the Rye , Holden Caulfield, is a confused rebel who voices his disgust with phonies, yet in an effort to protect himself, he acts like a phony on many occasions.
Compared to an absolute divorce, no-fault divorce is less expensive, promotes fairer settlements, and reflects a more realistic view of the causes for marital breakdown.
Exposing children from an early age to the dangers of drug abuse is a sure method of preventing future drug addicts.
In today’s crumbling job market, a high school diploma is not significant enough education to land a stable, lucrative job.

You can find thesis statements in many places, such as in the news; in the opinions of friends, coworkers or teachers; and even in songs you hear on the radio. Become aware of thesis statements in everyday life by paying attention to people’s opinions and their reasons for those opinions. Pay attention to your own everyday thesis statements as well, as these can become material for future essays.

Now that you have read about the contents of a good thesis statement and have seen examples, take a look at the pitfalls to avoid when composing your own thesis:

A thesis is weak when it is simply a declaration of your subject or a description of what you will discuss in your essay.

Weak thesis statement: My paper will explain why imagination is more important than knowledge.

A thesis is weak when it makes an unreasonable or outrageous claim or insults the opposing side.

Weak thesis statement: Religious radicals across America are trying to legislate their Puritanical beliefs by banning required high school books.

A thesis is weak when it contains an obvious fact or something that no one can disagree with or provides a dead end.

Weak thesis statement: Advertising companies use sex to sell their products.

A thesis is weak when the statement is too broad.

Weak thesis statement: The life of Abraham Lincoln was long and challenging.

Read the following thesis statements. On a separate piece of paper, identify each as weak or strong. For those that are weak, list the reasons why. Then revise the weak statements so that they conform to the requirements of a strong thesis.

The subject of this paper is my experience with ferrets as pets.
The government must expand its funding for research on renewable energy resources in order to prepare for the impending end of oil.
Edgar Allan Poe was a poet who lived in Baltimore during the nineteenth century.
In this essay, I will give you lots of reasons why slot machines should not be legalized in Baltimore.
Despite his promises during his campaign, President Kennedy took few executive measures to support civil rights legislation.
Because many children’s toys have potential safety hazards that could lead to injury, it is clear that not all children’s toys are safe.
My experience with young children has taught me that I want to be a disciplinary parent because I believe that a child without discipline can be a parent’s worst nightmare.

Writing at Work

Often in your career, you will need to ask your boss for something through an e-mail. Just as a thesis statement organizes an essay, it can also organize your e-mail request. While your e-mail will be shorter than an essay, using a thesis statement in your first paragraph quickly lets your boss know what you are asking for, why it is necessary, and what the benefits are. In short body paragraphs, you can provide the essential information needed to expand upon your request.

Thesis Statement Revision

Your thesis will probably change as you write, so you will need to modify it to reflect exactly what you have discussed in your essay. Remember from Chapter 8 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?” that your thesis statement begins as a working thesis statement , an indefinite statement that you make about your topic early in the writing process for the purpose of planning and guiding your writing.

Working thesis statements often become stronger as you gather information and form new opinions and reasons for those opinions. Revision helps you strengthen your thesis so that it matches what you have expressed in the body of the paper.

The best way to revise your thesis statement is to ask questions about it and then examine the answers to those questions. By challenging your own ideas and forming definite reasons for those ideas, you grow closer to a more precise point of view, which you can then incorporate into your thesis statement.

Ways to Revise Your Thesis

You can cut down on irrelevant aspects and revise your thesis by taking the following steps:

1. Pinpoint and replace all nonspecific words, such as people , everything , society , or life , with more precise words in order to reduce any vagueness.

Working thesis: Young people have to work hard to succeed in life.

Revised thesis: Recent college graduates must have discipline and persistence in order to find and maintain a stable job in which they can use and be appreciated for their talents.

The revised thesis makes a more specific statement about success and what it means to work hard. The original includes too broad a range of people and does not define exactly what success entails. By replacing those general words like people and work hard , the writer can better focus his or her research and gain more direction in his or her writing.

2. Clarify ideas that need explanation by asking yourself questions that narrow your thesis.

Working thesis: The welfare system is a joke.

Revised thesis: The welfare system keeps a socioeconomic class from gaining employment by alluring members of that class with unearned income, instead of programs to improve their education and skill sets.

A joke means many things to many people. Readers bring all sorts of backgrounds and perspectives to the reading process and would need clarification for a word so vague. This expression may also be too informal for the selected audience. By asking questions, the writer can devise a more precise and appropriate explanation for joke . The writer should ask himself or herself questions similar to the 5WH questions. (See Chapter 8 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?” for more information on the 5WH questions.) By incorporating the answers to these questions into a thesis statement, the writer more accurately defines his or her stance, which will better guide the writing of the essay.

3. Replace any linking verbs with action verbs. Linking verbs are forms of the verb to be , a verb that simply states that a situation exists.

Working thesis: Kansas City schoolteachers are not paid enough.

Revised thesis: The Kansas City legislature cannot afford to pay its educators, resulting in job cuts and resignations in a district that sorely needs highly qualified and dedicated teachers.

The linking verb in this working thesis statement is the word are . Linking verbs often make thesis statements weak because they do not express action. Rather, they connect words and phrases to the second half of the sentence. Readers might wonder, “Why are they not paid enough?” But this statement does not compel them to ask many more questions. The writer should ask himself or herself questions in order to replace the linking verb with an action verb, thus forming a stronger thesis statement, one that takes a more definitive stance on the issue:

Who is not paying the teachers enough?
What is considered “enough”?
What is the problem?
What are the results

4. Omit any general claims that are hard to support.

Working thesis: Today’s teenage girls are too sexualized.

Revised thesis: Teenage girls who are captivated by the sexual images on MTV are conditioned to believe that a woman’s worth depends on her sensuality, a feeling that harms their self-esteem and behavior.

It is true that some young women in today’s society are more sexualized than in the past, but that is not true for all girls. Many girls have strict parents, dress appropriately, and do not engage in sexual activity while in middle school and high school. The writer of this thesis should ask the following questions:

Which teenage girls?
What constitutes “too” sexualized?
Why are they behaving that way?
Where does this behavior show up?
What are the repercussions?

In the first section of Chapter 8 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?” , you determined your purpose for writing and your audience. You then completed a freewriting exercise about an event you recently experienced and chose a general topic to write about. Using that general topic, you then narrowed it down by answering the 5WH questions. After you answered these questions, you chose one of the three methods of prewriting and gathered possible supporting points for your working thesis statement.

Now, on a separate sheet of paper, write down your working thesis statement. Identify any weaknesses in this sentence and revise the statement to reflect the elements of a strong thesis statement. Make sure it is specific, precise, arguable, demonstrable, forceful, and confident.

Collaboration

Please share with a classmate and compare your answers.

In your career you may have to write a project proposal that focuses on a particular problem in your company, such as reinforcing the tardiness policy. The proposal would aim to fix the problem; using a thesis statement would clearly state the boundaries of the problem and tell the goals of the project. After writing the proposal, you may find that the thesis needs revision to reflect exactly what is expressed in the body. Using the techniques from this chapter would apply to revising that thesis.

Key Takeaways

Proper essays require a thesis statement to provide a specific focus and suggest how the essay will be organized.
A thesis statement is your interpretation of the subject, not the topic itself.
A strong thesis is specific, precise, forceful, confident, and is able to be demonstrated.
A strong thesis challenges readers with a point of view that can be debated and can be supported with evidence.
A weak thesis is simply a declaration of your topic or contains an obvious fact that cannot be argued.
Depending on your topic, it may or may not be appropriate to use first person point of view.
Revise your thesis by ensuring all words are specific, all ideas are exact, and all verbs express action.

Hypothesis For Kids

Crafting a hypothesis isn’t just for scientists in white lab coats; even young budding researchers can join in the fun! When kids learn to frame their curious wonders as hypothesis statements, they pave the way for exciting discoveries. Our guide breaks down the world of hypothesis writing into kid-friendly chunks, complete with relatable thesis statement examples and easy-to-follow tips. Dive in to spark a love for inquiry and nurture young scientific minds!

What is an example of a Hypothesis for Kids?

Question: Do plants grow taller when they are watered with coffee instead of water?

Hypothesis: If I water a plant with coffee instead of water, then the plant will not grow as tall because coffee might have substances that aren’t good for plants.

This hypothesis is based on a simple observation or question a child might have, and it predicts a specific outcome (the plant not growing as tall) due to a specific condition (being watered with coffee). It’s presented in simple language suitable for kids.

100 Kids Hypothesis Statement Examples

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Children’s innate curiosity lays the foundation for numerous questions about the world around them. Framing these questions as good hypothesis statements can transform them into exciting learning experiments. Presented below are relatable and straightforward examples crafted especially for young minds, offering them a structured way to articulate their wonders and predictions.

Sunlight & Plant Growth : If a plant gets more sunlight, then it will grow taller.
Sugary Drinks & Tooth Decay : Drinking sugary drinks daily will lead to faster tooth decay.
Chocolates & Energy : Eating chocolate will make me feel more energetic.
Moon Phases & Sleep : I’ll sleep more during a full moon night.
Homework & Weekend Moods : If I finish my homework on Friday, I’ll be happier over the weekend.
Pets & Happiness : Owning a pet will make a child happier.
Rain & Worms : Worms come out more after it rains.
Shadows & Time of Day : Shadows are longer in the evening than at noon.
Snow & School Holidays : More snow means there’s a better chance of school being canceled.
Ice Cream & Brain Freeze : Eating ice cream too fast will give me a brain freeze.
Video Games & Dreams : Playing video games before bed might make my dreams more vivid.
Green Vegetables & Strength : Eating more green vegetables will make me stronger.
Bicycles & Balance : The more I practice, the better I’ll get at riding my bike without training wheels.
Stars & Wishes : If I wish on the first star I see at night, my wish might come true.
Cartoons & Laughing : Watching my favorite cartoon will always make me laugh.
Soda & Bone Health : Drinking soda every day will make my bones weaker.
Beach Visits & Sunburn : If I don’t wear sunscreen at the beach, I’ll get sunburned.
Loud Noises & Pet Behavior : My cat hides when she hears loud noises.
Bedtime & Morning Energy : Going to bed early will make me feel more energetic in the morning.
Healthy Snacks & Hunger : Eating a healthy snack will keep me full for longer. …
Toys & Sharing : The more toys I have, the more I want to share with my friends.
Homemade Cookies & Taste : Homemade cookies always taste better than store-bought ones.
Books & Imagination : The more books I read, the more adventures I can imagine.
Jumping & Height : The more I practice, the higher I can jump.
Singing & Mood : Singing my favorite song always makes me happy.
Snowmen & Temperature : If the temperature rises, my snowman will melt faster.
Costumes & Play : Wearing a costume will make playtime more fun.
Gardening & Patience : Waiting for my plants to grow teaches me patience.
Night Lights & Sleep : Having a night light makes it easier for me to sleep.
Handwriting & Practice : The more I practice, the better my handwriting will become.
Painting & Creativity : Using more colors in my painting lets me express my creativity better.
Puzzles & Problem Solving : The more puzzles I solve, the better I become at problem-solving.
Dancing & Coordination : The more I dance, the more coordinated I will become.
Stargazing & Constellations : If I stargaze every night, I’ll recognize more constellations.
Bird Watching & Species Knowledge : The more I watch birds, the more species I can identify.
Cooking & Skill : If I help in the kitchen often, I’ll become a better cook.
Swimming & Confidence : The more I swim, the more confident I become in the water.
Trees & Birds’ Nests : The taller the tree, the more likely it is to have birds’ nests.
Roller Skating & Balance : If I roller skate every weekend, I’ll improve my balance.
Drawing & Observation : The more I draw, the better I become at observing details.
Sandcastles & Water : If I use wet sand, I can build a stronger sandcastle.
Hiking & Endurance : The more I hike, the farther I can walk without getting tired.
Camping & Outdoor Skills : If I go camping often, I’ll learn more about surviving outdoors.
Magic Tricks & Practice : The more I practice a magic trick, the better I’ll get at performing it.
Stickers & Collection : If I collect stickers, my album will become more colorful.
Board Games & Strategy : The more board games I play, the better strategist I’ll become.
Pets & Responsibility : The more I take care of my pet, the more responsible I become.
Music & Concentration : Listening to calm music while studying will help me concentrate better.
Photographs & Memories : The more photos I take, the more memories I can preserve.
Rainbows & Rain : If it rains while the sun is out, I might see a rainbow.
Museums & Knowledge : Every time I visit a museum, I learn something new.
Fruits & Health : Eating more fruits will keep me healthier.
Stories & Vocabulary : The more stories I listen to, the more new words I learn.
Trees & Fresh Air : The more trees there are in a park, the fresher the air will be.
Diary & Feelings : Writing in my diary helps me understand my feelings better.
Planets & Telescopes : If I look through a telescope, I’ll see more planets clearly.
Crafting & Creativity : The more crafts I make, the more creative I become.
Snowflakes & Patterns : Every snowflake has a unique pattern.
Jokes & Laughter : The funnier the joke, the louder I’ll laugh.
Riddles & Thinking : Solving riddles makes me think harder.
Nature Walks & Observations : The quieter I am on a nature walk, the more animals I’ll spot.
Building Blocks & Structures : The more blocks I use, the taller my tower will be.
Kites & Wind : If there’s more wind, my kite will fly higher.
Popcorn & Movie Nights : Watching a movie with popcorn makes it more enjoyable.
Stars & Wishes : If I see a shooting star, I should make a wish.
Diets & Energy : Eating a balanced diet gives me more energy for playtime.
Clay & Sculptures : The more I play with clay, the better my sculptures will be.
Insects & Magnifying Glass : Using a magnifying glass will let me see more details of tiny insects.
Aquarium Visits & Marine Knowledge : Every time I visit the aquarium, I discover a new marine creature.
Yoga & Flexibility : If I practice yoga daily, I’ll become more flexible.
Toothpaste & Bubbles : The more toothpaste I use, the more bubbles I’ll get while brushing.
Journals & Memories : Writing in my journal every day helps me remember special moments.
Piggy Banks & Savings : The more coins I save, the heavier my piggy bank will get.
Baking & Measurements : If I measure ingredients accurately, my cake will turn out better.
Coloring Books & Art Skills : The more I color, the better I get at staying inside the lines.
Picnics & Outdoor Fun : Having a picnic makes a sunny day even more enjoyable.
Recycling & Environment : The more I recycle, the cleaner my environment will be.
Treasure Hunts & Discoveries : Every treasure hunt has a new discovery waiting.
Milk & Bone Health : Drinking milk daily will make my bones stronger.
Puppet Shows & Stories : The more puppet shows I watch, the more stories I learn.
Field Trips & Learning : Every field trip to a new place teaches me something different.
Chores & Responsibility : The more chores I do, the more responsible I feel.
Fishing & Patience : Fishing teaches me to be patient while waiting for a catch.
Fairy Tales & Imagination : Listening to fairy tales expands my imagination.
Homemade Pizza & Toppings : The more toppings I add, the tastier my homemade pizza will be.
Gardens & Butterflies : If I plant more flowers, I’ll see more butterflies in my garden.
Raincoats & Puddles : Wearing a raincoat lets me jump in puddles without getting wet.
Gymnastics & Balance : The more I practice gymnastics, the better my balance will be.
Origami & Craft Skills : The more origami I fold, the better my craft skills become.
Basketball & Shooting Skills : The more I practice, the better I get at shooting baskets.
Fireflies & Night Beauty : Catching fireflies makes summer nights magical.
Books & Knowledge : The more books I read, the smarter I become.
Pillows & Forts : With more pillows, I can build a bigger fort.
Lemonade & Summers : Drinking lemonade makes hot summer days refreshing.
Bicycles & Balance : The more I practice, the better I get at riding my bike without training wheels.
Pencils & Drawings : If I have colored pencils, my drawings will be more colorful.
Ice Cream & Happiness : Eating ice cream always makes me happy.
Beach Visits & Shell Collections : Every time I visit the beach, I find new shells for my collection.
Jump Ropes & Fitness : The more I jump rope, the fitter I become.
Tea Parties & Imagination : Hosting tea parties lets my imagination run wild.

Simple Hypothesis Statement Examples for Kids

Simple hypothesis are straightforward predictions that can be tested easily. They help children understand the relationship between two variables. Here are some examples tailored just for kids.

Plants & Sunlight : Plants placed near the window will grow taller than those in the dark.
Chocolates & Happiness : Eating chocolates can make kids feel happier.
Rain & Puddles : The more it rains, the bigger the puddles become.
Homework & Learning : Doing homework helps kids understand lessons better.
Toys & Sharing : Sharing toys with friends makes playtime more fun.
Pets & Care : Taking care of a pet fish helps it live longer.
Storytime & Sleep : Listening to a bedtime story helps kids sleep faster.
Brushing & Cavity : Brushing teeth daily prevents cavities.
Games & Skill : Playing a new game every day improves problem-solving skills.
Baking & Patience : Waiting for cookies to bake teaches patience.

Hypothesis Statement Examples for Kids Psychology

Child psychology hypothesis delves into how kids think, behave, and process emotions. These hypotheses help understand the psychological aspects of children’s behaviors.

Emotions & Colors : Kids might feel calm when surrounded by blue and energetic with red.
Friendship & Self-esteem : Making friends can boost a child’s self-confidence.
Learning Styles & Memory : Some kids remember better by seeing, while others by doing.
Play & Development : Pretend play is crucial for cognitive development.
Rewards & Motivation : Giving small rewards can motivate kids to finish tasks.
Music & Mood : Listening to soft music can calm a child’s anxiety.
Sibling Bonds & Sharing : Having siblings can influence a child’s willingness to share.
Feedback & Performance : Positive feedback can improve a kid’s academic performance.
Outdoor Play & Attention Span : Playing outside can help kids concentrate better in class.
Dreams & Reality : Kids sometimes can’t differentiate between dreams and reality.

Hypothesis Examples in Kid Friendly Words

Phrasing hypothesis in simple words makes it relatable and easier for kids to grasp. Here are examples with kid-friendly language.

Socks & Warmth : Wearing socks will keep my toes toasty.
Jumping & Energy : The more I jump, the more energy I feel.
Sandcastles & Water : A little water makes my sandcastle stand tall.
Stickers & Smiles : Getting a sticker makes my day shine brighter.
Rainbows & Rain : After the rain, I might see a rainbow.
Slides & Speed : The taller the slide, the faster I go.
Hugs & Love : Giving hugs makes me and my friends feel loved.
Stars & Counting : The darker it is, the more stars I can count.
Paint & Mess : The more paint I use, the messier it gets.
Bubbles & Wind : If I blow my bubble wand, the wind will carry them high.

Hypothesis Statement Examples for Kids in Research

Even in a research setting, research hypothesis should be age-appropriate for kids. These examples focus on concepts children might encounter in structured studies.

Reading & Vocabulary : Kids who read daily might have a richer vocabulary.
Games & Math Skills : Playing number games can improve math skills.
Experiments & Curiosity : Conducting science experiments can make kids more curious.
Doodles & Creativity : Drawing daily might enhance a child’s creativity.
Learning Methods & Retention : Kids who learn with visuals might remember lessons better.
Discussions & Understanding : Talking about a topic can deepen understanding.
Observation & Knowledge : Observing nature can increase a kid’s knowledge about the environment.
Puzzles & Cognitive Skills : Solving puzzles regularly might enhance logical thinking.
Music & Rhythmic Abilities : Kids who practice music might develop better rhythm skills.
Teamwork & Social Skills : Group projects can boost a child’s social skills.

Hypothesis Statement Examples for Kids Science Fair

Science fairs are a chance for kids to delve into the world of experiments and observations. Here are hypotheses suitable for these events.

Magnet & Metals : Certain metals will be attracted to a magnet.
Plants & Colored Light : Plants might grow differently under blue and red lights.
Eggs & Vinegar : An egg in vinegar might become bouncy.
Solar Panels & Sunlight : Solar panels will generate more power on sunny days.
Volcanoes & Eruptions : Mixing baking soda and vinegar will make a mini eruption.
Mirrors & Reflection : Shiny surfaces can reflect light better than dull ones.
Battery & Energy : Fresh batteries will make a toy run faster.
Density & Floating : Objects with lower density will float in water.
Shadows & Light Source : Moving the light source will change the shadow’s direction.
Freezing & States : Water turns solid when kept in the freezer.

Hypothesis Statement Examples for Science Experiments

Experiments let kids test out their predictions in real-time. Here are hypotheses crafted for various scientific tests.

Salt & Boiling Point : Adding salt will make water boil at a higher temperature.
Plants & Music : Playing music might affect a plant’s growth rate.
Rust & Moisture : Metals kept in a moist environment will rust faster.
Candles & Oxygen : A candle will burn out faster in an enclosed jar.
Fruits & Browning : Lemon juice can prevent cut fruits from browning.
Yeast & Sugar : Adding sugar will make yeast activate more vigorously.
Density & Layers : Different liquids will form layers based on their density.
Acids & Bases : Red cabbage juice will change color in acids and bases.
Soil Types & Water : Sandy soil will drain water faster than clay.
Thermometers & Temperatures : Thermometers will show higher readings in the sun.

Hypothesis Statement Examples for Kids At Home

These hypotheses are crafted for experiments and observations kids can easily make at home, using everyday items.

Chores & Time : Setting a timer will make me finish my chores faster.
Pets & Behavior : My cat sleeps more during the day than at night.
Recycling & Environment : Recycling more can reduce the trash in my home.
Cooking & Tastes : Adding spices will change the taste of my food.
Family Time & Bonding : Playing board games strengthens our family bond.
Cleaning & Organization : Organizing my toys daily will keep my room tidier.
Watering & Plant Health : Watering my plant regularly will keep its leaves green.
Decor & Mood : Changing the room decor can influence my mood.
Journals & Memories : Writing in my journal daily will help me remember fun events.
Photos & Growth : Taking monthly photos will show how much I’ve grown.

How do you write a hypothesis for kids? – A Step by Step Guide

Step 1: Start with Curiosity Begin with a question that your child is curious about. This could be something simple, like “Why is the sky blue?” or “Do plants need sunlight to grow?”

Step 2: Observe and Research Before formulating the hypothesis, encourage your child to observe the world around them. If possible, read or watch videos about the topic to gather information. The idea is to get a general understanding of the subject.

Step 3: Keep it Simple For kids, it’s essential to keep the hypothesis straightforward and concise. Use language that is easy to understand and relatable to their age.

Step 4: Make a Predictable Statement Help your child frame their hypothesis as an “If… then…” statement. For example, “If I water a plant every day, then it will grow taller.”

Step 5: Ensure Testability Ensure that the hypothesis can be tested using simple experiments or observations. It should be something they can prove or disprove through hands-on activities.

Step 6: Avoid Certainty Teach kids that a hypothesis is not a definitive statement of fact but rather a best guess based on what they know. It’s okay if the hypothesis turns out to be wrong; the learning process is more important.

Step 7: Review and Refine After forming the initial hypothesis, review it with your child. Discuss if it can be made simpler or clearer. Refinement aids in better understanding and testing.

Step 8: Test the Hypothesis This is the fun part! Plan an experiment or set of observations to test the hypothesis. Whether the hypothesis is proven correct or not, the experience provides a learning opportunity.

Tips for Writing Hypothesis for Kids

Encourage Curiosity : Always encourage your child to ask questions about the world around them. It’s the first step to formulating a hypothesis.
Use Familiar Language : Use words that the child understands and can relate to. Avoid jargon or technical terms.
Make it Fun : Turn the process of forming a hypothesis into a game or a storytelling session. This will keep kids engaged.
Use Visual Aids : Kids often respond well to visuals. Drawing or using props can help in understanding and formulating the hypothesis.
Stay Open-minded : It’s essential to teach kids that it’s okay if their hypothesis is wrong. The process of discovery and learning is what’s crucial.
Practice Regularly : The more often kids practice forming hypotheses, the better they get at it. Use everyday situations as opportunities.
Link to Real-life Scenarios : Relate the hypothesis to real-life situations or personal experiences. For instance, if discussing plants, you can relate it to a plant you have at home.
Collaborate : Sometimes, two heads are better than one. Encourage group activities where kids can discuss and come up with hypotheses together.
Encourage Documentation : Keeping a journal or notebook where they document their hypotheses and results can be a great learning tool.
Celebrate Efforts : Regardless of whether the hypothesis was correct, celebrate the effort and the learning journey. This reinforces the idea that the process is more important than the outcome.

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Teaching 5th Graders How to Write a Thesis Statement

Our 5th-grade students write a 5 paragraph research paper about their choice of topics related to Ancient Egypt. Some of my students are writing about Egyptian pyramids, Egyptian Gods, and one has undertaken the task of writing about the role of Egyptian women in religion. All students are required to write “thin questions,” or questions that can be answered easily and with a fact, to get their minds going and then use their new knowledge to write a “thick question,” or overarching research question from which their thesis will be derived.

I can’t stress enough the importance of modeling how to write a thesis statement. Model, model, model. Bring in past students’ work, write your own thesis in front of them, do the thesis statement sheet (available below) with them a few times. Go slowly for each step. The idea isn’t getting your students to finish the thesis statement quickly, the idea is for them to learn how to craft their own argument and write it clearly.

In order to help them through the process of getting from thin question to thick question to thesis I used several sources to develop my own version of “Write a Thesis Statement in 5 Steps.” I was able to conference with students in small groups to help them look at their thick questions and their notes to develop a “because statement” for each of their papers. Once they had a “because statement,” students had to prove it using three facts from their notes. The next step and hardest step was synthesizing the question, the because statement, and the facts to write the thesis that will ultimately drive their body paragraphs and conclusion.

If you would like to use the “Write a Thesis Statement in 5 Steps” sheet, thesis statement in 5 steps . It is free, but if you do use it please tell me how it went!

Thesis Statements

What this handout is about.

This handout describes what a thesis statement is, how thesis statements work in your writing, and how you can craft or refine one for your draft.

Introduction

Writing in college often takes the form of persuasion—convincing others that you have an interesting, logical point of view on the subject you are studying. Persuasion is a skill you practice regularly in your daily life. You persuade your roommate to clean up, your parents to let you borrow the car, your friend to vote for your favorite candidate or policy. In college, course assignments often ask you to make a persuasive case in writing. You are asked to convince your reader of your point of view. This form of persuasion, often called academic argument, follows a predictable pattern in writing. After a brief introduction of your topic, you state your point of view on the topic directly and often in one sentence. This sentence is the thesis statement, and it serves as a summary of the argument you’ll make in the rest of your paper.

What is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement:

tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.
makes a claim that others might dispute.
is usually a single sentence near the beginning of your paper (most often, at the end of the first paragraph) that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.

If your assignment asks you to take a position or develop a claim about a subject, you may need to convey that position or claim in a thesis statement near the beginning of your draft. The assignment may not explicitly state that you need a thesis statement because your instructor may assume you will include one. When in doubt, ask your instructor if the assignment requires a thesis statement. When an assignment asks you to analyze, to interpret, to compare and contrast, to demonstrate cause and effect, or to take a stand on an issue, it is likely that you are being asked to develop a thesis and to support it persuasively. (Check out our handout on understanding assignments for more information.)

How do I create a thesis?

A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a “working thesis” that presents a basic or main idea and an argument that you think you can support with evidence. Both the argument and your thesis are likely to need adjustment along the way.

Writers use all kinds of techniques to stimulate their thinking and to help them clarify relationships or comprehend the broader significance of a topic and arrive at a thesis statement. For more ideas on how to get started, see our handout on brainstorming .

How do I know if my thesis is strong?

If there’s time, run it by your instructor or make an appointment at the Writing Center to get some feedback. Even if you do not have time to get advice elsewhere, you can do some thesis evaluation of your own. When reviewing your first draft and its working thesis, ask yourself the following :

Do I answer the question? Re-reading the question prompt after constructing a working thesis can help you fix an argument that misses the focus of the question. If the prompt isn’t phrased as a question, try to rephrase it. For example, “Discuss the effect of X on Y” can be rephrased as “What is the effect of X on Y?”
Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it’s possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument.
Is my thesis statement specific enough? Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong argument. If your thesis contains words like “good” or “successful,” see if you could be more specific: why is something “good”; what specifically makes something “successful”?
Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? If a reader’s first response is likely to be “So what?” then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.
Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change. It’s okay to change your working thesis to reflect things you have figured out in the course of writing your paper. Remember, always reassess and revise your writing as necessary.
Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? If a reader’s first response is “how?” or “why?” your thesis may be too open-ended and lack guidance for the reader. See what you can add to give the reader a better take on your position right from the beginning.

Suppose you are taking a course on contemporary communication, and the instructor hands out the following essay assignment: “Discuss the impact of social media on public awareness.” Looking back at your notes, you might start with this working thesis:

Social media impacts public awareness in both positive and negative ways.

You can use the questions above to help you revise this general statement into a stronger thesis.

Do I answer the question? You can analyze this if you rephrase “discuss the impact” as “what is the impact?” This way, you can see that you’ve answered the question only very generally with the vague “positive and negative ways.”
Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? Not likely. Only people who maintain that social media has a solely positive or solely negative impact could disagree.
Is my thesis statement specific enough? No. What are the positive effects? What are the negative effects?
Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? No. Why are they positive? How are they positive? What are their causes? Why are they negative? How are they negative? What are their causes?
Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? No. Why should anyone care about the positive and/or negative impact of social media?

After thinking about your answers to these questions, you decide to focus on the one impact you feel strongly about and have strong evidence for:

Because not every voice on social media is reliable, people have become much more critical consumers of information, and thus, more informed voters.

This version is a much stronger thesis! It answers the question, takes a specific position that others can challenge, and it gives a sense of why it matters.

Let’s try another. Suppose your literature professor hands out the following assignment in a class on the American novel: Write an analysis of some aspect of Mark Twain’s novel Huckleberry Finn. “This will be easy,” you think. “I loved Huckleberry Finn!” You grab a pad of paper and write:

Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel.

You begin to analyze your thesis:

Do I answer the question? No. The prompt asks you to analyze some aspect of the novel. Your working thesis is a statement of general appreciation for the entire novel.

Think about aspects of the novel that are important to its structure or meaning—for example, the role of storytelling, the contrasting scenes between the shore and the river, or the relationships between adults and children. Now you write:

In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore.

Do I answer the question? Yes!
Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? Not really. This contrast is well-known and accepted.
Is my thesis statement specific enough? It’s getting there–you have highlighted an important aspect of the novel for investigation. However, it’s still not clear what your analysis will reveal.
Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? Not yet. Compare scenes from the book and see what you discover. Free write, make lists, jot down Huck’s actions and reactions and anything else that seems interesting.
Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? What’s the point of this contrast? What does it signify?”

After examining the evidence and considering your own insights, you write:

Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain’s Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave “civilized” society and go back to nature.

This final thesis statement presents an interpretation of a literary work based on an analysis of its content. Of course, for the essay itself to be successful, you must now present evidence from the novel that will convince the reader of your interpretation.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Anson, Chris M., and Robert A. Schwegler. 2010. The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers , 6th ed. New York: Longman.

Lunsford, Andrea A. 2015. The St. Martin’s Handbook , 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s.

Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. 2018. The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing , 8th ed. New York: Pearson.

Ruszkiewicz, John J., Christy Friend, Daniel Seward, and Maxine Hairston. 2010. The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers , 9th ed. Boston: Pearson Education.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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A thesis (plural: 'theses') is a document written in support of an idea that is presented for discussion or disputation . In modern usage it usually refers to a document presented as a requirement for an academic degree or professional qualification. It presents the author 's research and findings. [1] In the academic context it means the same as dissertation . The term dissertation can be used to describe an argument without relation to academic degrees. The term thesis may also be used for the central claim of an essay or other work.

1 Thesis types
3 Etymology
4 Thesis Media
5 References
6 Other websites

Thesis types

There are different types of thesis for different fields, for example, if you are an English major then for your thesis you may be asked to write a short story, a media student can be asked to submit a short film.

A graduate thesis is also known as graduate dissertation. A student may work with a member of the faculty who has specialized in the relevant field.

A thesis may be much longer. In the French system, a thesis ( PhD ), also called "Doctorat" [2] is generally far longer and is up to 500 pages long. [3]

The word "thesis" comes from the Greek θέσις , meaning "position", and refers to an intellectual proposition . "Dissertation" comes from the Latin dissertātiō , meaning "discourse".

Thesis Media

Dutch 18th century doctoral ceremony at Leiden University shown on the frontispice of a PhD thesis, Netherlands. "Disputatio philosophica inauguralis de spatio vacuo" (Inaugural philosophical disputation On empty space) by Guilielmus ab Irhoven (Willem van Irhoven) on the authority of the Rector magnificus Johannes Jacobus Vitriarius (Jan Jacob Glazenmaker), 7 July 1721.

Cover page to Søren Kierkegaard 's university thesis (1841)

The cover of the thesis presented by Claude Bernard to obtain his Doctorate of Medicine (1843)

Cover page of a licentiate dissertation in Sweden

↑ International Standard ISO 7144: Documentation – Presentation of theses and similar documents , International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, 1986.
↑ "Writing a thesis" .

Other websites

en.wikibooks.org/wiki/ETD_Guide Guide to electronic theses and dissertations on Wikibooks
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD)
How to write a PhD thesis Thesis Writing
Free thesis indexing service Archived 2011-05-29 at the Wayback Machine
EThOS Database Database of Theses available through the British Library

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Dissertation
What Is a Thesis? | Ultimate Guide & Examples

What Is a Thesis? | Ultimate Guide & Examples

Published on September 14, 2022 by Tegan George . Revised on November 21, 2023.

A thesis is a type of research paper based on your original research. It is usually submitted as the final step of a master’s program or a capstone to a bachelor’s degree.

Writing a thesis can be a daunting experience. Other than a dissertation , it is one of the longest pieces of writing students typically complete. It relies on your ability to conduct research from start to finish: choosing a relevant topic , crafting a proposal , designing your research , collecting data , developing a robust analysis, drawing strong conclusions , and writing concisely .

Thesis template

You can also download our full thesis template in the format of your choice below. Our template includes a ready-made table of contents , as well as guidance for what each chapter should include. It’s easy to make it your own, and can help you get started.

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Thesis vs. thesis statement, how to structure a thesis, acknowledgements or preface, list of figures and tables, list of abbreviations, introduction, literature review, methodology, reference list, proofreading and editing, defending your thesis, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about theses.

You may have heard the word thesis as a standalone term or as a component of academic writing called a thesis statement . Keep in mind that these are two very different things.

A thesis statement is a very common component of an essay, particularly in the humanities. It usually comprises 1 or 2 sentences in the introduction of your essay , and should clearly and concisely summarize the central points of your academic essay .
A thesis is a long-form piece of academic writing, often taking more than a full semester to complete. It is generally a degree requirement for Master’s programs, and is also sometimes required to complete a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts colleges.
In the US, a dissertation is generally written as a final step toward obtaining a PhD.
In other countries (particularly the UK), a dissertation is generally written at the bachelor’s or master’s level.

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The final structure of your thesis depends on a variety of components, such as:

Your discipline
Your theoretical approach

Humanities theses are often structured more like a longer-form essay . Just like in an essay, you build an argument to support a central thesis.

In both hard and social sciences, theses typically include an introduction , literature review , methodology section , results section , discussion section , and conclusion section . These are each presented in their own dedicated section or chapter. In some cases, you might want to add an appendix .

Thesis examples

We’ve compiled a short list of thesis examples to help you get started.

Example thesis #1: “Abolition, Africans, and Abstraction: the Influence of the ‘Noble Savage’ on British and French Antislavery Thought, 1787-1807” by Suchait Kahlon.
Example thesis #2: “’A Starving Man Helping Another Starving Man’: UNRRA, India, and the Genesis of Global Relief, 1943-1947″ by Julian Saint Reiman.

The very first page of your thesis contains all necessary identifying information, including:

Your full title
Your full name
Your department
Your institution and degree program
Your submission date.

Sometimes the title page also includes your student ID, the name of your supervisor, or the university’s logo. Check out your university’s guidelines if you’re not sure.

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An abstract is a short summary of your thesis. Usually a maximum of 300 words long, it’s should include brief descriptions of your research objectives , methods, results, and conclusions. Though it may seem short, it introduces your work to your audience, serving as a first impression of your thesis.

Theoretical framework

Your literature review can often form the basis for your theoretical framework, but these are not the same thing. A theoretical framework defines and analyzes the concepts and theories that your research hinges on.

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6.3: Developing a Strong, Clear Thesis Statement

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Athena Kashyap & Erika Dyquisto
City College of San Francisco via ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative

Elements of a Thesis Statement

A Strong Thesis Statement

A strong thesis statement contains the following qualities.

Specificity. A thesis statement must concentrate on a specific area of a general topic. As you may recall, the creation of a thesis statement begins when you choose a broad subject and then narrow down its parts until you pinpoint a specific aspect of that topic. For example, health care is a broad topic, but a proper thesis statement would focus on a specific area of that topic, such as options for individuals without health care coverage.
Precision. A strong thesis statement must be precise enough to allow for a coherent argument and to remain focused on the topic. If the specific topic is options for individuals without health care coverage, then your precise thesis statement must make an exact claim about it, such as that limited options exist for those who are uninsured by their employers. You must further pinpoint what you are going to discuss regarding these limited effects, such as whom they affect and what the cause is.
Ability to be argued. A thesis statement must present a relevant and specific argument. A factual statement often is not considered arguable. Be sure your thesis statement contains a point of view that can be supported with evidence.
Ability to be demonstrated. For any claim you make in your thesis, you must be able to provide reasons and examples for your opinion. You can rely on personal observations in order to do this, or you can consult outside sources to demonstrate that what you assert is valid. A worthy argument is backed by examples and details.
Forcefulness. A thesis statement that is forceful shows readers that you are, in fact, making an argument. The tone is assertive and takes a stance that others might oppose.
Confidence. In addition to using force in your thesis statement, you must also use confidence in your claim. Phrases such as I feel or I believe actually weaken the readers’ sense of your confidence because these phrases imply that you are the only person who feels the way you do. In other words, your stance has insufficient backing. Taking an authoritative stance on the matter persuades your readers to have faith in your argument and open their minds to what you have to say.

On a separate sheet of paper, write a thesis statement for each of the following topics. Remember to make each statement specific, precise, demonstrable, forceful and confident.

Texting while driving
The legal drinking age in the United States
Steroid use among professional athletes

Examples of Appropriate Thesis Statements

Each of the following thesis statements meets several of the following requirements:

Specificity
Ability to be argued
Ability to be demonstrated
Forcefulness
The societal and personal struggles of Troy Maxon in the play Fences symbolize the challenge of black males who lived through segregation and integration in the United States.
Closing all American borders for a period of five years is one solution that will tackle illegal immigration.
Shakespeare’s use of dramatic irony in Romeo and Juliet spoils the outcome for the audience and weakens the plot.
J. D. Salinger’s character in Catcher in the Rye , Holden Caulfield, is a confused rebel who voices his disgust with phonies, yet in an effort to protect himself, he acts like a phony on many occasions.
Compared to an absolute divorce, no-fault divorce is less expensive, promotes fairer settlements, and reflects a more realistic view of the causes for marital breakdown.
Exposing children from an early age to the dangers of drug abuse is a sure method of preventing future drug addicts.
In today’s crumbling job market, a high school diploma is not significant enough education to land a stable, lucrative job.

Five Ways of Looking at a Thesis

1. a thesis creates an argument that builds from one point to the next, giving the paper a direction that the audience can follow as the paper develops..

This point often separates the best theses from the pack. A good thesis can prevent the two weakest ways of organizing a critical paper: the pile of information and the plot summary with comments. A paper that presents a pile of information will frequently introduce new paragraphs with transitions that simply indicate the addition of more stuff. (“Another character who exhibits these traits is X,” for instance.) Consider these examples:

A: The Rules and Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey both tell women how to act.

B: By looking at The Rules , a modern conduct book for women, we can see how Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey is itself like a conduct book, questioning the rules for social success in her society and offering a new model.

Example A would almost inevitably lead to a paper organized as a pile of information. A plot summary with comments follows the chronological development of a text while picking out the same element of every segment; a transition in such a paper might read, “In the next scene, the color blue also figures prominently.” Both of these approaches constitute too much of a good thing. Papers must compile evidence, of course, and following the chronology of a text can sometimes help a reader keep track of a paper’s argument.

The best papers, however, will develop according to a more complex logic articulated in a strong thesis. Example B above would lead a paper to organize its evidence according to the paper’s own logic.

2. A thesis fits comfortably into the Magic Thesis Sentence (MTS).

The MTS: By looking at _____, we can see _____, which most readers don’t see; it is important to look at this aspect of the text because _____.

Try it out with the examples from the first point:

A: By telling the story of Wesley and Buttercup’s triumph over evil, The Princess Bride affirms the power of true love.

B: Although the main plot of The Princess Bride rests on the natural power of true love, an examination of the way that fighting sticks–baseball bats, tree branches, and swords–link the frame story to the romance plot suggests that the narrator’s grandson is being trained in true love, that love is not natural but socialized.

Notice that the MTS adds a new dimension to point number one above. The first part of the MTS asks you to find something strange (“which most readers don’t see”), and the second part asks you to think about the importance of the strangeness. Thesis A would not work at all in the MTS; one could not reasonably state that “most readers [or viewers] don’t see” that film’s affirmation of true love, and the statement does not even attempt to explain the importance of its claim. Thesis B, on the other hand, gives us a way to complete the MTS, as in “By looking at the way fighting sticks link the plot and frame of The Princess Bride , we can see the way the narrator’s grandson is trained in true love, which most people don’t see; it is important to look at this aspect of the text because unlike the rest of the film, the fighting sticks suggest that love is not natural but socialized.” One does not need to write out the MTS in such a neat one-sentence form, of course, but thinking through the structure of the MTS can help refine thesis ideas.

3. A thesis says something about the text(s) exclusively .

If a thesis could describe many works equally well, it needs to be more specific. Let’s return to our examples from above:

Try substituting other works:

A: By telling the story of Darcy and Elizabeth’s triumph over evil, Pride and Prejudice affirms the power of true love.

Sure, that makes sense. Bad sign.

B: Although the main plot of Pride and Prejudice rests on the natural power of true love, an examination of the way that fighting sticks–baseball bats, tree branches, and swords–link the frame story to the romance plot suggests that the grandson is being trained in true love, that it is not natural but socialized.

Um, nope. Even if you have never read Pride and Prejudice , you can probably guess that such a precise thesis could hardly apply to other works. Good sign. The point here is that the thesis needs to be specific enough that its meaning relates to the specific work(s) you are writing about -- be it fiction or nonfiction.

4. A thesis makes a lot of information irrelevant.

If the thesis is specific enough, it will make a point that focuses on only a small part of the text be analyzed or a particular aspect of a larger topic. A writer should ultimately apply that point to the work as a whole, but a thesis will call attention to specific parts of it. Let’s look at those examples again. (This is the last time, I promise.)

One way of spotting the problem with Example A is to note that a simple plot summary would support its point. That is not of true example B, which tells the reader exactly what moments the paper will be discussed and why. The thesis is focused and concentrated.

5. Remember to Address the Work as a Whole: The “So What?”

As you complete your analysis, remember to think about what the effect this will have on the world of academia.

Does your thesis introduce your topic in a clear way?
Does the introduction mention what you will be addressing? Social constructs, gender issues, etc.

Writing a Thesis Statement

One legitimate question readers always ask about a piece of writing is “What is the big idea?” (You may even ask this question when you are the reader, critically reading an assignment or another document.) Every nonfiction writing task—from the short essay to the ten-page term paper to the lengthy senior thesis—needs a big idea, or a controlling idea, as the spine for the work. The controlling idea is the main idea that you want to present and develop.

For a longer piece of writing, the main idea should be broader than the main idea for a shorter piece of writing. Be sure to frame a main idea that is appropriate for the length of the assignment. Ask yourself, “How many pages will it take for me to explain and explore this main idea in detail?” Be reasonable with your estimate. Then expand or trim it to fit the required length.

Developing Thesis Statements from Topics

The big idea, or controlling idea, you want to present in an essay is expressed in a thesis statement. A thesis statement is often one sentence long, and it states your point of view. The thesis statement is not the topic of the piece of writing but rather what you have to say about that topic and what is important to tell readers.

Table 5.1 “Topics and Thesis Statements” compares topics and thesis statements.

Table 5.1 Topics and Thesis Statements

The first thesis statement you write will be a preliminary thesis statement, or a working thesis statement. You will need it when you begin to outline your assignment as a way to organize it. As you continue to develop the arrangement, you can limit your working thesis statement if it is too broad or expand it if it proves too narrow for what you want to say.

Using the topic you selected in Section 4.6 “ Prewriting Strategies ”, develop a working thesis statement that states your controlling idea for the piece of writing you are doing. On a sheet of paper, write your working thesis statement.

You will make several attempts before you devise a working thesis statement that you think is effective. Each draft of the thesis statement will bring you closer to the wording that expresses your meaning exactly. Sometimes, this refinement of the thesis statement happens after your write your first draft of the paper.

Guidelines for Drafting a Thesis Statement

It helps to understand why readers value the arguable thesis. What larger purpose does it serve? Readers will bring a set of expectations to an essay. If writers can anticipate the expectations of their readers, the better they will be able to persuade the audience to find the arguments convincing, interesting, and relevant.

Academic readers (and readers more generally) read to learn something new. They want to see the writer challenge commonplaces—either everyday assumptions about the object of study or truisms in the scholarly literature. In other words, academic readers want to be surprised so that their thinking shifts or at least becomes more complex by the time they finish reading an essay. Good essays problematize what we think we know and offer an alternative explanation in its place. They leave their reader with a fresh perspective on a problem.

We all bring important past experiences and beliefs to our interpretations of texts, objects, and problems. Writers can harness these observational powers to engage critically with what they are studying. The key is to be alert to what strikes you as strange, problematic, paradoxical, or puzzling about your topic. If writers can articulate this and a claim in response, they are well on their way to formulating an arguable thesis in the introduction.

How do I set up a “problem” and an arguable thesis in response?

All good writing has a purpose or motive for existing. The thesis is the writer’s surprising response to this problem or motive. This is why it seldom makes sense to start a writing project by articulating the thesis. The first step is to articulate the question or problem your paper addresses.

Here are some possible ways to introduce a conceptual problem in your paper’s introduction.

1. Challenge a commonplace interpretation (or your own first impressions).

How are readers likely to interpret this source or issue? What might intelligent readers think at first glance? (Or, if you’ve been given secondary sources or have been asked to conduct research to locate secondary sources, what do other writers or scholars assume is true or important about your primary source or issue?)

What does this commonplace interpretation leave out, overlook, or under-emphasize?

2. Help the reader see the complexity of your topic.

Identify and describe for the reader a paradox, puzzle, or contradiction in a primary source(s).

What larger questions does this paradox or contradiction raise for readers?

3. If research is part of the assignment, piggyback off another scholar’s research.

4. If research is part of the assignment, identify a gap in another scholar’s or a group of scholars’ research.

Summarize another scholar’s argument about your topic, primary source, or case study and explain to the reader why this claim is interesting. Or, summarize how scholars in the field tend to approach the topic.

Next, explain what important aspect this scholarly representation misses or distorts. Introduce the particular approach to the topic and its value.

5. If research is part of the assignment, bring in a new lens for investigating the case study or problem.

Summarize how a scholar or group of scholars has approached the topic.

Introduce a theoretical source (possibly from another discipline) and explain how it helps to address this issue from a new and productive angle.

Tip : your introductory paragraph will probably look like this:

Testing Your Thesis

Test a thesis statement’s arguability by asking the following questions:

1) Does the thesis only or mostly summarize a source?

If so, try some of the exercises above to articulate the paper’s conceptual problem or question.

2) Is the thesis arguable – can it be supported by evidence, and is it surprising and contentious?

If not, return to the sources and practice the exercises above.

3) Is the thesis about the primary source, or is it about the world?

If it’s about the world, revise it so that it focuses on primary source(s). Remember to include solid evidence to support the thesis.

"THREE-STORY THESIS STATEMENTS" BY AMY GUPTIL

How do you produce a good, strong thesis? And how do you know when you’ve gotten there? Many instructors and writers find useful a metaphor based on this passage by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.: 3

There are one-story intellects, two-story intellects, and three-story intellects with skylights. All fact collectors who have no aim beyond their facts are one-story men. Two-story men compare, reason, generalize using the labor of fact collectors as their own. Three-story men idealize, imagine, predict—their best illumination comes from above the skylight.

One-story theses state inarguable facts. Two-story theses bring in an arguable (interpretive or analytical) point. Three-story theses nest that point within its larger, compelling implications. 4

The biggest benefit of the three-story metaphor is that it describes a process for building a thesis. To build the first story, you first have to get familiar with the complex, relevant facts surrounding the problem or question. You have to be able to describe the situation thoroughly and accurately. Then, with that first story built, you can layer on the second story by formulating the insightful, arguable point that animates the analysis. That’s often the most effortful part: brainstorming, elaborating and comparing alternative ideas, finalizing your point. With that specified, you can frame up the third story by articulating why the point you make matters beyond its particular topic or case.

Thesis: that’s the word that pops at me whenever I write an essay. Seeing this word in the prompt scared me and made me think to myself, “Oh great, what are they really looking for?” or “How am I going to make a thesis for a college paper?” When rehearing that I would be focusing on theses again in a class, I said to myself, “Here we go again!” But after learning about the three story thesis, I never had a problem with writing another thesis. In fact, I look forward to being asked on a paper to create a thesis.

Timothée Pizarro

For example, imagine you have been assigned a paper about the impact of online learning in higher education. You would first construct an account of the origins and multiple forms of online learning and assess research findings about its use and effectiveness. If you’ve done that well, you’ll probably come up with a well considered opinion that wouldn’t be obvious to readers who haven’t looked at the issue in depth. Maybe you’ll want to argue that online learning is a threat to the academic community. Or perhaps you’ll want to make the case that online learning opens up pathways to college degrees that traditional campus-based learning does not. In the course of developing your central, argumentative point, you’ll come to recognize its larger context; in this example, you may claim that online learning can serve to better integrate higher education with the rest of society, as online learners bring their educational and career experiences together. To outline this example:

First story : Online learning is becoming more prevalent and takes many different forms.
Second story : While most observers see it as a transformation of higher education, online learning is better thought of an extension of higher education in that it reaches learners who aren’t disposed to participate in traditional campus-based education.
Third story : Online learning appears to be a promising way to better integrate higher education with other institutions in society, as online learners integrate their educational experiences with the other realms of their life, promoting the freer flow of ideas between the academy and the rest of society.

Here’s another example of a three-story thesis: 5

First story : Edith Wharton did not consider herself a modernist writer, and she didn’t write like her modernist contemporaries.
Second story : However, in her work we can see her grappling with both the questions and literary forms that fascinated modernist writers of her era. While not an avowed modernist, she did engage with modernist themes and questions.
Third story : Thus, it is more revealing to think of modernism as a conversation rather than a category or practice.

Here’s one more example:

First story : Scientists disagree about the likely impact in the U.S. of the light brown apple moth (LBAM) , an agricultural pest native to Australia.
Second story : Research findings to date suggest that the decision to spray pheromones over the skies of several southern Californian counties to combat the LBAM was poorly thought out.
Third story : Together, the scientific ambiguities and the controversial response strengthen the claim that industrial-style approaches to pest management are inherently unsustainable.

A thesis statement that stops at the first story isn’t usually considered a thesis. A two-story thesis is usually considered competent, though some two-story theses are more intriguing and ambitious than others. A thoughtfully crafted and well informed three-story thesis puts the author on a smooth path toward an excellent paper.

The concept of a three-story thesis framework was the most helpful piece of information I gained from the writing component of DCC 100. The first time I utilized it in a college paper, my professor included “good thesis” and “excellent introduction” in her notes and graded it significantly higher than my previous papers. You can expect similar results if you dig deeper to form three-story theses. More importantly, doing so will make the actual writing of your paper more straightforward as well. Arguing something specific makes the structure of your paper much easier to design.

Peter Farrell

Effective Thesis Statements

As mentioned before, a thesis statement is the controlling idea of your essay. It is the main idea that all of the other sentences in the essay relate to. After gathering information about your topic, you need to figure out what you want to say about it.

An effective thesis statement has two major characteristics.

1. An effective thesis statement makes a point about a topic. For this reason, it must do more than state a fact or announce what you plan to write about.

Statement of fact: The military recruits students in high schools.

Announcement: In this essay, I would like to discuss what’s wrong with military recruitment in high schools.

List thesis: We should not allow the military to recruit in high schools because recruiters violate privacy, manipulate naïve young people, and target low-income youth.

Effective thesis: We should end the abusive and discriminatory practice of military recruitment in high schools.

A statement of fact is not an effective thesis statement because it does not take a position, giving you nothing to develop in your essay. Likewise, an announcement of what you plan to write about in your essay does not take a position on the issue, leaving you with nothing to develop. A good thesis statement makes a claim that is arguable.

2. The most effective thesis statements do not list your main points but unite your main points into a larger, central idea. The list thesis above looks strong, but notice how the effective thesis connects the three points with the words “abusive” and “discriminatory.” Now we know how the three points relate to each other; they are more than just a list.

To turn three or four “reasons” or topic sentences into a thesis, consider what they have in common and what your overall point is.

Now that you have read about the contents of a good thesis statement and have seen examples, take a look at the pitfalls to avoid when composing your own thesis:

Weak thesis statement: My paper will explain why imagination is more important than knowledge.

Weak thesis statement: Religious radicals across America are trying to legislate their Puritanical beliefs by banning required high school books.

Weak thesis statement: Advertising companies use sex to sell their products.

Weak thesis statement: The life of Abraham Lincoln was long and challenging.

The subject of this paper is my experience with ferrets as pets.
The government must expand its funding for research on renewable energy resources in order to prepare for the impending end of oil.
Edgar Allan Poe was a poet who lived in Baltimore during the nineteenth century.
In this essay, I will give you lots of reasons why slot machines should not be legalized in Baltimore.
Despite his promises during his campaign, President Kennedy took few executive measures to support civil rights legislation.
Because many children’s toys have potential safety hazards that could lead to injury, it is clear that not all children’s toys are safe.
My experience with young children has taught me that I want to be a disciplinary parent because I believe that a child without discipline can be a parent’s worst nightmare.

Writing at Work

Often in your career, you will need to ask your manager for something through an e-mail. Just as a thesis statement organizes an essay, it can also organize your e-mail request. While your e-mail will be shorter than an essay, using a thesis statement in your first paragraph quickly lets your manager know what you are asking for, why it is necessary, and what the benefits are. In short body paragraphs, you can provide the essential information needed to expand upon your request.

Thesis Statement Revision

Your thesis will probably change as you write, so you will need to modify it to reflect exactly what you have discussed in your essay. Remember from Chapter 4 that your thesis statement begins as a working thesis statement, an indefinite statement that you make about your topic early in the writing process for the purpose of planning and guiding your writing.

Ways to Revise Your Thesis

You can cut down on irrelevant aspects and revise your thesis by taking the following steps:

1. Pinpoint and replace all nonspecific words, such as people , everything , society , or life , with more precise words in order to reduce any vagueness.

Working thesis: Young people have to work hard to succeed in life.

Revised thesis: Recent college graduates must have discipline and persistence in order to find and maintain a stable job in which they can use and be appreciated for their talents.

The revised thesis makes a more specific statement about success and what it means to work hard. The original includes too broad a range of people and does not define exactly what success entails. By replacing those general words like people and work hard , the writer can better focus their research and gain more direction in their writing.

2. Clarify ideas that need explanation by asking yourself questions that narrow your thesis.

Working thesis: The welfare system is a joke.

Revised thesis: The welfare system keeps a socioeconomic class from gaining employment by alluring members of that class with unearned income instead of programs to improve their education and skill sets.

A joke means many things to many people. Readers bring all sorts of backgrounds and perspectives to the reading process and would need clarification for a word so vague. This expression may also be too informal for the selected audience. By asking questions, the writer can devise a more precise and appropriate explanation for joke . The writer should ask himself or herself questions similar to the 5WH questions. (See Chapter 4.6 " Prewriting Strategies " for more information on the 5WH questions.) By incorporating the answers to these questions into a thesis statement, the writer more accurately defines his or her stance, which will better guide the writing of the essay.

3. Replace any linking verbs with action verbs. Linking verbs are forms of the verb to be , a verb that simply states that a situation exists.

Working thesis: Kansas City schoolteachers are not paid enough.

Revised thesis: Kansas City cannot afford to pay its educators, resulting in job cuts and resignations in a district that sorely needs highly qualified and dedicated teachers.

Who is not paying the teachers enough?
What is considered “enough”?
What is the problem?
What are the results

In an earlier section you determined your purpose for writing and your audience. You then completed a free writing exercise about an event you recently experienced and chose a general topic to write about. Using that general topic, you then narrowed it down by answering the 5WH questions. After you answered these questions, you chose one of the three methods of prewriting and gathered possible supporting points for your working thesis statement.

Collaboration

Please share with a classmate and compare your answers.

Contributors

Adapted from Writing for Success . Provided by: The Saylor Foundation. License: CC-NC-SA 3.0 .
Adapted from " Five Ways of Looking at a Thesis. " Authored by: Erik Simpson. Provided by: LumenLearning. License: CC BY: Attribution
Adapted from Formulating a Thesis . Authored by: Andrea Scott. Provided by: Princeton University. Project: WritingCommons. License: CC BY-NC-ND:
Adapted from Writing in College . Authored by Amy Guptill. License: CC-NC-SA 4.0

This page most recently updated on June 8, 2020.

Effective Thesis Statements

What is a Thesis Statement?

A thesis statement tells a reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion. Such a statement is also called an “argument,” a “main idea,” or a “controlling idea.”
A good thesis has two parts. It should tell what you plan to argue, and it should “telegraph” how you plan to argue—that is, what particular support for your claim is going where in your essay
A standard place for your thesis is at the end of the introductory paragraph.
A thesis is an interpretation of a subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel that others might dispute.
A strong thesis not only grabs the interest of your reader, who now wants to see you support your unique interpretation, it also provides a focus for your argument, one to which every part of your paper refers in the development of your position.
A thesis keeps the writer centered on the matter at hand and reduces the risk of intellectual wandering. Likewise, a thesis provides the reader with a “road map,” clearly laying out the intellectual route ahead.
A thesis statement avoids the first person (“I believe,” “In my opinion”).

A simple equation for what a thesis might look like this:

What you plan to argue + How you plan to argue it = Thesis Specific Topic+ Attitude/Angle/Argument=Thesis

Steps To Write Effective Thesis Statement

Choose a prompt or, if appropriate, select a topic: television violence and children
What are the effects of television violence on children?
Violence on television increases aggressive behavior in children.
Avoid general phrasing and/or sweeping words such as “all” or “none” or “every”.
Lead the reader toward the topic sentences (the subtopics needed to prove the thesis).
While poor parenting and easy access to weapons may act as contributory factors, in fact when children are exposed to television violence they become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others, are more fearful of the world around them, and are more likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward others.

The Components of an Effective Thesis Statement

You can’t just pluck a thesis out of thin air. Even if you have a terrific insight concerning a topic, it won’t be worth much unless you can logically and persuasively support it in the body of your essay. A thesis is the evolutionary result of a thinking process, not a miraculous creation. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment .
Substantial – Your thesis should be a claim for which it is easy to answer every reader’s question: “So what?”
Supportable – A thesis must be a claim that you can prove with the evidence at hand (e.g., evidence from your texts or from your research). Your claim should not be outlandish, nor should it be mere personal opinion or preference (e.g., “Frederick Douglass is my favorite historical figure.”) It tackles a subject that could be adequately covered in the format of the project assigned.
Precise – It is focused and specific. A strong thesis proves a point without discussing everything. It clearly asserts your own conclusion based on evidence. Note: Be flexible. It is perfectly okay to change your thesis!
Arguable – It should be contestable, proposing an arguable point with which people could reasonably disagree.
Relevant – If you are responding to an assignment, the thesis should answer the question your teacher has posed. In order to stay focused, pay attention to the task words in the assignment: summarize, argue, compare/contrast, etc.
Aware of Counters – It anticipates and refutes the counter-arguments.

The best thesis statement is a balance of specific details and concise language. Your goal is to articulate an argument in detail without burdening the reader with too much information.

Questions To Review Your Thesis

“Do I answer the question?” This might seem obvious, but it’s worth asking. No matter how intriguing or dazzling, a thesis that doesn’t answer the question is not a good thesis!
“Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose?” If not, then you probably do not have a strong argument. Theses that are too vague often have this problem. If your thesis contains vague words like “good” or “successful,” see if you could be more specific: why is something “good”; what makes something “successful”?
Would anyone possible care about this thesis? So What? Does your thesis present a position or an interpretation worth pursuing? If a reader’s first response is, “So what?” then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.
“Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering?” Just as a thesis that doesn’t answer the question ultimately fails, so does a thesis that isn’t properly supported with evidence and reasoning.
Does my thesis statement adequately address the direction words of the prompt: summarize, argue, compare/contrast, analyze, discuss, etc.?

Myths about Thesis Statements

Every paper requires one . Assignments that ask you to write personal responses or to explore a subject don’t want you to seem to pre-judge the issues. Essays of literary interpretation often want you to be aware of many effects rather than seeming to box yourself into one view of the text.
A thesis statement must come at the end of the first paragraph . This is a natural position for a statement of focus, but it’s not the only one. Some theses can be stated in the opening sentences of an essay; others need a paragraph or two of introduction; others can’t be fully formulated until the end.
A thesis statement must be one sentence in length , no matter how many clauses it contains. Clear writing is more important than rules like these. Use two or three sentences if you need them. A complex argument may require a whole tightly-knit paragraph to make its initial statement of position.
You can’t start writing an essay until you have a perfect thesis statement . It may be advisable to draft a hypothesis or tentative thesis statement near the start of a big project, but changing and refining a thesis is a main task of thinking your way through your ideas as you write a paper. And some essay projects need to explore the question in depth without being locked in before they can provide even a tentative answer.
A thesis statement must give three points of support . It should indicate that the essay will explain and give evidence for its assertion, but points don’t need to come in any specific number.

Progressively Complex Thesis Statements

Effective Thesis Statements. Provided by : Writing Guide Wikispaces. Located at : https://writingguide.wikispaces.com/Effective+Thesis+Statements . License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
Table of Contents

Instructor Resources (Access Requires Login)

Overview of Instructor Resources

An Overview of the Writing Process

Introduction to the Writing Process
Introduction to Writing
Your Role as a Learner
What is an Essay?
Reading to Write
Defining the Writing Process
Videos: Prewriting Techniques
Thesis Statements
Organizing an Essay
Creating Paragraphs
Conclusions
Editing and Proofreading
Matters of Grammar, Mechanics, and Style
Peer Review Checklist
Comparative Chart of Writing Strategies

Using Sources

Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Avoiding Plagiarism
Formatting the Works Cited Page (MLA)
Citing Paraphrases and Summaries (APA)
APA Citation Style, 6th edition: General Style Guidelines

Definition Essay

Definitional Argument Essay
How to Write a Definition Essay
Critical Thinking
Video: Thesis Explained
Student Sample: Definition Essay

Narrative Essay

Introduction to Narrative Essay
Student Sample: Narrative Essay
"Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell
"Sixty-nine Cents" by Gary Shteyngart
Video: The Danger of a Single Story
How to Write an Annotation
How to Write a Summary
Writing for Success: Narration

Illustration/Example Essay

Introduction to Illustration/Example Essay
"She's Your Basic L.O.L. in N.A.D" by Perri Klass
"April & Paris" by David Sedaris
Writing for Success: Illustration/Example
Student Sample: Illustration/Example Essay

Compare/Contrast Essay

Introduction to Compare/Contrast Essay
"Disability" by Nancy Mairs
"Friending, Ancient or Otherwise" by Alex Wright
"A South African Storm" by Allison Howard
Writing for Success: Compare/Contrast
Student Sample: Compare/Contrast Essay

Cause-and-Effect Essay

Introduction to Cause-and-Effect Essay
"Cultural Baggage" by Barbara Ehrenreich
"Women in Science" by K.C. Cole
Writing for Success: Cause and Effect
Student Sample: Cause-and-Effect Essay

Argument Essay

Introduction to Argument Essay
Rogerian Argument
"The Case Against Torture," by Alisa Soloman
"The Case for Torture" by Michael Levin
How to Write a Summary by Paraphrasing Source Material
Writing for Success: Argument
Student Sample: Argument Essay
Grammar/Mechanics Mini-lessons
Mini-lesson: Subjects and Verbs, Irregular Verbs, Subject Verb Agreement
Mini-lesson: Sentence Types
Mini-lesson: Fragments I
Mini-lesson: Run-ons and Comma Splices I
Mini-lesson: Comma Usage
Mini-lesson: Parallelism
Mini-lesson: The Apostrophe
Mini-lesson: Capital Letters
Grammar Practice - Interactive Quizzes
De Copia - Demonstration of the Variety of Language
Style Exercise: Voice

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Definition of thesis

Did you know.

In high school, college, or graduate school, students often have to write a thesis on a topic in their major field of study. In many fields, a final thesis is the biggest challenge involved in getting a master's degree, and the same is true for students studying for a Ph.D. (a Ph.D. thesis is often called a dissertation ). But a thesis may also be an idea; so in the course of the paper the student may put forth several theses (notice the plural form) and attempt to prove them.

Examples of thesis in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thesis.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

in sense 3, Middle English, lowering of the voice, from Late Latin & Greek; Late Latin, from Greek, downbeat, more important part of a foot, literally, act of laying down; in other senses, Latin, from Greek, literally, act of laying down, from tithenai to put, lay down — more at do

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a(1)

Dictionary Entries Near thesis

the sins of the fathers are visited upon the children

thesis novel

Cite this Entry

“Thesis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thesis. Accessed 8 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of thesis, more from merriam-webster on thesis.

Nglish: Translation of thesis for Spanish Speakers

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about thesis

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Morgan Wallen's arrest is the latest in a string of scandals. Here's a timeline of the country singer's biggest controversies.

Morgan Wallen topped charts and broke records with his 2023 album "One Thing at a Time."
His success has come despite a string of controversies, including using a racial slur on video.
The country singer was recently arrested and charged with three felony counts, according to reports.

On the surface, Morgan Wallen is a country star at the top of his game.

The singer's third studio album, 2023's "One Thing at a Time," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and remained there for 19 weeks, breaking the record for most weeks among country albums . He finished the year as Billboard's top-performing Hot 100 artist .

However, Wallen's commercial success comes in spite of a string of controversies, including multiple arrests. Keep scrolling for a timeline of his biggest scandals.

Barnaby Lane contributed to a previous version of this article.

May 23, 2020: Wallen is kicked out of Kid Rock's bar and arrested.

According to The Tennessean, Wallen was arrested and charged with public intoxication and disorderly conduct charges during a night out in downtown Nashville.

Police said Wallen was kicked out of Kid Rock's Big Ass Honky Tonk Rock N' Roll Steakhouse at about 11 p.m. for "kicking glass items." He then got into verbal fights with passersby on the street.

"We didn't mean any harm, and we want to say sorry to any bar staff or anyone that was affected," Wallen said in a since-deleted tweet the day after the incident. "Thank you to the local authorities for being so professional and doing their job with class. Love y'all."

Prosecutors later abandoned the charges.

October 2020: Wallen is caught partying without a mask during lockdown.

Just one week before Wallen was set to make his debut appearance on "Saturday Night Live" in October 2020, videos of the singer drinking and making out with women at packed bars and parties in Alabama, without a mask, emerged online .

At the time, Alabama had deployed a statewide mask and social distancing mandate to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

October 7, 2020: Wallen's "SNL" appearance is canceled.

As a result of his breaking COVID-19 restrictions, Wallen's "SNL" appearance was canceled. He was quickly replaced by Jack White.

"My actions this past weekend were pretty short-sighted and they have obviously affected my long-term goals and my dreams," he said in an Instagram video after getting axed by NBC producers.

October 7, 2020: Wallen drops out of headlining a festival in Georgia.

The same day Wallen's "SNL" gig was canceled, he also canceled his headline slot at the Rome River Jam in Georgia — just two days before he was scheduled to take the stage.

According to Billboard, the festival — which allowed fans to gather in their own socially distanced, open-air pods — was expected to be the largest event planned for country fans since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

Wallen was replaced by Lee Brice on the lineup.

December 5, 2020: Wallen jokes about breaking COVID-19 precautions during an "SNL" sketch.

Wallen made his "SNL" debut two months after his original appearance was canceled.

During the show, Wallen made a surprise appearance during a skit to poke fun at his recent behavior.

In the sketch, Wallen is drinking at an Alabama bar when he meets two future versions of himself, played by Jason Bateman and Bowen Yang, who warn him of what's about to unfold.

"Someone's going to post a video of you breaking COVID-19 protocols and the whole internet is going to freak out," Bateman says to Wallen.

February 2, 2021: Wallen is caught on video using the N-word.

In a video filmed by Wallen's neighbor and published by TMZ, Wallen can be heard using the N-word to address his friend after a night out in Nashville.

"I'm embarrassed and sorry," Wallen said to TMZ. "I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back. There are no excuses to use this type of language, ever. I want to sincerely apologize for using the word. I promise to do better."

February 3, 2020: Wallen's music is pulled from radio stations across the United States.

Stations including SiriusXM and iHeartRadio pulled Wallen's music from the air following the release of TMZ's video. Wallen's music was also deplatformed by streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify.

CMT also took a stand against Wallen's behavior.

"After learning of Morgan Wallen's racial slur late last night, we are in the process of removing his appearances from all our platforms," the country-music cable network announced on Twitter . "We do not tolerate or condone words and actions that are in direct opposition to our core values that celebrate diversity, equity & inclusion."

February 3, 2020: Wallen is suspended by his record label.

Big Loud Records announced it would suspend Wallen's recording contract "indefinitely" following his casual use of the N-word.

Republic Records, which partnered with Big Loud to distribute Wallen's music, backed the decision with a statement on Twitter.

"Such behavior will not be tolerated," the statement reads.

February 10, 2020: Wallen issues an apology video.

In a lengthy video shared on his Instagram, Wallen apologized for his remarks and said that he had spoken to leaders in the Black community.

Wallen also shared that he was attempting to get sober.

"I have one favor to ask. I appreciate those who still see something in me and have defended me," he said. "But for today, please don't. I was wrong. It's on me to take ownership for this. And I fully accept any penalties I'm facing."

"Our actions matter, our words matter," he added. "And I just want to encourage anyone watching to please learn from my mistakes."

October 28, 2021: Wallen is barred from attending the American Music Awards.

Wallen was a double nominee at the 2021 American Music Awards, receiving nods in the favorite male country artist and favorite country album categories.

However, he was barred from attending and accepting awards due to his use of the racial slur.

"Morgan Wallen is a nominee this year based on charting," said the show's producers in a statement. "As his conduct does not align with our core values, we will not be including him on the show in any capacity (performing, presenting, accepting).

"We plan to evaluate his progress in doing meaningful work as an ally to the Black community and will consider his participation in future shows."

May 15, 2022: Wallen performs at the Billboard Music Awards.

Wallen was a four-time nominee at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards , which distributes awards based on streaming and sales figures.

He took the stage to perform a medley of "Don't Think Jesus" and "Wasted on You," his first award-show performance since he was filmed using the N-word. He also won the award for top country male artist.

During the awards ceremony, host Diddy said he was "uncanceling" Wallen.

"Love does not rock like that," said the hip-hop superstar. "I'm here to forgive, to unify, to celebrate, and to have everybody be free."

Diddy has since become a controversial figure in his own right, facing multiple allegations of sexual assault and abuse .

June 29, 2022: Wallen opens up about the "dark" time in his life.

Wallen reflected on his past year during an interview with Storme Warren on SiriusXM's "The Highway."

"I feel like I'm a pretty resilient person, and I'm a pretty happy person in general," Wallen told Warren. "But that was definitely a really difficult time, you know?"

"We tried to keep my sight set on better things," he continued. "I feel like if we just stay true to who I knew I really was, that it would, we would come out all right."

March 13, 2023: Wallen scores his first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Last Night."

Wallen's third studio album, "One Thing at a Time," debuted at No. 1 upon its release in 2023.

All 36 of the album's tracks appeared on the Billboard Hot 100, breaking Drake's single-week record . "Last Night" claimed the top spot, becoming Wallen's first No. 1 hit.

The single went on to chart at No. 1 for 16 nonconsecutive weeks, the most ever for a solo song .

April 23, 2023: Wallen cancels his concert in Mississippi minutes before he was meant to take the stage.

Just moments before Wallen was set to appear at the Vaught Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi, fans were shocked by a black-and-white message on the stage's big screen, announcing his last-minute cancellation .

"Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately, Morgan has lost his voice and is unable to perform tonight," the message read. "Therefore, tonight's show has been canceled. Please make your way safely to the stadium exits. Refunds for tonight's event will be available at point of purchase."

Wallen later apologized in a statement on Instagram.

"After last night's show I started losing my voice so I spent the day resting up, talking to my doctor and working through my vocal exercise trying to get better," he wrote. "I am so sorry, I promise you guys I tried everything I could."

April 25, 2023: Wallen faces legal action for his concert's last-minute cancellation.

Brandi Burcham, a fan who attended the canceled Mississippi gig, filed a federal lawsuit against Wallen for breach of contract and negligence.

The University of Mississippi, which hosted the concert, promised full ticket refunds, but Burcham's complaint said she has yet to be reimbursed.

Burcham also cited incurring "out-of-pocket expenses" caused by the concert cancellation that won't be covered by the reimbursement .

April 8, 2024: Wallen is arrested in Nashville and charged with three felony counts.

According to local news reports , Wallen was arrested after he threw a chair from a sixth-story rooftop bar in Nashville. Two police officers who were standing outside said the chair hit the ground just a few feet away.

In a statement provided to The New York Times , Wallen's lawyer Worrick Robinson confirmed his client's arrest and said he is "cooperating fully with authorities."

Wallen was arrested on three felony counts of reckless endangerment, the Times reported. He was also charged with one count of disorderly conduct, which is a misdemeanor.

He was released after posting bond and received a court date for early May.

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10 Incredible Lessons Mothers Teach without Saying a Word

No one can doubt the impact of a Christian mother who teaches her children about God and life using the Word of God and sharing from her own experiences in trusting God.

But what does a mom teach her children without saying a word? Mothers are always being watched. They are children’s first teachers — either as positive or negative influencers.

Here are a few examples of godly moms’ wordless instruction.

1. Mothers Teach Reverence through Their Fear of God

Mothers might point children to Proverbs 9:10-12 , which teaches that wisdom begins with the fear of God, but it’s her lifestyle that illustrates that truth. When a mom fears God — respecting, honoring, and obeying Him — rather than being concerned about what people think, her children will notice.

“Fear of man will prove to be a snare,” Proverbs 29:25 tells us. “But whoever trusts in the lord is kept safe.” Watch how a woman handles praise to get a glimpse into what’s in her heart. Who is she living for? As she cares for her family, is she careful to do all things to the glory of God? When a woman loves praise from others more than praise from God, her children also learn to value human praise above all else.

That does not mean we should not praise a godly mom. Proverbs 31:30 says, “a woman who fears the lord is to be praised.” It’s right to honor moms for the good works they have done as they live for God and care for their families.

Another way a mom teaches reverence is by spending time in the Word of God . As adults tell stories about their childhood, many praise precious mothers who communed with God at the kitchen table or knelt by their bed. Those moms’ examples spoke louder than words.

2. Mothers Teach Faith by Actively Trusting God

What child has not seen their mom sort through monthly bills, pondering how they’ll be paid? Then, to see that same mom bow her head in prayer and lay those bills before her Heavenly Father as evidence of her confidence in Him and His promises — how can that not communicate the importance of actively trusting God?

Moms who live by faith exemplify the truth of Proverbs 3:5-6 . It is in trusting and submitting to God, not leaning on human understanding, that we journey through the hurtful and puzzling situations in life.

In Ruth 1 , Naomi is a good example of this. As Naomi grieved the death or her husband and two sons, she also chose to actively trust and follow God. Still heartbroken, she traveled to Bethlehem in obedience to the Lord. Although Ruth was one of Naomi’s daughters-in-law, not a daughter by blood, she observed great spiritual substance in Naomi — the woman’s selflessness, obedience, and faith — and she journeyed with her to Bethlehem.

3. Mothers Teach Compassion by Helping the Needy

Imagine the impact when children see their mother reach out to the poor, the destitute, and the unlovely. Proverbs 31:20 describes such a mother: “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.”

Mothers teach their children how to bless and serve others when they themselves serve with compassion, imitating Christ’s humility in valuing, loving, and serving others ( Philippians 2:3-5 ). What a blessing it is for children to observe their mother to do good works in Jesus’ name.

God’s people are to clothe themselves with compassion, kindness, and humility ( Colossians 3:12 ). These are some of the “garments” that make a mother truly beautiful to her children.

4. Mothers Teach Stewardship in Wise Use of Resources

Stewardship includes wise and careful management of resources, generous giving, diligent investments, and purposeful sharing.

As children observe their parents — what they give to God, what they keep for themselves, and how they spend the rest — the lessons of stewardship take shape. A wise mother will show her children that everything belongs to God, including money and possessions, and we are to wisely use and invest God’s resources for His glory.

Stewardship isn’t only about finances, however, although that’s a huge part of it. Stewardship is also about the diligent and wise use of time , cultivating strong relationships , and ministry through spiritual gifts .

5. Mothers Teach Hospitality as They Open Their Homes

Many children can attest to their mother’s gracious hospitality, offering meals or a guest room. Hospitable moms help visitors feel welcome and appreciated, and find rest, peace , joy, and more.

1 Peter 4:9 says to “offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” We’re to cheerfully share our home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. Children learn quickly whether a mother’s hospitality is offered cheerfully or with complaints.

Jesus said our hospitality should extend beyond our friends, relatives, and the wealthy ( Luke 14:12-14 ). We’re to also consider hospitality to the “stranger” — one Bible version translates this as the “homeless” ( Matthew 25:43 ). Again, children watch and learn.

Lydia was a thriving businesswoman in the Bible who practiced hospitality. She became Paul’s first convert ( Acts 16:13-15 ). After Lydia and her household were baptized, she invited Paul and his missionary companions to stay in her home. She also offered her home for church gatherings ( Acts 16:40 ). Although the Bible does not say whether Lydia had any biological children, the children of God in Philippi benefited and learned from her hospitable ways. In many ways, Lydia cared for that congregation like a nurturing mother.

6. Mothers Teach Wisdom by Acting Wisely

We’ve all seen hypocritical Christians who say one thing and do another. A wise mother will not only speak wisdom to her children, she will make strong, biblical choices because she knows her children are watching.

As a wise mother studies the Bible, she fills her thoughts with godly wisdom, letting God’s Word penetrate deep into her soul. Then, through her everyday choices, she pours that wisdom into her family.

The book of Proverbs compares two kinds of women, wise and foolish . It can be noted that as much is revealed about those women’s actions as their words. In short, a wise woman builds her home on a foundation of godly truth and her household thrives; but a foolish woman, a woman without spiritual insight, tears it down piece by piece with her own hands ( Proverbs 14:1 ).

A mother who ignores the principles of biblical wisdom will suffer negative consequences; but a mom who knows and builds on the truth of the Scriptures blesses her family.

7. Mothers Teach Courage by Facing Their Own Fears

Think of it: Motherhood calls for courage from its beginning! Then, throughout motherhood, mothers can either instill fear or courage into their children. Through their words and deeds, mothers show children how to face difficult or fearsome circumstances with courage.

Rather than trembling in fear, a courageous mom leans into the strength of God, knowing that He will uphold her ( Isaiah 41:10 ). A woman’s courage comes from knowing that God is her strength and shield ( Psalm 28:7 ). There is both a mother’s quiet courage in trusting the Lord, and fierce courage kindled in the grueling circumstances of life. Children observe both.

Mothers might give their children books and biblical stories to read about courage. For instance, Jochebed displayed tremendous mama bear courage when, in a self-sacrificing move, she saved baby Moses from death ( Exodus 2:1-10 ).

Jochebed’s daughter, Miriam , was part of her brave plan for the baby’s survival. Obeying her mother, Miriam stood at a distance to watch what would happen to her baby brother. She hurried to fetch Jochebed when Pharaoh’s daughter asked for a nurse for the baby she pulled from the Nile. Miriam learned her mom’s courage lesson well. As an adult, Miriam the prophetess figured alongside Moses and Aaron in courageously leading the Israelites out of Egypt (Micah6:4).

8. Mothers Teach Perseverance by Not Giving Up

Perseverance (or persistence) is an important quality for young boys and girls to learn, and they can learn this as they observe their mothers.

The Bible teaches that staying steadfast in tough trials produces perseverance and blessing ( James 1:12 ; Romans 5:3 ). Mothers can illustrate how to not grow weary in doing good, and practice diligence by working hard. They might show their children photos that illustrate their own persistence in tackling touch challenges, or illustrate how to not give up as they pursue goals.

Jesus’ parable about a woman in Luke 18:1-8 illustrates the power of perseverance. The woman persistently bothered an unjust judge, trying to get justice against her adversary. Though the judge initially rejected her demands, he eventually gave in, worn out by her constant pleas.

That is the kind of perseverance that impresses on children the importance of not losing heart in their own uphill battles. Mothers who never give up when facing tough obstacles — but prayerfully persist to overcome them — give their children a powerful model for their own perseverance.

9. Mothers Teach Forgiveness by Not Clinging to Offenses

Children know when mothers are bitter or holding grudges when offended or wounded by others. The offense might come from an insensitive husband, another relative, or a complete stranger; but the mom’s bitterness takes root and affects everyone in the family.

Children also sense the sweet perfume of forgiveness when mothers refuse to cling to offenses. When a mom forgives, that does not mean the offense was not great. It means that God is greater — He is the righteous judge and avenger — and she can safely leave the offense with Him. Her response of forgiveness shows she is not being overcome by evil, but rather, overcoming evil with good ( Romans 12:20-21 ). She can safely leave the offense with Him.

One of the most powerful gifts a mother can give her child is the smile of forgiveness. Forgiveness must begin at home because children can grieve and offend mothers many times as they grow toward maturity. The Christian mother who obeys Scripture will forgive them, and others, even as the Lord forgave her. This spirit of forgiveness will bless and encourage her children.

10. Mothers Teach Appreciation by Cultivating Gratitude

What mother has not told her child who receives a gift or compliment, “Say thank you!” But moms teach appreciation in many other ways. It’s taught, but also caught. A mother who cultivates gratitude in her own heart can pass it down to her children.

The Bible says much to inform mothers about the necessity of gratitude. Paul urges Christians to give thanks in all circumstances, because this is God’s will for us. Our prayers are to be offered in a spirit of thanksgiving. We’re to give thanks to God for his goodness and steadfast love, and praise Him for His many blessings ( Psalm 107:1 ; Psalm 103:2-5 ).

Whenever mothers show appreciation for blessings from God, offer gifts of appreciation, or simply write thank you cards, they set good examples for their children.

There are so many other lessons mothers teach their children without saying a word: patience when frustrated, cheerfulness instead of complaining, adaptability when situations change, and so much more. Mothers might prayerfully consider what their children learn through observation.

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Jelly Roll Shouts Out Kids In Juvenile Detention at 2024 CMT Awards: ‘You Can Turn It Around’

The breakthrough artist sang "Halfway to Hell" and nabbed three trophies.

By Joe Lynch

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Jelly Roll wins CMT Performance of the Year at the 2024 CMT Music Awards held at the Moody Center on April 7, 2024 in Austin, Texas.

After a tumultuous youth that found him in and out of jail, Jelly Roll ’s winning streak continued at the 2024 CMT Music Awards on Sunday (April 7) at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. The country breakthrough took the stage three times during the awards broadcast to accept trophies, winning every award he was up for that night.

Here Are the 2024 CMT Awards Winners

Trending on billboard.

“My brother, Cody Johnson – ‘The Painter,’ that was one of the best music videos I’ve ever seen in my life,” Jelly Roll raved after besting Johnson for the award. “I’m having one of the greatest nights of my life,” he noted. But the hitmaker’s speech wasn’t just about himself. True to form, he gave an emotional shout-out out the current residents of one of the jails he spent time in growing up, as well as those doing time at Austin’s juvenile detention center. “It’s important that I stand up here tonight and represent those looking for second chances. The kids back in the Metro-Davidson Detention Facility and the kids down here in the Austin Juvenile Detention Facility watching this tonight, I’m cheering y’all boys on. You can be this guy. You can change. You can turn it around. I promise you can, baby.”

Jelly Roll was back on stage after winning the video of the year award, which Billy Bob Thornton handed to him.

The star also thanked his manager, John Meneilly, his publicist, Jennifer Vessio, his label, Stoney Creek, and of course wife, Bunnie XO. “I am blessed to have you as a best friend, I am blessed to have you as a partner,” he said. He also provided a good-natured heads-up to Gayle King, who co-hosts CBS Mornings. “Gayle King, I’m gonna be a little late in the morning, because we’re gonna party, Austin.”

After that, he took the stage one final time to rip through a performance of “Halfway to Hell,” a top 15 Country Airplay hit from his album Whitsitt Chapel .

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🏀 Women's Tourney

🏆 South Carolina wins 2024 title

🎉 A season like no other

Final seconds of the undefeated season

Final bracket

👀 Check your bracket

Stan Becton | NCAA.com | April 7, 2024

What Caitlin Clark said after her last game at Iowa

Caitlin Clark's historic career for Iowa women's basketball ended with a crushing defeat to South Carolina in the 2024 national championship game. Here's what Clark had to say after the game.

Caitlin Clark on post-championship game praise from South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley

Question: Caitlin, I'm sure the moment stings quite a bit, but Dawn Staley just gave you some really, really strong and sincere praise on the podium, on the TV broadcast, for all you've done and all that she believes you're about to do in the years to come. I wonder what that means to hear from her.

"I think any time someone like Coach Staley is able to recognize you and what you did for the game is obviously pretty special. Obviously she's someone I respect so much. I respect what she's done for South Carolina. I respect what she did as a player for our game."

"Any time you can get the praises of her is pretty special. So it means a lot."

Dawn Staley gave a shoutout to Caitlin Clark for what she has done for women's basketball 👏 pic.twitter.com/dhTb85Dt0t — ESPN (@espn) April 7, 2024

"Anytime you can get the praises of her it's pretty special so it means a lot." Caitlin Clark on Dawn Staley calling her one of the GOATs of the game. pic.twitter.com/PZkm3WIsfH — CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 7, 2024

Caitlin Clark reflecting on the 2023-24 season

Question: Caitlin, you said that you've not wanted to look beyond this game or whatever was next in front of you. Now what are the emotions, and what do you think going forward? Do you think about everything that you were able to do, especially this past season?

"Yeah, it's certainly been a special year. To be honest, after last year I was kind of, like, how do we top doing what we did last year? Somehow, some way, every single person in our locker room believed. To be honest, this year was probably more special than last year."

"The teams we had to go through to get to this point, we won the Big Ten tournament. We lost two players that were three-year starters for our program, and to be back in this position and come out here and battle — I mean, South Carolina is so good. There's only so much you can do."

"[Kamilla] Cardoso has 17 rebounds. They have 51 as a team. We have 29. Hard to win a basketball game like that. You've basically got to shoot perfect at that point."

"I'm just proud of our group. We never backed down, and we gave it everything we've got."

"For me, just the emotions will probably hit me over the next couple days. I don't have much time to sit around and sulk and be upset. I don't think that's what I'm about either."

"Yeah, I'm sad we lost this game, but I'm also so proud of myself, I'm so proud of my teammates, I'm so proud of this program. There's a lot to be proud of."

"But there's going to be tears. It is sad this is all over, and this is the last time I'm going to put on an Iowa jersey."

"I think just reflecting back and soaking in everything that I was able to do because basically anybody other than me and coach Bluder never thought this was possible."

"Yeah, I'm sad we lost this game. But I'm also so proud of myself. I'm so proud of my teammates. I'm so proud of this program." Caitlin Clark reflects on @IowaWBB 's second straight NCAA title game run. #WFinalFour pic.twitter.com/EtbSEXz0FH — Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) April 7, 2024

HOW IT HAPPENED: South Carolina defeats Iowa 87-75 to win national championship and complete perfect season

Caitlin Clark on enjoying the moment and not looking too far ahead

Question: Caitlin, have you allowed yourself to be excited about what's next, or have you been too focused on finishing your career here?

"I've been 110 percent focused on finishing my career here. That's been my full focus. That's been my driving force, and I think that's what's allowed me to play such great basketball through the month of March and April and through the end of our season, but really all year long."

"It was never the decision of whether I was going pro or whether I was staying at Iowa, never was something I stressed on too much. I knew it was something that would become clear to me over time."

"I think for me I know what's next is soon. But at the same time, I'm not blind to the fact that I need to enjoy this, I need to soak this in and enjoy these last few moments with my teammates because these are some of my best friends. They'll be my best friends for the rest of my life, and that's what matters to me the most."

"I know what's next is soon. But at the same time, I'm not blind to the fact that I need to enjoy this. I need to soak this in." Caitlin Clark offers some great perspective in response to her @WNBA future. 👇 #WFinalFour x @IowaWBB pic.twitter.com/q61NKDpwFC — Big Ten Women's Basketball (@B1Gwbball) April 7, 2024

Caitlin Clark on helping to grow women's basketball

Question. Caitlin, you've done a lot for the Big Ten. The Big Ten gets maligned a lot, but you guys did a lot for the Big Ten. I'm sure you're disappointed, but when you have a chance to look at the impact you've made, where the ratings are through the roof and most of it's because of you, and then of course the Iowa team once again being in this position two years in a row. What will you look back at this time frame despite the not winning the championship?

"I think the biggest thing is it's really hard to win these things. I think I probably know that better than most people by now. To be so close twice, it definitely hurts, but at the same time, we were right there. We battled. We took down some really great teams to get back to this point. It's something that's really hard to do."

"When I think about women's basketball going forward, obviously it's just going to continue to grow, whether it's at the WNBA level, whether it's at the college level. Everybody sees it. Everybody knows. Everybody sees the viewership numbers."

"When you're given an opportunity, women's sports just kind of thrives. I think that's been the coolest thing for me on this journey, we started our season playing in front of 55,000 people in Kinnick Stadium. And now we're ending it playing in probably 15 million people or more on TV. It just continues to get better and better and better. That's never going to stop."

"When you continue to give them the platform, things like this are just going to continue to happen."

Caitlin Clark on the growth of women's basketball pic.twitter.com/8FV6eBEkLh — CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 7, 2024

Caitlin Clark on how women's sports can build on its momentum

Question: Caitlin, what you and your team have accomplished in Iowa has made the whole world look at women's sports and women's basketball. How do you think all of women's sports can capitalize on this momentum right now?

"I think the biggest thing is, for us, this team came along at a really good time, whether it was social media, whether it was NIL, whether it was our games being nationally televised. We've played on Fox, NBC, CBS, ESPN — you go down the list, and we've been on every national television channel. I think that's been one of the biggest things that has helped us."

"I think, no matter what sport it is, give then the same opportunities, believe in them the same, invest in them the same, and things are really going to thrive."

"You see it with other sports, and I'm a big fan of other sports. Like I try to support as much as I can, and I think that's the biggest thing is continue to invest your time, money and resources there, and continue to show up for those people and give them the opportunities."

"I think that's what's going to help drive women's sports forward in the future."

CAITLIN CLARK TRACKER: Follow the Iowa star's biggest games and highlights in the 2023-24 season

Caitlin Clark on her legacy with Iowa basketball

Question: This is for all three of you (Clark's teammate Kate Martin and head coach Lisa Bluder were also at the podium). What do you think the legacy of this team and this era is for Iowa basketball? And what's probably the moment that stands out? Is it something on the floor? Is it something just among all of you? I guess what can you share?

" think this group has gone about it in the right way in every single thing that we've done in every phase of our life. I think that's what you can be the most proud of."

"We truly have each other's back. Maybe we weren't always the most skilled. Maybe we weren't always the tallest. Maybe we weren't always the fastest, but we just believed. We knew we could be in these moments. We trusted one another. That took a couple of years to get to that point."

"There's been so many great Iowa women's basketball players to come before us and allow this program to be really, really good when Kate and I and everyone else stepped on campus. And I feel like we took it to a whole nother level. I feel like our program is in good hands moving forward."

"I think more than anything people will probably remember our two Final Fours and things like that. But people aren't going to remember every single win or every single loss. I think they're just going to remember the moments that they shared at one of our games or watching on TV or how excited their young daughter or son got about watching women's basketball. I think that's pretty cool."

"Those are the things that mean the most to me when people come up to me and — I don't really get offended when people say I never watched women's basketball before. I think, one, you're a little late to the party, yes. But, two, that's cool. We're changing the game. We're attracting more people to it."

"But at the same time, those little things are, I think, the moments that we'll remember forever."

No @IowaWBB senior class has won more career games than this year's group. @kate_martin22 and @CaitlinClark22 discuss their legacy. ⤵️ #WFinalFour pic.twitter.com/RRZ3Mi7x9V — Iowa On BTN (@IowaOnBTN) April 7, 2024

Caitlin Clark on South Carolina's swing to pull away mid-game

Question: Caitlin, this was a game of runs. Your guys' start was amazing, right? Right before the end of the half, they hit you with a 5-0 and then they start with a 6-0 at the start of the third quarter. Is that where the game changed hands and they took control?

"They're a really good team. We knew they were going to go on runs. By no means, when we started off as hot as we did, did we think we'd be able to hold that lead. That's just what teams do."

"There's some crazy statistics where South Carolina just outscores everybody in the second half by a ton of points every single game."

"To me, I'm just proud of our resiliency. We go into the fourth quarter, I think we cut it to five. And we just weren't able to come up with a few stops and a few baskets."

"That speaks to our team. That's the story it's been all year long. My whole entire career, we never give up. We just keep fighting."

"Their runs are kind of daggers, especially when they keep making pull-up jump shots. That's what we are going to give up. Sometimes you live with that and you're going to live with them out-rebounding you. There's only so much you can do for someone who's 6-foot-7. Hannah was doing her best to box her out. She's a really great player, going to be a really great pro."

BUCKETS: Women's college basketball all-time leading scorers

Caitlin Clark on what beens to be a part of transforming women's basketball

Question: I want to ask a variation on questions that have been asked. We've talked about this being a transformative year in terms of women's college basketball. And I just wondered for the two of you personally, what does it mean to be a part of that, to have your name associated with that?

"I think there's obviously so many amazing people that have come before us and give us this opportunity. I think, to attract so many people to watching women's basketball is so special. And the way people have showed up consistently throughout my career, I was going through some old pictures last night and just how things have changed since my freshman year and my sophomore year, it was so incredible. Time goes so fast. It's crazy."

"I can't believe this is my last career game. There's just so much to be proud of."

"I think people didn't love us for our wins. I think they loved us for the way we carried ourselves every single day, for the way we played for one another, the joy we played with, the passion we played with, the competitive spirit we had, the way we high-fived and celebrated our teammates' success. That's the reason people loved turning on Iowa women's basketball."

Everything Caitlin Clark says here. All of it. 😍 #WFinalFour x @IowaWBB pic.twitter.com/Q0x1ff3w6X — Iowa On BTN (@IowaOnBTN) April 7, 2024

Caitlin Clark on the message she'll tell kids that look up to her

Question: You've had an incredible journey to this point, especially with the historical viewership. What would you say to kids striving to be you right now?

"I would say I think the biggest thing is this is what I kind of said about my entire career is nobody really believed other than myself. I think confidence. I think as a young girl, just have confidence, a young boy, have confidence in yourself and confidence in whatever you want to be."

"I think that was the thing that my parents instilled in me from a young age. They never told me no. They told me no about other things, but not in what I wanted to do and what I wanted to be and the goals I wanted to chase after."

"I would say that's the biggest thing. You've got to say it. You've got to work for it. You've got to earn it. You don't ever want anything to be given to you."

"That's what I'm most proud of throughout my career, I've worked really hard to be in this moment. That's where my confidence comes from. That's the piece of advice I would give to the younger generation."

𝐐: What would you say to kids striving to be you right now? Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin give their answers to 9-year-old DJ Lily Jade. 🗣️ #WFinalFour x @IowaWBB pic.twitter.com/zJm6XVTJAB — Big Ten Women's Basketball (@B1Gwbball) April 7, 2024

Caitlin Clark says goodbye to Iowa WBB ❤️ (via @CaitlinClark22 ) pic.twitter.com/8QP5WqK3Nz — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 7, 2024

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Book of kids’ drawings reflect regular violence shaping their lives in a Rio de Janeiro favela

Children hold drawings that represent their experiences of living in the Mare favela at an event to launch the book titled “I was supposed to be at school” in the Mare favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, March 25, 2024. Dozens of kids and teenagers from one of Rio de Janeiro’s most violent favelas gathered on Monday to celebrate their most important piece of work yet: a book that aims to show authorities how they see police violence in their Maré community from a young age. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

FILE - A police officer walks past a military vehicle in the Complexo da Mare favela during an operation targeting drug gangs in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sept. 26, 2022. When Rio state’s military police conduct operations and face off with local drug traffickers, class is canceled and kids take shelter at home. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado, File)

Myrella Victoria Viana dos Santos, 10, shows the book titled “I was supposed to be at school” that includes her experiences of living in the Mare favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, March 25, 2024. Dozens of kids and teenagers from one of Rio de Janeiro’s most violent favelas gathered on Monday to celebrate their most important piece of work yet: a book that aims to show authorities how they see police violence in their Maré community from a young age. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Myrella Victoria Viana dos Santos, 10, center, attends the launch of the book titled “I was supposed to be at school” in the Mare favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, March 25, 2024. Dozens of kids and teenagers from one of Rio de Janeiro’s most violent favelas gathered on Monday to celebrate their most important piece of work yet: a book that aims to show authorities how they see police violence in their Maré community from a young age. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

FILE - Police from the Dog Action Battalion patrol the Complexo da Mare favela during an operation targeting drug gangs in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sept. 26, 2022. When Rio state’s military police conduct operations and face off with local drug traffickers, class is canceled and kids take shelter at home. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado, File)

FILE - Homes stand in the Maré favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Nov. 15, 2021. When Rio state’s military police conduct operations and face off with local drug traffickers, class is canceled and kids take shelter at home. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado, File)

Children hold drawings that represent their experiences of living in the Mare favela during the launch of the book titled “I was supposed to be at school” in the Mare favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, March 25, 2024. Dozens of kids and teenagers from one of Rio de Janeiro’s most violent favelas gathered on Monday to celebrate their most important piece of work yet: a book that aims to show authorities how they see police violence in their Maré community from a young age. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

A youth runs to the launch of the book titled “I was supposed to be at school” in the Mare favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, March 25, 2024. Dozens of kids and teenagers from one of Rio de Janeiro’s most violent favelas gathered on Monday to celebrate their most important piece of work yet: a book that aims to show authorities how they see police violence in their Maré community from a young age. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

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RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Dozens of kids and teenagers from Rio de Janeiro’s Mare neighborhood gathered for the launch of a book in which they show, with their own words and pictures, how violence in their poor, bayside community weighs on their young lives.

The book, titled “I Was Supposed to be at School,” features drawings and testimonies collected from youngsters aged between 5 and 17.

All too often, when Rio state’s military police conduct operations and face off with local drug traffickers , class is canceled and they take shelter behind washing machines, under their beds or far from windows that a stray bullet might shatter. Mare is one of Rio’s most populous favelas, with about 130,000 residents.

“Some policemen invade our houses. They turn things upside down, they attack, they even steal our food,” according to one child’s account in the book, which launched Monday.

Myrella Victoria Viana dos Santos, 10, shows the book titled “I was supposed to be at school” that includes her experiences of living in the Mare favela of Rio de Janeiro. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

“Sometimes police fire at children, too,” another account says, going on to reference 14-year-old Marcus Vinícius da Silva, whose death in 2018 sparked outrage and protests. Residents say police shot him in the back as he left home for class, but the case remains unsolved and sealed by Rio police.

FILE - In this Jan. 9, 2018 file photo, Rio de Janeiro Councilwoman Marielle Franco smiles for a photo in Cinelandia square. Brazil’s federal police arrested on Sunday, March 24, 2024 the men suspected of ordering Franco's killing in 2018, a long-awaited step after years of society clamoring for justice. (AP Photo/Ellis Rua, File)

The book’s phrases came directly from the youngsters and collected in partnership with nonprofit Redes da Mare, according to creator Isabel Malzoni. The book doesn’t list the names of the children involved.

“We and the nonprofit in Mare agreed with the families that the anonymity of the children was critical for the project so the children and their parents felt safe about it. It was a condition for the project to exist,” she said later.

The project’s trigger was a surge of police raids in 2019, the year Jair Bolsonaro became Brazil’s president and ally Wilson Witzel became Rio’s governor, after both campaigned with pledges to give police carte-blanche to use lethal force against criminals. During that year, Mare saw 41 police operations resulting in 42 deaths and 35 days without school for local children, according to Redes da Mare and Rio de Janeiro state public defender’s office.

FILE - Police from the Dog Action Battalion patrol the Complexo da Mare favela during an operation targeting drug gangs in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sept. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado, File)

Those figures edged down in 2023, the first year in office for current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Gov. Cláudio Castro: 27 police operations, 39 deaths and 15 days without school.

Rio state police didn’t respond to a request from The Associated Press about the book. The force has repeatedly said in the past that any operations in Mare and other favelas are aimed at stopping criminal activity. But the list of deaths from stray bullets continues to grow.

The book also contains some hope for better days.

“I also think of EVERYTHING that could be different,” one child is quoted as saying, next to a drawing of a calm day at Mare, with an apple tree, clouds and a rainbow. “Tomorrow, if it is a day of peace, I am going to school.”

A youth runs to the launch of the book titled “I was supposed to be at school” in the Mare favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, March 25, 2024. Dozens of kids and teenagers from one of Rio de Janeiro's most violent favelas gathered on Monday to celebrate their most important piece of work yet: a book that aims to show authorities how they see police violence in their Maré community from a young age. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

A youth runs to the launch of the book titled “I was supposed to be at school” in the Mare favela of Rio de Janeiro. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Savarese reported from Sao Paulo.

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It's an interesting thesis, but you haven't provided enough evidence to convince me of its validity.Martin Luther put forward the thesis that one can achieve one's own salvation without the intermediary of a priest. synonyms: exposition, premise, proposition similar words: argument, hypothesis, statement, theorem, theory: definition 2:
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By helping students to understand the purpose of a thesis statement, how it is put together and where it belongs in a composition, you can equip them with a skill that will make writing faster and easier. The ability to write an effective thesis statement makes it easier for students to write good papers and develops ...
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Kids Encyclopedia Facts. In an essay or research paper, a thesis statement is a statement at the start or the end of an introduction that shows the reader the argument of the essay. A thesis statement gives concise information about what the whole essay is about, including the topic of the paper. It is usually just one sentence but it may have ...
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Learn Thesis facts for kids. A thesis (plural: 'theses') is a document written in support of an idea that is presented for discussion or disputation. In modern usage it usually refers to a document presented as a requirement for an academic degree or professional qualification. It presents the author's research and findings. In the academic context it means the same as dissertation.
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Tips for Teaching How to Write a Thesis Statement #3: Give Students A Framework. If your students are struggling with writing strong thesis statements, give them a framework. I know as teachers, it can get really boring to read "W is true because X, Y, Z.". But the structure does work, and it's a great place for struggling writers to start.
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Forming a Thesis Statement. The whole purpose of writing is to transfer an idea from your head into someone else's. If you can state your idea in a single, clear sentence, your reader can easily grasp it. Use this simple formula to craft an effective thesis statement (for an essay) or topic sentence (for a paragraph).
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Step 2: Write your initial answer. After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the research process and writing process. The internet has had more of a positive than a negative effect on education.
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THESIS THINKING also helps with reading comprehension. In fact, thesis statements and THESIS THINKING help students in all these areas: • Write powerful topic sentences that put forth important main ideas. • Find main ideas in text. • Write whole compositions with a purpose. • Master the different modes of writing.
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You can cut down on irrelevant aspects and revise your thesis by taking the following steps: 1. Pinpoint and replace all nonspecific words, such as people, everything, society, or life, with more precise words in order to reduce any vagueness. Working thesis: Young people have to work hard to succeed in life.
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Exposing children from an early age to the dangers of drug abuse is a sure method of preventing future drug addicts. ... The linking verb in this working thesis statement is the word are. Linking verbs often make thesis statements weak because they do not express action. Rather, they connect words and phrases to the second half of the sentence.
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In order to stay focused, pay attention to the task words in the assignment: summarize, argue, compare/contrast, etc. Aware of Counters - It anticipates and refutes the counter-arguments. The best thesis statement is a balance of specific details and concise language. Your goal is to articulate an argument in detail without burdening the ...
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Book of kids' drawings reflect regular violence shaping their lives in
Dozens of kids and teenagers from Rio de Janeiro's Mare neighborhood gathered for the launch of a book in which they show, with their own words and pictures, how violence in their poor, bayside community weighs on their young lives. Menu. Menu. World. U.S. Election 2024. Politics. Sports. Entertainment. Business. Science. Fact Check. Oddities.

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Principle 1. Clarity equals motivation

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