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Mastering How to Write Thesis Statements Once and For All

June 15, 2020 // by Lindsay Ann // 1 Comment

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Let’s face it…teaching students how to write thesis statements is not always easy. In fact, it can be downright frustrating sometimes, leaving you wishing you knew some fun ways to teach thesis statements

Thinking is messy. Students (and sometimes teachers, too) want to know exactly what to do, what to write, how to write good thesis statements to round off their intro paragraph .

Welcome to how to teach thesis statements 101. You’re in the right place if:

You’ve ever felt like your students are robot zombies, spitting out formula thesis statements like Old Faithful.
You’re tired of feeling like there could be a better way to teach thesis statement writing.
You are fueled by coffee and a desire to help your students succeed.

Thesis Statement Structure

First off, a thesis statements should meet the following criteria:

Opinion statement
One sentence
Offers unique insight

Within the one-sentence opinion statement that offers unique insight about a text, issue, or society, students should use clear and concise writing to make their focus known to the reader.

And, if you plan to give students a specific prompt, teach them to unpack the prompt to determine how they will respond.

Thesis Statements for Literary Analysis

9th grade English teachers at my school have developed the strategy of teaching students to think critically about texts’ messages about society and human nature through alien visitation. Talk about fun ways to teach thesis statement!!

They begin the school year by having an “alien” visit the classroom. Each class has to name its alien visitor who is there to observe human behavior. One year my officemate’s class named its alien “fre sha voca do” and I was amazed at how quickly her freshmen, who previously did not know how to write thesis statements, started thinking about “we as humans” messages.

As a sophomore teacher, all I have to do is say “we as humans” and students know exactly what I mean.

Now, what does this have to do with thesis statements?

💡 Well, if students are in the habit of thinking about what messages texts send about “we as humans,” they are primed for thesis statement writing.

Thesis Statements Template

It’s nice to have a pattern to teach students. As all patterns, once students learn it, they can break it, but I have found that this pattern does help them to clarify and focus their thinking. Yes, these patterns are one of the fun ways to teach thesis statements…because they provide structure which leads to success.

The basic literary analysis pattern for how to write thesis statements is as follows:

Genre + Title + Author + (optional literary element) + Action Verb + WAH phrase (or a specific human sub-group, i.e. children) + Claim + Why or How.

Let’s take a look at an example:

In his poem The Road Less Traveled, Robert Frost uses irony to suggest that we as humans lie to ourselves, creating a false sense of confidence in our own choices.

Genre = poem Title = The Road Less Traveled Author = Robert Frost Optional Literary Element = irony Action Verb = suggest WAH Phrase + Claim = we as humans lie to ourselves How = creating a false sense of confidence in our own choices

Here’s another example:

Let’s pretend that your students have just finished reading Born a Crime. Maybe you have asked them to compare and contrast Trevor Noah’s portrayal of apartheid to Alan Paton’s portrayal in Cry the Beloved Country.

Well, a good thesis statement for this prompt has to capture comparison between two texts.

Alan Paton’s novel Cry, the Beloved Country contrasts with Trevor Noah’s autobiography Born a Crime stylistically, though it touches on similar topics of racism and violence that plague post-apartheid South Africa; consequently, both texts reveal that we as humans must cling to hope and resilience even in the toughest of circumstances as the antidote to suffering.

Genres = novel, autobiography Titles = Cry, the Beloved Country, Born a Crime Authors = Alan Paton, Trevor Noah Optional Literary Element = (loosely mentioned) author’s style Action Verb = reveal WAH Phrase + Claim = we as humans must cling to hope and resilience even in the toughest of circumstances Why = hope / resilience are the antidote to suffering

Phew, that thesis statement had to cover a lot of ground. Notice the use of the subordinating conjunction consequently as a joiner word, making a one-sentence thesis statement possible.

How to Write Thesis Statements FAQ

Q: Do students have to follow the pattern exactly ? A: No. Like ice cream, students can feel free to add some toppings.

Q: Do students have to say “we as humans” every time? A: No. You can simply state the claim. The WAH statement is a frame to help students focus their thinking.

👍 Are there questions that you have that I haven’t thought of here? Please leave a comment on the post and I may add your question here!

Can Thesis Statements be Questions?

I’ve heard students ask if thesis statements in essays can be a question.

To understand why the answer is “no,” students need to understand that there is such a thing as inductive vs. deductive essay organization.

Students are familiar with deductive essay organization. This type of organization front-loads the thesis statement as a road map for the essay, using each paragraph to prove the main claim. This is like having a fully-completed puzzle and then examining different pieces of it.

Inductive organization, on the other hand, lacks a directly stated thesis in the beginning of the essay. Instead, the thesis comes at the end and the writer weaves together different points, often using questioning to move toward a final conclusion. This is like taking the puzzle pieces out of the box and completing the puzzle only to realize the fully-completed picture in the end.

So, students may see question-asking as a thesis writing technique, but not understand that it is an inductive organization technique leading to a larger implied or directly stated thesis.

Fun Ways to Teach Thesis Statements

Instruction for how to write thesis statements is pretty straightforward. I would suggest having students train their brains by practicing thesis statement writing individually and with peers.

➡️ This might be a quick GimKit or Quizziz game.

➡️ It might mean a round of “minute to win it” thesis statement writing so that students can practice turning thematic ideas into claims.

➡️ My students love using ultra clean erasable markers or whiteboard markers to write on their tables. I love that I am able to walk around and quickly redirect, cross out and make suggestions on the spot so that students can revise.

➡️ For digital learning situations, you could utilize Padlet to collect possible thesis statements and have students vote for their favorites that best follow the thesis statement pattern.

And maybe you want to get yourself an alien classroom pet. If students are struggling to write thesis statements, ask them what the alien would observe about humans after reading the text(s).

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to have some fre sha voca do.

Hey, if you loved this post, I want to be sure you’ve had the chance to grab a FREE copy of my guide to streamlined grading . I know how hard it is to do all the things as an English teacher, so I’m over the moon to be able to share with you some of my best strategies for reducing the grading overwhelm.

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About Lindsay Ann

Lindsay has been teaching high school English in the burbs of Chicago for 19 years. She is passionate about helping English teachers find balance in their lives and teaching practice through practical feedback strategies and student-led learning strategies. She also geeks out about literary analysis, inquiry-based learning, and classroom technology integration. When Lindsay is not teaching, she enjoys playing with her two kids, running, and getting lost in a good book.

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5 Tips for Teaching Thesis Statement Writing: Teaching How to Write a Thesis Statement

Teaching Thesis Statement Writing in Secondary ELA

Since the thesis statement is such a crucial part of any academic paper or essay, I make sure I spend some time on each essay teaching thesis statement writing to my students. When my students complete a formal essay in class, I make it a point to go through the entire writing process with them. Once students have brainstormed and selected the main ideas for their essays, it is time to write the thesis statement.

When I teach my high school English students about the thesis statement, I tell them that it is a roadmap or framework sentence that encapsulates the entire main argument or claim of the essay. I have my students write their thesis statement at the end of their introduction, and I like to have them keep it to one sentence.

For middle school and high school students, writing a thesis statement can be a challenging task. Here are some steps that I walk my students through to help them craft a strong thesis statement .

5 Tips for Teaching Thesis Statement Writing

1. identify topics, supporting arguments, and main reasons..

I have my students outline their essays by identifying the main topic, supporting arguments, or main reasons. These ideas will be the basis for their thesis statement. When it comes to teaching how to write the thesis statement, it helps if students can identify the main elements of the essay first.

2. Brainstorm more ideas

Next, I have my students brainstorm ideas related to their main topics. This step helps them determine if they have enough reasons to include in an entire body paragraph. By brainstorming more ideas, students also get a stronger viewpoint of their essays.

3. Narrow the essay focus

Once my students have a list of ideas, I have them begin narrowing down their focus. They look for common themes or patterns they might find from their brainstormed ideas, and then I have them use them to develop a single, clear, concise thesis statement.

4. Thesis statements should be specific

As students develop their thesis statement, I have them check to make sure it is specific and focused. I instruct my students to avoid vague or general statements and try to make their thesis statement as specific and concrete as possible.

5. Make it clear and concise

Finally, I have my students revise and edit their thesis statements to ensure they are clear and concise. I like to remind my students that I should be able to read their thesis statement and know exactly what their entire essay will be about.

By teaching students these five steps, they can write a strong and effective thesis statement. If you are looking for additional help teaching students how to write a thesis statement, I like to use this Thesis Statement and Introduction Teaching Unit in my classroom with my students.

Thesis Statement and Essay Introduction – Essay Writing Unit – PRINT & DIGITAL

Help your students master the art of writing an introductory paragraph and thesis statement with this print and digital essay writing unit focusing on the introduction. This lesson will help your students improve their essay writing skills and write a well-developed and complete thesis statement and introduction paragraph for their multi-paragraph essay.

This essay writing teaching resource includes everything you need for instruction, including an editable presentation for direct instruction, practice work, and student handouts to help guide them through the thesis statement writing process.

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“ What a great resource! Students really need this reinforcement on thesis statements when they are writing. I often found myself struggling teaching writing because, as a natural writer, it came easy to me. I, then, found it a challenge to teach. This resource was a huge help and made teaching thesis statements a breeze.”

“ This seems to be such a challenging task for younger students, so I love that this product has a variety of ways and situations to conceptualize and implement the principles of thesis statements. The more ways they can see examples, the better! This is a very organized, systematic approach that helped me keep my focus while guiding students through this process. Thanks!”

“ I always find teaching the Thesis to be much more complicated for my 7th & 8th graders than it should be. Not anymore! This resource was so helpful and laid the aspects of a thesis out in such a clear and concise manner that my students were able to wrap their heads around it much sooner. They definitely had stronger thesis statements & I felt like I didn’t have to work quite as hard to make it happen. Thanks!”

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