Hooray! The English IV teachers found out today that we can and will proceed with the Synthesis or Multi-Perspective Essay. That means we didn’t waste our time! <3 <3 <3
Today, we focused on writing our thesis and generating ideas. We created a graphic organizer to help with this. In the cent
er circle, write your thesis.
In the squares around it, I want you think about examples that support your thesis. The more you write now, the easier writing the essay will be on Thursday.
Make sure that your examples support your thesis. For instance, if your thesis is about the idea that technology helps people be more productive, don’t give examples that detract from your thesis. Don’t talk about how technology can be distracting.
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.
- 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.
