Wiki Page, WORLD HISTORY-A: How to Write a Thesis Statement and a Mini Outline

Wiki Page
2023-08-27T19:26:18-07:00

Review of how to write a thesis statement

What is a thesis?

A thesis is your argument that answers an essential question

It is one sentence long

A thesis has 3 main parts

Part 1: What is your answer to the question?

Part 2: How your claim is supported.

This is your reasoning, and the section often starts with “because”

Part 3: So what- why does your argument matter, or why is the argument important?

Make sure to color code your thesis

Yellow = Your answer to the question

Purple = Your reasoning

Blue = So what: Why does your argument matter? Why is what you are talking about significant?

Example thesis: The best candy is Starburst because it comes in a variety of flavors and does not have chocolate in it, which means that it would appeal to more people than any other candy.

Example Thesis: African empires used architecture to show their power by building large structures because it displays their land, materials, and wealth which allows outsiders to look at these buildings and recognize the power and status of that empire.

How to write a "Mini Outline"

A thesis is an argument that is often used to guide an argumentative paragraph or essay

You will write a mini outline of a 3 paragraph essay using your thesis statement as a guide

For each body paragraph of your mini outline, write what documents you would use in that paragraph

When you complete your mini outline, you may find that your thesis needs revision. It is totally okay to revise your thesis! :)

For example, you may need to add more detail to your thesis to have a topic for each of your 3 body paragraphs

Fill-in-the-Blank Mini Outline

Thesis:

Topic of body paragraph 1:

Documents used:

Topic of body paragraph 2:

Documents used:

Topic of body paragraph 3:

Documents used:

Example Mini Outline

Thesis: African empires used architecture to show their power by building large structures because it displays their land, materials, and wealth which allows outsiders to look at these buildings and recognize the power and status of that empire.

Topic of body paragraph 1: Large structures display the land an empire has. More land = more power (Documents A and C)

Topic of body paragraph 2: Large structures show what materials an empire has access to either in their own empire or what they can get via trade (Documents B and D)

Topic of body paragraph 3: Large structures cost a lot of money. More large structures = they have a lot of money/money available to spend on architecture (versus survival) (Documents E and A)