Chapel Hill Middle School



How to Write a Thesis Statement in Middle SchoolIntroductionA thesis statement is a declaration of your claim. It summarizes the theme of your paper and gives a sense of focus to your essay. In other words, you tell the reader what to expect in the rest of the paper through a strong thesis statement.Unless your teacher gives different instructions, a thesis statement always comes at the end of the introductory paragraph. It should be the last sentence of your introduction. While in middle school, you will meet a range of papers, which require you to include a thesis statement. Some of these papers include:Analytical papersReaction essaysArgumentative essaysResearch papers andProcess essays among othersRegardless of the paper you are handling, the concept is always the same since a thesis performs similar functions in any piece of academic paper. Of great significance is to appreciate the principles of how to write a thesis statement in middle school.What makes a good thesis statement in middle school? Since a thesis statement acts like the backbone of your paper, you should know the attributes of a strong thesis. In this section, you will discover these characteristics:Attributes of a strong thesis statement:Your thesis should be arguable – A good thesis statement should arouse the readers and allow them to disagree reasonably on the issue or topic. Take a stance and work hard to support your position throughout the paper. If your thesis does not provoke anyone, then you need to back to the drawing board and refine it.A strong thesis should be focused – Right from middle school to when you do your PhD; always remember that a good thesis tackles a specific issue. You cannot discuss everything in a single essay. Narrow down to a particular angle and explore it fully.Your thesis should tell your conclusion – You know you have a strong thesis if it asserts your conclusion. The reader should be able to see your conclusion even before reading the rest of the paper.Avoid vague language – Be cautious to use clear and concise words in your thesis. Avoid words or phrases that leave the reader doubting what you are about to argue in your essay. For example, ‘it seems’ is one of those phrases that should not appear in your thesis.A good thesis does not use ‘I’ – Do not use the first person pronoun when drafting your thesis statement. It is wrong to say, “I believe,” “In my opinion”.With this understanding of a strong thesis statement, let us look at a stepwise way of how to write a thesis statement in middle school. Read keenly and discover the mistakes you always committed when handling your assignments.Steps of writing a thesis statement that every student in middle school should knowWriting a good thesis statement is equivalent to giving directions to the person reading your essay. You do not want them to get lost or doubt your argument. You want everyone looking at your work to understand you better, including those who disagree with your opinion.A reader should never wander into your write-up trying to locate your argument. A working or tentative thesis statement should be a compass to you and your readers.Here are the steps to follow:STEP 1: Decide your topic – You cannot formulate a thesis statement when you do not have a topic to discuss. In most cases, your teacher will provide a topic to work on. In this case, you have limited options but sit down and begin working on your thesis.Where you have the freedom to choose a topic, consider the following:Choose something you like – You will not only enjoy formulating a thesis statement for a topic you love but also enjoy making your argument.Choose a unique topic – Stand out of the class by writing about something unique. This will catch your teachers’ attention. What is more, your classmates will spot your creativity.Choose a narrow topic – As you settle on a topic, choose a theme you can manage within the time you have. A too topic broad will drain you.Choose a topic that has material – Try to consider themes that have information. This will help you to develop your argument.Always follow these topic selection tips, since they form the foundation of how to write a thesis statement in middle school.STEP 2: Narrow your topic. Once you have selected your topic, digest it and narrow down to a specific issue that you can handle without trouble. For example, if your topic is Internet in the 21st Century, you may want to focus on how the net has improved connectivity and enhanced information sharing. ?Your thesis would be something like:“The internet is one of today’s most important inventions because it has enhanced access to information, global connectivity and effective information sharing.”In this way, you have moved from the internet as an invention to its benefits. Think of other broad topics in science, medicine, and even environment and try formulating narrowed thesis statements.STEP 3: Translate your topic into a sentence. Play around with words to change your topic into a sentence. This will make your thoughts clearer and direct the reader to understand you better.Consider the following example from Everydaylife: The Leadership of Martin Luther King Jr.This topic is broad. In drafting your thesis, take a position, say the leadership of MLK was good because of A and B. A thesis for this would be something like:“The leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. was good because he fought for the rights of the oppressed and advocated for an equal society.” Here, the reader anticipates evidence to prove that MLKJ was a good leader. It also evokes a debate because there are people who do not agree with this opinion.This example should help you figure out how to write a thesis statement in middle school regardless of how broad your topic is.STEP 4: Add your opinion – Remember that a thesis statement captures your argument. An argument is always debatable. Thus, expect counterarguments from your audience. If your reader cannot dispute your thesis, then you probably have a summary of the issue or just stated a fact. For example: Global warming is a threat today. This is a fact, and there is no way one can argue against it. However, you can make it contestable by saying:“Developed countries should take lead in taming global warming, which is a threat today because they contribute high percentages of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.” This is arguable because, one would say, even developing countries have a role to play.STEP 5: Write several drafts. Excelling in thesis writing is not a one-day activity; it takes practice and hard work. Write several versions of your thesis before you can summarize your argument plus evidence in one or a few sentences. This will help you check if you have captured every aspect of your argument. As you gain more insights on how to write a thesis statement in middle school, always be flexible to adjust your thesis as need arises.Final thoughts: How to write a thesis statement in middle schoolHere are mistakes to avoid when writing your thesis:Avoid incomplete thesisA question cannot be a thesisAvoid first person pronounsAvoid unrelated ideas in your thesisAvoid figurative languageWe hope that this guide has given you enough tips on how to write a thesis statement in middle school. Make it your learning toolkit, now and forever. Success… ................
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