ME 5B - Evidence

ME 5B – Persuasive Paragraph – Presenting Solid Evidence

Choose one of the following statements or choose one of your own and develop a quality paragraph full of solid evidence, concrete details, sensory images, specific examples, and at least one of each type of sentence.  Do not write in second person.

•        Students should be allowed to use cell phones in school.
•        The school day should start later.
•        Uniforms help students do better in school.
•        Schools should not give tests.
•        Or any other opinion you have that you would like to persuade others to believe.

Red Scarf Girl Reading Schedule

RED SCARF GIRL

Reading Assignment Schedule

Read chapters and be prepared to answer quiz questions on the date due.

Chapters to Read	Date Due
Prologue, Chapter 1	March 11th
2-3	March 13th
4-5	March 18th
6-7	March 20th
8-9	March 25th
10-11	March 27th
12-13	April 1st
14-15	April 3rd
16-17	April 8th

Thesis Statement Tips

 

How to Write an Effective Thesis Statement

What Is a Thesis Statement?

• A “mini argument”
• A sentence…that briefly describes the main idea of your paper and the main argument that you are trying to make
• Offers your readers a quick preview of what your paper is going to be about
• Makes an argumentative assertion
• Focuses your paper on a very specific, debatable point
• Gives your audience guidance about the conclusions you draw in the paper

How Should I Write a Thesis Statement?

• Claim + Reasons = Thesis Statement

This is an easy formula to remember to help you ensure that you have included both elements of the thesis statement. The claim is the assertion or main idea that you are making. Then, you will want to make sure you that you include the reasons or support for that claim. A nice word to substitute for the + part of the equation is “because.” You don’t have to use this exact word or this style every time, but it often works quite well.

• The “So What” Question

Many times, writers will write what they think is a powerful thesis statement and, in fact, that statement makes no real argumentative assertion. This means that your reader may ask “so what?”

 Example: You might state, “Many people in the world are victims of stereotyping.” While this may be a true statement, as a reader, I would ask, “so what?” What is so important or problematic about the fact that people are stereotyped? What more can you add to your conclusion or argument to make it more interesting and more complex?

 A better thesis statement might be something like this: “Prejudgments are harmful because their basis is often faulty, they limit the lives of the stereotyped individual, and they limit the life of the person doing the stereotyping.”

Adapted from an article written by Lisa A. Kirby, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of English at North Carolina Wesleyan College.  Found at: http://faculty.ncwc.edu/lakirby/English%20090/090%20Thesis.htm.

Sample Thesis Statements:

           Electric cars are a better alternative than gasoline-fueled cars because they are more cost-effective, they do not reduce air quality, and they use fewer natural resources.

               The caucus system in Utah is vital to grass-roots involvement in the government because it motivates candidates to communicate with individual constituents, it allows those without vast amounts of money to run for office, and it encourages citizens to educate themselves about elected officials.

               Fish are the best type of classroom pet because they are not costly to care for, they allow students opportunities to practice responsibility, and they are not messy.

Now you try:

State your claim:_______________________________________________________________ because _______________________(reason 1), __________________________(reason 2), and ______________________________________(reason 3).

You can also add a counter-argument to the beginning of your thesis statement, but it is not necessary unless you want to strengthen your paper by adding a paragraph preempting your opponent's argument.