Gonzalez- Thesis and Topic Sentences

How does a thesis statement help the reader?

It informs the reader what to expect in the essay

What is the most important sentence in a paragraph

focus sentence

observation + opinion =

thesis

A thesis should avoid phrases like I think and in my option they they _______ the writer's argument

weaken

Which essays do not necessarily need a thesis and why?

Narrative essays because the stories make the point

The topic sentence will have:

both a topic and a controlling idea

A thesis should neither be too _______ nor too ________

broad; specific

A thesis must be a ____________ sentences.

completed

A thesis should not contain elements which are extraneous or ___________ to your paper

irrelevant

what does a focus sentence do?

it declares what the paragraph is about and focuses not he topic to be discussed in that paragraph; summarizes what the paragraph will beg about; connects to the thesis statement and provides evidence to support the topic of the thesis statement

an effective thesis is one that is not

obvious rather it be discussable, arguable and interesting

A thesis should not be worded as a ....

question

in a thesis, what does the writer state after the topic?

the arguable assertion or opinion about the topic

controlling idea

the direction the paragraph will take based on the evidence that you will use to explain the topic; explains the how/why

The topic sentence is:

the main idea of the paragraph

in a thesis, what does the writer first state?

the topic

a good topic sentence usually has two parts, what are they?

the topic and the key words that state the writers opinion

Good topic sentences must include:

the topic of the paragraph, the controlling idea of the paragraph, if a topic sentence does not answer the questions how and/or why

In a topic sentence, the topic tells readers

what the paragraph is going to be about

In a topic sentence, the controlling idea tells readers

what you want to say about your topic

thesis defines

your opinion or position on a particular topic and tell how you are going to prove your thesis using evidence