The Essay and Its Parts / Thesis 101 tym

Part 1

The Essay and its Parts…read the following PowerPoint link thoroughly found on our class website: http://cordovla.weebly.com/uploads/2/8/6/9/2869785/the_essay_and_its_parts.ppt OR the attachment

AND

Read all four sections of the link below (Introductions, Body Paragraphs, and Conclusions for an Argument Paper)

and answer these four questions in your own words in a paragraph per section.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/724/01/ (cut and paste if necessary)

https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/strategies-essay-writing (链接到外部网站。) (cut and paste in necessary)

1. What elements does a strong introductory paragraph contain?

2. What does a concluding paragraph contain?

3. What is a Thesis? Provide an example and break down its components.

4. What is a body paragraph?

With great detail, explain what constitutes a strong paragraph for each of these.

Supporting Materials

Part 2

Task #1:

Create (1) thesis statement for each of the following five topics. Make sure that the thesis statements are not statements of facts, more than one idea, too broad or too narrow. Scroll down for one sample thesis sentence.*

You may change the wording of the topics below to arrive at your thesis statement.

1. Energy conservation
2. Obesity
3. Increase minimum wage to $15
4. Free college (yes/no)
5. Nationalized Healthcare for U.S. A. (yes/no)

You do not have to write an essay on any of these topics.

*Example

Topic: Education

Thesis: College is no longer affordable for working-class Americans because of the rising costs of tuition, the economic impact on state universities, and the rising costs of books and other expenses.

Task #2

Consider:

Statement of fact: Smoking can cause health problems.

Arguable thesis statement: The government should ban smoking altogether.

Statement of fact: Small cars get better fuel mileage than 4×4 pickup trucks.

Arguable thesis statement: The government should ban 4×4 pickup trucks except for work-related use.

Statement of fact: On average, people with college degrees earn more money in the workplace.

Arguable thesis statement: A college degree should not be required for the _____ profession.

Statement of fact: Foul language is common in movies.

Arguable thesis statement: The amount of foul language in movies is disproportionate to the amount of foul language in real life.

Any given individual might agree or disagree with some or all of the revised statements above, and the evidence used to support or challenge the statements would be different from writer to writer. The point is that a writer who supported or challenged one of these theses would have to think in order to make his or her case. With a statement of fact, a writer simply puts on paper what has already been established by other people. An arguable thesis, on the other hand, requires a writer to think about which supporting arguments best challenge the other side of the issue. It is this type of thinking that resonates with your professors.

Exercise 1

The following exercise contains hypothetical thesis statements. On the blank line beside each statement, write “A” if the statement is arguable or “F” if the statement is a statement of fact.

_______1. The amount of financial aid available to students should be proportionate to

the earning potential of the career fields for which their majors prepare them.

_______2. Tom Hanks should have won the Best-Actor award for his performance in

Castaway.

_______3. Frank Sinatra was loved and admired by many people.

______4. The United States contains citizens of many different ethnicities.

_______5. Sterling College should make coffee available to students in every building.

_______6. Driving under the influence of alcohol is dangerous.

_______7. Penalties for drinking and driving should be more severe.

_______8. Television networks air a lot of reality shows nowadays.

_______9. The Harry Potter movies are better than the Indiana Jones movies.

_______10. Steroid abuse can lead to serious health problems.

EXERCISE

Write two arguable thesis statements, each with at least three supporting arguments. They do not need to be complicated. The important thing is that your thesis and supporting arguments logically align.

Example:

Thesis: Random drug testing should not be allowed in high schools.

Supporting Arguments:

1. It is a violation of privacy.

2. It wastes taxpayer money because most students know how to “cheat” on the tests.

3. It instills unnecessary fear in students and consequently affects their academic performance in a negative way.

EXERCISE

Listed with the two thesis statements below are possible supporting arguments. Within each group of possible supporting arguments, one (1) does not align logically with the thesis. Underline each supporting argument that does not align.

1. The media should be as hard on non-players as they are on players when it comes to cheating in baseball.

• Gamblers do a lot of damage to the game.

• Fans steal signals from opposing teams and relay them to players and coaches.

• Non-starting players also steal signals.

• Groundskeepers have been known to “fix” fields for a home-team advantage.

2. Kansas is a great place to live.

• The state has great roads and traffic is seldom congested.

• Kansas City offers many fun attractions, especially east of State Line Road.

• It has many community colleges that enhance local economies.

• Kansans have a rich history of looking out for one another.