Crafting Introductions and Thesis Statements

 Crafting Thesis Statements
Plain and simple
Purpose: What are you writing about? (The experience the author is discussing) What is it you intend to prove? (What is being focused on explored, or exposed)
Argument or Claim: Why is it important?
The purpose and the argument will be represented in two phrases beginning with a sophisticated verb. Each phrase will be highlighted in a different color.
RED = PURPOSE
BLUE = ARGUMENT

PURPOSE and ARGUMENT
• The stem of this statement will come from the question or the prompt. • Actual IB Prompt:
• “Fiction is essentially rhetorical art- that is to say the novelist or short-story writer persuades us to share a certain view of the world for the duration of the reading experience.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?
• Purpose (what?)- Criticizes the increasing use of technology
• Argument (Why)- Illuminates the harmful affects on society

Thesis statement
Both phrases combined to create a coherent thesis statement.
(you may use “in order to” or “to” when you connect the two phrases)

Ray Bradbury criticizes the ever increasing use of technology within a society in order to illuminate the harmful affects heaped on its social structures and family relationships.

Introduction Process

• Use the thesis statement to build an introduction that should contain the following:
• A lead in sentence to begin the essay.
• Author and title (if pertinent)
• Indication of where the essay is going
• An idea that will stimulate the reader to read on
• The central meaning of the essay and a coherent argument or
Thesis. ( example of introduction and thesis on next slide)

Introduction and Thesis Statement
• (Introduction)The television was injected into the lives of the American family in the 1950’s. The novel Fahrenheit
451, written in 1953 by Ray Bradbury, depicts a dystopian society filled with heartless acts and disconnected relationships that come as a result of technology overload. ( Thesis Statement) Ray Bradbury criticizes the ever increasing use of technology within a society in order to illuminate the harmful affects heaped on its social structures and family relationships.

• Please use this format for all of your introductions and thesis statements.