3Sacred Heart Villa School “Maria Schinina”

181 Aguinaldo Highway, Lalaan I, Silang, Cavite

(046) 423 – 3403

Name: __________________________________ Grade Level: ______________

Subject: EAPP Time Frame of the Activities: September 21-26, 2020
Quarter: Midterm Week: 1

Submission:
Online: On or Before September 26 (11:59 pm)

Topic: Thesis Statement of an Academic Text

Introduction:

It is a statement that tells the reader how you will

summarizes your topic and interpret the significance of
declares your position on it. the subject matter under
discussion

WHAT IS THESIS STATEMENT?

It is the central idea of a multiple-

paragraph composition. It is one It focuses your ideas into one
sentence summary that guides, or two sentences. It should
controls and unifies ideas when present the topic of your
writing paper and also make a
comment about your position
in relation to the topic.

Example of a thesis statement:

“Though uniforms are told to enhance community spirit and unity, educational
institutions should not force students to wear them. This idea is based on
fact that uniforms limit students’ freedom of expression, and this is especially
supported by the fact that limiting the freedom of expression is a violation of
human rights.”

Bid4papers.com

“Psychologists have argued for decades about how a person’s character is

formed. Numerous psychologists believe that one’s birth order (i.e., place in the
family as the youngest, oldest, or middle child) has the greatest influence. Birth
order can have a significant impact in the formation of a child’s character. Birth
order can strongly affect one’s relationship with parents, relationship with
others, and how one views responsibility as an adult.

Pinterest.com
PRESENTATION:

THESIS STATEMENT DISSECTED

1. A good argumentative thesis is focused and not too broad.

It’s important to stay focused! Don’t try to argue an overly broad topic in your essay, or you’re
going to feel confused and unsure about your direction and purpose.

Don’t write:

“Eating fast food is bad and should be avoided.”

This statement is too general and would be nearly impossible for you to defend. It leaves a lot of big
questions to answer. Is all fast food bad? Why is it bad? Who should avoid it? Why should anyone
care?

Do write:

“Americans should eliminate the regular consumption of fast food because a fast food diet leads to
preventable and expensive health issues, such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.”

2. A good argumentative thesis is centered on a debatable topic.

This means that your thesis statement should offer a debatable claim that you can prove or
disprove in your essay. The claim should be debatable enough to let your readers agree or disagree
with you.

Don’t write:

“Women and men are born to perform specific roles.”

No one can argue for or against this statement. It’s not debatable. It’s just a fact. There is nothing to
contest in the statement.

Do write:

“Although there seem to be specific roles assigned to women and men, those roles should never
dictate nor limit women and men to do other things that are beyond their assigned roles.”

Now that’s debatable. It challenges the stereotypical roles assigned to women or men, and also not
everyone may agree to it so this is something that you can explore in your paper.

3. A good argumentative thesis picks a side.

Picking a side is the whole point of an argumentative essay.

Don’t write:

“Secondhand smoke is bad and can cause heart disease and cancer; therefore, smoking should be
outlawed in public places, but outlawing smoking is unfair to smokers so maybe non-smokers can just
hold their breath or wear masks around smokers instead.”

A wishy-washy statement like this will make your reader scratch his head in puzzlement. Are you for
smoking laws or against them? Yankees or Mets? Mets or Yankees?

Do Write:

“Secondhand smoke is just as harmful as smoking and leads to a higher prevalence of cancer and
heart disease; therefore, smoking in any public place should be banned.”
Pick a side, and stick with it.

4. A good thesis makes claims that will be supported later in the paper.

Although you do not want to go into specifics regarding your supports until your body
paragraphs, you should make allusions to these supports in your thesis.

Don’t write:

“Humans should relocate to Mars.”

This statement doesn’t include any supporting claims. Why should humans move to Mars? What are
the benefits of moving to a planet without oxygen or trees?

Do write:

“It is too late to save earth; therefore, humans should immediately set a date for their relocation to
Mars, where they can, with proper planning, avoid issues of famine, war, and global warming.”

This statement includes some thought-provoking claims. The reader will wonder how the author plans
to defend them. (“Famine, war, and global warming can be easily avoided on Mars? Go on…”)

ACTIVITY 1: Choose the strongest thesis statement based on the topic provided.

1. Based on a topic choice of teacher pay, which thesis would be the strongest?
a. Teachers make less money than most people think.
b. Teachers have the important job of educating our children and should be paid higher
wages to reflect the importance of this task.
c. I think teachers are hard workers.
d. This paper will explore reasons why teachers across the country should be paid higher
wages.
2. Based on a topic choice of vegetarian diets, which thesis would be the strongest?
a. Vegetarians live longer lives.
b. It is not right for so many people to eat so much meat.
c. This essay is about the reasons why you should consider a healthier, vegetarian diet.
d. A well-balanced, vegetarian diet provides significant health benefits, and Americans could
benefit from becoming vegetarians.
3. Based on a topic of minimum wage in the United States, which thesis would be the strongest?
 a. This paper will explore many issues related to minimum wage in the United States, such as
the way an increased minimum wage will impact individuals, businesses, and the overall
economy.
b. Polls show that most Americans would like to see the minimum wage in the United States
raised.
c. After much research, I have concluded that the minimum wage in the United States must
be raised.
d. The minimum wage in the United States should be raised to a living wage, as doing so will
benefit individuals, businesses, and the overall economy.

ACTIVITY 2:

For each pair of sentences below, select the one that you think would make the more effective thesis
in the introductory paragraph of a short essay (approximately 400 to 600 words). Keep in mind that an
effective thesis statement should be sharply focused and specific, not just a general statement of fact.

1. (a) The Hunger Games is a science fiction adventure film based on the novel of the same
name by Suzanne Collins.
(b) The Hunger Games is a morality tale about the dangers of a political system that is
dominated by the wealthy.
2. (a) There is no question that cell phones have changed our lives in a very big way.
(b) While cell phones provide freedom and mobility, they can also become a leash, compelling
users to answer them anywhere and at any time.
3. (a) Finding a job is never easy, but it can be especially hard when the economy is still feeling
the effects of a recession and employers are reluctant to hire new workers.
(b) College students looking for part-time work should begin their search by taking advantage
of job-finding resources on campus.
4. (a) For the past three decades, coconut oil has been unjustly criticized as an artery-clogging
saturated fat.
(b) Cooking oil is plant, animal, or synthetic fat that is used in frying, baking, and other types of
cooking.
5. (a) There have been over 200 movies about Count Dracula, most of them only very loosely
based on the novel published by Bram Stoker in 1897.
(b) Despite its title, Bram Stoker's Dracula, a film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, takes
considerable liberties with Stoker's novel.
ENRICHMENT:
Choose one thesis statement and make a 150-word paper about it.

1. Vaccinations against diseases such as polio, rubella, and mumps should be mandatory for children who wish
to attend school as these vaccinations are critical to the control and eradication of deadly infectious diseases.
2. Schools’ dependence on technology has caused students to lose the ability to think independently, leading to
a greater prevalence of mood disorders, memory loss, and loneliness.
3. In order to improve the online behavior of students and decrease cyberbullying-related suicide attempts,
school officials should have the authority to discipline students who engage in cyberbullying.
4. Marijuana has numerous medical applications, such as treating symptoms of epilepsy, cancer, and glaucoma.
Legalizing the use of marijuana in the United States will greatly benefit the medical sector by giving
physicians the ability to prescribe this life-saving drug.
5. Beginning the school day at a later time would stabilize students’ sleep patterns, improve students’ moods,
and increase students’ academic success.
6. School uniforms may be an upfront cost for families, but they eradicate the visual differences in income
between students and provide a more egalitarian atmosphere at school.
7. Libraries are essential resources for communities and should be funded more heavily by local municipalities.
8. Corporations should provide more work from home opportunities and six-hour workdays so that office
workers have a better work-life balance and are more likely to be productive when they are in the office.
9. Beauty pageants are presented with the angle that they empower women. However, putting women in a
swimsuit on a stage while simultaneously judging them on how well they answer an impossible question in a
short period of time is cruel and purely for the amusement of men.
10. The approach of encouraging the children to get good grades by paying them can be a model of the real
world situation. If you work hard and get good results, you will get paid accordingly. This way of
encouragement is acceptable and can be used by parents.

EVALUATION:

TRUE OR FALSE:

1. Thesis Statement is the first sentence at the beginning of each paragraph.

2. It makes a claim that other people may dispute, challenge, or oppose.
3. It is a simple statement of fact.
4. A good thesis statement is a broad generalization about your topic.
5. A thesis statement should reflect the main idea of an essay