Nonfiction thesis statement
is both starting point and center

Effective expository writing teachers begin by teaching students how to write a declarative sentence called a thesis statement. That single sentence becomes a seed writers can can grow into a paragraph, an essay, a research paper, or a best-selling nonfiction book.

Some thesis terminology

Since the term thesis is often used in reference to an academic dissertation that may run hundreds of pages, it's not wise to use the stand-alone term with beginning writers. You never know if a student has a sibling or parent agonizing over "writing a thesis."

Instead of using the term thesis as a noun, use it as an adjective modifying either the word statement or the word sentence.

Not only does the change draw some of the venom from the distressing thesis, but it underscores what you are trying to teach: the word statement implies "not a question" and the word sentence implies "not a sentence fragment."

Those subtle distinctions will be lost on most students until you point them out. However, if you watch your terminology you may be able to get away with teaching the distinctions only 17 times instead of 37.

Questions about thesis statements

In order to teach students how to write a thesis sentence/statement and make sure they can—and do—use that knowledge, you have to know a few basics yourself. I've outlined the information here, with links to more detailed explanations. However, if you have questions you can post them in the writing teachers' thesis-use forum.

What is a thesis sentence/statement?

A thesis statement is a single-sentence summary of the main idea of a piece of writing. Unfortunately, that definition is worthless unless writers know how and when to write that sentence.

How do I make a thesis?

Writing teachers who are lazy or brilliant either include a thesis or suggest one in their writing prompts.

By using a thesis from a prompt, students learns the value of a thesis before the teacher introduces the thesis-builder for turning topics into thesis sentences. If teachers use authentic writing prompts, students can often guess an assertion about a topic that will make a decent working thesis.

What makes a thesis good?

A good thesis sentence is one complete, concise, declarative sentence. Through trial and error, students learn that phrasing the sentence clearly, in active voice, and debatable terms makes an even better thesis sentence.

When should I write a thesis?

Efficient writers know not only how to write a thesis sentence but also when. Writing a working thesis sentence early in the writing process leaves plenty of time to write another if the first turns out to be a dud. Writing sentences takes much less time than writing entire papers.

What kinds of papers need a thesis?

All nonfiction writing needs a thesis.

Where should I place the thesis in my essay?

Until they are competent writers, students can place their theses as the last sentences of their introductions, just before the first body paragraph of any essay built on the thesis-and-support pattern.