Lead Sentence and Thesis: Sentences 7-8

Directions: We will go through the pieces of this worksheet together to help you learn how to write lead sentences and claims/theses before adding them to introduction paragraphs for essays.

As you listen to the lecture, fill in the answers to the following questions and prompts:

Sentence 7: Lead Sentence

  1. A lead sentence is supposed to ______lead your reader to your point.
  2. Which two weak transition words can you use?

Sentence 8: Claim/Thesis

  1. A claim is something ______and usually something ______.
  2. A claim should . . .
  3. A claim should not . . .
  4. ______+ ______+ ______= ______
  5. Good transition words for sentence 8:
  6. A thesis statement is . . .
  7. Never a ______
  8. Only ______detailed sentence
  9. An ______of the rest of your essay

Practice Writing Thesis Statements

  1. Historically, girls and boys have gone to separate schools in countries all over the world. This affected students of all ages, including some colleges. Most public schools today do not separate schools by gender. Decide if boys and girls should attend separate schools.

______, ______

(TW) (Big Claim)

because ______,

(Reason 1)

______, and (Reason 2)

______.

(Reason 3)

  1. Yet another high school football death occurred in September 2013. With more attention is being paid to the risk of head injuries in football, some parents are beginning to wonder whether the game is too dangerous for their children to play. Decide if parents should let their children play football.

______, ______

(TW) (Big Claim)

because ______,

(Reason 1)

______, and (Reason 2)

______.

(Reason 3)

  1. Some financially struggling school districts have chosen to cut their physical education programs to save money. But new studies suggest that being physically fit doesn’t just make children healthier; it actually helps them learn more. Does gym help students perform better in all their classes?

______, ______

(TW) (Big Claim)

because ______,

(Reason 1)

______, and (Reason 2)

______.

(Reason 3)

Turn Your Thesis into a Complete Introduction

  1. Choose one of your thesis statements from the previous page.In the box, turn your thesis into an introductory paragraph. Be sure to include all eight sentences.

1)Hook: Drop reader into a scene, anecdote, quote, or surprising fact

2)Topic as a question: Can be taken directly from the prompt or slightly changed from the prompt.

3)“Some people think . . .” One side of the issue

4)“Others believe . . .” The other side of the issue

5)Background information 1: Can be taken word for word from the prompt.

6)Background information 2: Can be taken word for word from the prompt.

7)Lead sentence

8)Thesis (Magic 3)