Happy Tuesday! Hopefully you all had a restful weekend. Today we are going to continue our discussion of the basic concepts of EAP writing by focusing on the heart of the EAP essay: the thesis statement. Thesis statements are arguably the most important single sentence in any essay your write. They are so important because they tell your reader the purpose (or goal) of the essay as well as give a short preview of the supporting arguments that will be used to 'prove' the stance taken...all in one sentence.
Today's class outline can be found below:
Thesis Statements
I. Brainstorming: what are the characteristics of a good thesis statement? What adjectives would you use to describe a good thesis statement?
II. An Introduction to Thesis Statements
Click here for a brief PPT overview of the requirements for a good thesis statement
III. Identifying Academic Thesis Paragraphs
Read the these two paragraphs. One comes from a newspaper and another comes from a standard academic journal. Identify the thesis statement in each writing sample and then answer the four questions at the bottom of the page with a partner. We will discuss the answers as a class afterwards.
IV. Providing the Reader with a Preview of the Essay's Content
Many writers understand that a good thesis statement must explain the purpose for writing an essay, but fewer writers realize that it's necessary to include a "preview" of the supporting arguments that will appear in the body paragraphs following the introduction. The reader should be able to identify how many body paragraphs the essay will contain as well as exactly what they will contain. In that way, they will have a basic outline of the logic that will be used to support the purpose for writing the essay after reading a single sentence.
To practice this idea, complete this worksheet with a partner. We will discuss the answers as a class.
V. Grammar Focus: Maintaining Parallelism
Complete this worksheet on parallel structure with a partner. Be prepared to discuss your answers with the class afterwards.
Housekeeping Details and Homework for Thursday (9/12/13)
-Diagnostic Analysis Paragraph #3: Write a short paragraph (no more than 300 words) that answers the following question: review the thesis statement that you wrote for your first draft of the diagnostic essay. Point out specifically where you demonstrate each of the three main components of a good thesis statement as discussed in class. If you were missing any (or all) of these three components, indicate what was missing and why. Then revise your thesis statement so that it betters embodies the three main criteria and explain what you added/modified and why.
When finished, please save your paragraph with the title, "DA_3_YourName" and upload it to the "Diagnostic Analysis Portfolio" folder in your Dropbox. It is due before class on Thursday.
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