3 Steps for Teaching THESIS STATEMENTS

In the first paragraph, Steve Heimler, an AP History teacher, shares his initial struggles with teaching students to write strong thesis statements, which are essential for building solid arguments. He emphasizes the importance of a good thesis for student success in his class and beyond. Realizing his initial advice was insufficient, Steve sought a better method. He decided to show students what构成 a good thesis by using scoring samples from the College Board, which include essays with varying scores. Steve also stresses the importance of understanding the evaluative criteria, or rubric, used by the College Board to assess theses. He introduces two key rules for a good thesis: it must be a historically defensible claim and establish a line of reasoning. He uses examples to illustrate these concepts, clarifying what makes a claim historically defensible and how to preview argumentation categories within a thesis.

The second paragraph continues Steve's narrative on improving thesis writing skills among his students. He explains that after teaching the basic rules for writing a good thesis, he introduces an intermediate step to solidify the students' understanding. This involves presenting them with a prompt and several example theses, varying in quality, and asking students to select the best one. This exercise aims to stimulate discussion and deepen comprehension of what makes a thesis effective. Steve also mentions his teacher resource pack, which includes thesis writing exercises and activities for the APUSH and AP World curriculum. He then discusses two formulas for thesis writing: the John Irish Formula, which is complex and suitable for advanced students, and a simpler formula that involves restating parts of the prompt with specific historical evidence. Steve concludes by highlighting the significant improvement in his students' thesis writing abilities after implementing these structured approaches.