Set up your writers for writing strong introductions with a formula for putting together supported thesis statements. This reference page breaks the process down and provides an example of how to compose a thesis statement, develop a...

Help your young writers produce high-quality topic and thesis statements that go beyond basic wording and really illustrate complex ideas and critical thinking skills. From however and compound sentence statements to using...

Strengthen your high schoolers' writing with a series of steps for writing successfully. With sections on organizing an essay, choosing a topic, crafting a thesis statement, and revising a draft, the instructional activity encourages...

Inspire essay organization with this handout and exercise about outlining. Writers read through a brief outline model and then practice writing their own outline by completing a second model. Scholars not only complete the outline, they...

Are your pupils ready to move beyond a thesis statement by adding additional detail to their introductory paragraphs? Provide this handout to give your class some ideas for spiffing up their work. The page includes a sample paragraph...

An excellent, in-depth resource would be an asset to your unit on writing an argument essay. It provides an explanation to each part of the essay as well as examples of transition words to strengthen your kids' writing. Additionally, the...

Lies, deceit, betrayal, criminality: these topics are just a few of the reasons that John Steinbeck's classic novel The Grapes of Wrath has captivated people since its 1939 publication. Scholars begin the lesson by reading...

Organization is key in essay writing. The two organizational charts included in this resource model the block approach and the point-by-point approach to organizing a compare and contrast style essay. After examining the...

Here's a handy, seven-step guide to crafting good paragraphs in support of a claim. The steps are clearly explained and examples provided.

Next time you assign your young historians to write a persuasive essay, use this document as a starting point and support them with a rubric, tips for writing a successful persuasive piece, and a general essay outline.

This page defines the thesis statement and tells how to develop one when the topic is assigned and when the topic is not assigned. Also gives guidelines for determining whether the thesis statement is strong or weak.

An explanation and example of a thesis statement.

An explanation of a thesis statement and how it is used in an essay.

This is a well-organized page that allows you to zero in on a particular aspect of stating your hypothesis and writing your thesis statement.

This site has an examination of five different thesis statements with examples of how to write each of the statements.

An excellent tip sheet for creating and perfecting a thesis statement. Also includes information about statement of purpose and examples.

Learn what a thesis statement is, how to generate a thesis statement for an assigned topic, and how to generate a thesis statement if a topic has not been assigned.

The Indiana University of Pennsylvania Writing Center article provides information about the "thesis" of a paper. Examples of clear thesis statements are also provided.

An explanation of a thesis statement and tips on writing one.

Tips for writing a thesis statement.

Superbly written explanation of thesis development. Use the links on the right to work through the writing process.

This site describes the thesis statement in a series of "A thesis is a ____, not a ____" statements. Gives examples of improper and improved thesis statements.

The first part of this page lists five characteristics of a thesis statement and gives examples of a poor and an effective statement for each characteristic. The second part of the handout dispels common myths about the thesis statement.

Explains the thesis statement and distinguishes it from the purpose statement. Gives an example of a paragraph containing both. Be sure try the link at the bottom of the page, "Developing a Thesis Statement." This page goes into further...