Writing Your Thesis Statement
A Part of the Research Process
After your research is completed, you will need to write a controlling idea to guide your writing.
A thesis statement expresses your controlling idea, or the main idea you want to emphasize. It serves as a focus for your report to make sure all the parts work together. Use the following formula to help you write your controlling idea.
To help you know what to emphasize in a thesis statement, ask these questions:
- What is the most interesting thing you learned about the topic?
- Why does it interest you?
- What really surprised or impressed you?
- What do you think everyone should know about it?
Sample Thesis Statement
Example #1
The 100-year-old Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, has the largest refracting telescope in the world.
Example #2
The "Avenue of the Giants" in northern California includes some giant sequoia trees that are 2,000 years old.
Example #3
The International Space Station is the combined project of 16 different countries.
TRY IT NOW: Create Your Thesis Statement
Using the information you collected from your notes template, create your thesis statement. In other words, use the formula mentioned above and write a controlling idea for your report. You will include your thesis statement in your final outline (which will be turned in to Mrs. Aday).