Thesis statement and reading outline
- 1. Thesis Statement and Reading Outline Prepared by: Ana Mae F. dela Torre
- 2. Definition • A thesis statement is the claim or stand that you will develop in your paper. It is the controlling idea of your essay. • (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson 2006:34) A strong thesis statement usually contains an element of uncertainty, risk or challenge.
- 3. Guidelines on writing an effective thesis statement 1. Avoid making overly-opinionated stands 2. Avoid making announcements 3. Avoid stating facts alone
- 4. Outline An outline is a summary that gives the essential features of a text. It shows how the parts of a text are related to one another as parts that are of equal importance, or sections that are subordinate to a main idea.
- 5. Kinds of Outlines 1. Reading outline 2. Writing outline
- 6. Steps in creating a reading outline 1. Read the entire text first. Skim the text afterward. Having an overview of the reading’s content will help you follow its structure better. 2. Locate the thesis statement. 3. Look for the key ideas in each paragraph of the essay. 4. Look at the topic sentence and group related ideas together. 5. Arrange the contents according to chronological order, spatial order, and general to specific order. 6. Go back to the text and make sure you have not miss any important information.
- 7. Rules for Outlining 1. Subdivide topics by a system of numbers and letters, followed by a period. In a formal outline, Roman numerals can be used to represent paragraphs. Capital letters can be used to represent supporting details for the paragraphs. 2. Each heading and subheading must have at least two parts. 3. Use either brief phrases or complete sentences. Do not use both in one essay.
- 8. Types of Outlines 1. Topic outline—the headings are given in sing words or brief phrases 2. Sentence outline– all headings are expressed in complete sentences
- 9. SAMPLES
- 10. SAMPLES