To Thesis or Not to Thesis

by Shawn Hassen

To thesis or not to thesis. There is no question. Many educators argue that the thesis statement is passe—it’s outdated, formulaic, boring, and restrictive. But this flat denouncement ignores several key points:

First, “formulaic” is exactly what beginning writers need. It’s challenging to organize an expository essay, particularly for generations raised on the rapid clicks and swipes of the smart phone. As we’ll cover in the following paragraphs, the thesis sentence magically organizes students’ ideas, keeping them on track and less likely to--"squirrel!"--wander off topic.

Furthermore, a thesis sentence is really only “boring” at a more simplistic younger age. As students mature, their vocabulary grows, as does their understanding of complex sentence structures. And this can also be said in response to the “restrictive” argument. A seasoned students can write a vague, broad, yet eye-catching thesis and still stay focused and organized. But a younger student or, at times, a student of any age who struggles with writing, may never graduate to a more avant garde thesis. That’s okay. One size thesis need not fit all.

Finally, let’s not lose perspective on this one (or two) vital sentence(s) that get the eye roll from some teachers who are reading their students' work. A thesis sentence is certainly for the reader to an extent by introducing the topics that the paper will explore. Obviously. But it’s honestly an imperative tool for the beginning writer who is learning how to organize details and build cohesive explanations and arguments. Professional writers can stay on track without a thesis—many students cannot. So let them use it.  In fact, encourage it, or if you dare to really teach students how to become good writers progressively over time, require it at first.

Teaching the Thesis Sentence

A thesis sentence is located at the end of the introduction. Naturally, beginning writers usually have no clue how to write an introduction; with my ninth graders and sometimes tenth graders, I didn’t approach introductions until several months into the school year because I didn’t want them to write garbage, and I didn’t want me to read garbage. Therefore, I started young writers with a thesis sentence only. As the year progressed, we learned to put an intro before it. Rome was not built in a day.

The thesis sentence, ultimately located at the end of the introduction, serves two roles: it announces the POINT of the essay, and it announces the PARTS of the essay. My students learned this as the 2 P’s of the thesis: point and parts.

You will need to provide them examples of how this sentence will magically organize their paper and keep them focused. Suppose we are going to write a paper on the topic of German Shepherds. Well. That’s a big topic. Just think of all the things we could discuss: the breed’s origin, training, genetic health concerns, personality, current roles in society, historic roles in society, breeding, and the list goes on. Students not only struggle with narrowing a topic (when they are allowed to choose their own), but they also struggle to decide which details to include in this one small essay and which to save for another essay, another time. A 500-word essay can only cover but so much. So this is where the magic of the thesis sentence begins:

From my brainstorming of possible German Shepherd topics, I decide that I am most interested in their personalities and their uses in society. These two notions actually go together nicely to help me develop my thesis sentence which will contain the POINT of my essay and the PARTS into which my essay will be divided:

German Shepherds make excellent police dogs because of their intelligence, loyalty, and intimidating presence.

The point of my essay is that German Shepherds make excellent police dogs. All details will lead to this point. I will not stray into breed origins, I will not be able to discuss them as family pets, I will not be writing about their genetic health predispositions. I also cannot write about beagles sniffing for narcotics or Labradors tracking cadavers. I am only writing about the German Shepherd’s prowess as a police dog. That’s my only point in this essay.

So now how will I organize my argument? This has also been established by my thesis sentence. An entire book could be written about the police work of German Shepherds, so my one small essay must be tightly, succinctly organized. If I am a young writer, I will allow each of my three parts in this thesis to determine my three substantive body paragraphs (which would be greatly extended for a mature writer and a longer composition). In fact, I can already write my topic sentences now (and merely tweak them as needed):

Thesis: German Shepherds make excellent police dogs because of their intelligence, loyalty, and intimidating presence.

Topic Sentence 1: A German Shepherd’s intelligence well qualifies him for police work.

This paragraph will provide discussion, details, and examples only of the connection between intelligence and police work.

Topic Sentence 2: German Shepherd’s are also fiercely loyal, making them focused and dedicated to their work with a law enforcement partner.

This paragraph will provide discussion, details, and examples only of the connection between loyalty and police work.

Topic Sentence 3: Another advantage shepherds have in the police field is the fear-factor.

This paragraph will provide discussion, details, and examples only of the connection between their intimidating presence and police work.

With one sentence, our students have outlined their essay. With some luck and good guidance, they will be able to expand their vocabulary and wording so that they are not repeating the exact terms they used in the thesis sentence (such as in the prior examples). They may start with a little redundancy, but they will grow out of this—what’s pivotal is that the thesis sentence is teaching them how to focus, compact, and logically organize their writing, whether they are writing about literature, crafting a research argument, or presenting their own thoughts in an expository essay. Will students be able to modify and expound upon this formula as they mature and sustain longer, more detailed arguments in their essays? Most likely, yes. But again, I say that Rome was not built in a day. For beginning writers, mastery of the thesis sentence with a point and parts—call it formulaic and boring (with your inside voice)—is crucial.