| 
  • If you are citizen of an European Union member nation, you may not use this service unless you are at least 16 years old.

  • You already know Dokkio is an AI-powered assistant to organize & manage your digital files & messages. Very soon, Dokkio will support Outlook as well as One Drive. Check it out today!

View
 

Thesis Statement

Page history last edited by Jason Stephenson 3 years, 2 months ago

 

Thesis Statement / Claim

 

noun | "the guiding, arguable statement or claim an essay attempts to prove through evidence and reasoning." (ELA Glossary, page 85)

 

noun | "an assertion of the truth of something." (ELA Glossary, page 74)

 

At its core, communication is based on the give and take of ideas. Making a claim is how old information is transferred to new meaning, and a thesis statement is a strong claim made as the road map of an essay. The skill of making effective claims allows people to summarize their idea in one concise statement. Using this skill to create a thesis statement helps students begin with their idea and then build upon it with their evidence and reasoning.

 

Literacy Progression

Standards

Progression 

objectives in chronological order with shifts bolded

how the objectives develop & change through the grade levels 

PK.8.W  Students will express their ideas through a combination of drawing and emergent writing with guidance and support. 

 

K.8.W  Students will express their ideas through a combination of drawing and emergent writing with guidance and support.

Although thesis statements are not explicitly stated in the early childhood grades, learning to express ideas and opinions is an essential building block for making claims.

 

In the first few years, a child will begin expressing unique ideas through actions, pictures, and stories. 

 

1.3.W.3  Students will express an opinion in writing about a topic and provide a reason to support the opinion with guidance and support. 

A small shift occurs here. First-graders are asked to express an opinion (with guidance and support) rather than just an idea. They also must give a reason why they have that opinion. Mastering this skill is crucial in developing the ability to produce effective thesis statements/claims.

2.3.W.3  Students will express an opinion about a topic and provide reasons as support. 

 

3.3.W.3  Students will express an opinion about a topic and provide reasons as support.

 

Students are now asked to express and defend opinions without guidance and support. They must also provide multiple reasons for their opinion. Topics and writing should gradually increase in complexity second to third grade. 

 

 

4.3.W.3  Students will express an opinion about a topic and provide fact-based reasons as support. 

The shift here indicates that students are now responsible to defend their claims with factual reasons. In earlier grades, students may have used opinions to reinforce their claims. For example, “Pizza is my favorite food because I like cheese.” In the fourth grade claims should be more complex and students should be using factual information to support them. For example, “Pizza is the best food because it can use ingredients from all four food groups.” 

 

5.3.W.3  Students will clearly state an opinion supported with facts and details

 

 

6.3.W.3  Students will clearly state an opinion supported with facts and details.

As students mature as writers, they compose longer and more complex texts or essays. The sentences used throughout the writing therefore become more sophisticated in terms of structure complexity and word choice. Specifically for this objective, as students write opinion pieces, they should be sure to include an opinion that is clearly stated, ensuring that readers are not left to guess the writer’s position on a topic.  


The sophistication of opinions should be increasing. By the fifth grade student opinions should be precise and definitive. Moreover, in addition to facts, students at this level should also support their opinions with details.

 

7.3.W.3  Students will introduce a claim and organize reasons and evidence, using credible sources.

Students are now shifting from opinion writing to argumentative writing. This means that students aren’t merely writing to convey their opinions; they are making a defensible claim and attempting to get the reader to recognize that their argument is valid by using evidence from credible sources. Students at this level organize their reasons in a logical manner that strengthens their writing.

8.3.W.3  Students will introduce a claim, recognize at least one claim from an opposing viewpoint, and organize reasons and evidences, using credible sources. In the eighth grade, students are now tasked with identifying and describing an opposing viewpoint in addition to making a claim. For example, if a student were arguing that school uniforms interfered with free speech, the student would also need to acknowledge they also can increase school pride and unity.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

9.3.W.4 Students will introduce claims, recognize and distinguish from alternate or opposing claims, and organize reasons and evidences, using credible sources. 

A subtle shift occurs in the ninth grade. Here students are asked to go beyond identifying the opposing claim. Students now must explain the differences between the opposing or alternate claims, providing sufficient evidence to support one side or the other.  


The addition of alternate claims adds even more sophistication as an alternate claim is slightly different than an opposing claim. An alternate claim may not be in direct opposition to a claim, just a little different. For example:

  • Claim: Oklahoma should institute additional taxes on cigarettes and alcohol to pay teachers more money in order to decrease the teacher shortage.
  • Opposing Claim: Oklahoma should not add any additional taxes in order to fund a teacher pay raise.
  • Alternate Claim: Oklahoma should increase the gross production tax in order to fund teacher raises.

 

 

10.3.W.4  Students will introduce precise claims and distinguish them from counterclaims and provide sufficient evidences to develop balanced arguments, using credible sources.  

Student will write more specific and unique claims. These claims should be defensible as well as controversial in order to develop a strong argument.

 

In the tenth grade, students will continue to distinguish claims from counterclaims (both opposing and alternate). They also must balance their arguments by providing sufficient evidence on either side of an issue to achieve a balanced argument. The purpose of an argument is to impact an audience using evidence and reasoning in an objective manner.

11.3.W.4  Students will (1) introduce precise, informed claims, (2) distinguish them from alternate or opposing claims, (3) organize claims, counterclaims, and evidence in a way that provides a logical sequence for the entire argument, and (4) provide the most relevant evidences to develop balanced arguments, using credible sources.  

 

12.3.W.4  Students will (1) introduce precise, informed claims, (2) distinguish them from alternate or opposing claims, (3) organize claims, counterclaims, and evidence in a way that provides a logical sequence for the entire argument, and (4) provide the most relevant evidences to develop balanced arguments, using credible sources.

Student claims must now be informed. This indicates the expectation that students are initially basing their claims on facts and/or research.

 

The sequence of evidence that supports the claim should be easy to follow and logical. For example, writers may choose to sort evidence chronologically, spatially, topically, or any other way that helps readers understand the argument in an objective manner.

 

Students in these advanced grades select the most relevant evidence for their arguments, implying that they have read lots of evidence to determine which would be most useful.

 

Back to Literacy Progressions

Back to Homepage

Comments (0)

You don't have permission to comment on this page.