1. CLASS 23
EWRT 1A

2. AGENDA
Review
Essay focus
Discussion:
The Thesis
Writing an Outline
In-Class Writing:
Writing your Thesis
Outlining

3. Quick Review
How will you
focus your
essay?
Take a look at what you have
so far: do you have a concept?
A focus for your concept?
Categories?
Types?

4. Concept: Games
Limiter: Playground Games
Types Types
 Kids’ games with a ball  Kids’ games without a ball
 Teenagers’ games with a  Teenagers’ games without
ball a ball
 Adults’ games with a ball.  Adults’ games without a
ball.

5. Formulating a Working
Thesis Statement
Refer to our model essays to see
how others handle a thesis for this
kind of essay

6. In his essay on cannibalism, Ngo offers his
thesis statement in paragraph six:
Cannibalism can be broken down into two main
categories: exocannibalism, the eating of outsiders or
foreigners, and endocannibalism, the eating of members
of one’s own social group (Shipman 70). Within these
categories are several functional types of
cannibalism, three of the most common being survival
cannibalism, dietary cannibalism, and religious and ritual
cannibalism.
 Ngo’s concept is cannibalism; his focus is on popular cannibalism.
 He has two categories: Endo and Exocannibalism
 He has three types: Survival, dietary, and religious/ritual
cannibalism
 In his thesis, he carefully forecasts both how he will divide the
information to create topics and the order in which he will explain
each of the topics

7. Anastasia Toufexis begins her essay with her
thesis statement:
 O.K., let’s cut out all this nonsense about romantic
love. Let’s bring some scientific precision to the party.
Let’s put love under a microscope. When rigorous
people with Ph.D.'s after their names do that, what
they see is not some silly, senseless thing. No, their
probe reveals that love rests firmly on the foundations
of evolution, biology and chemistry.
Toufexis’s concept is love, and her focus is the scientific
explanation of love—specifically the evolution, biology, and
chemistry of love. In announcing her focus, she forecasts the order
in which she will present information from the three most relevant
academic disciplines—anthropology (human
evolution), biology, and chemistry. These discipline names
become her topics.

8. The Challenge: Draft your working thesis in
ten minutes
 As you draft your own tentative thesis statement, take care
to make the language clear. Although you may want to
revise your thesis statement as you draft your essay, trying
to state it now will give your planning and drafting more
focus and direction. Keep in mind that the thesis in an
explanatory essay, such as a concept essay, merely
announces the subject; it never asserts a position that
requires an argument to defend it.
 Write one or more sentences, stating your focused
concept, that could serve as a thesis statement Forecast
the topics you will use to explain the concept.

9. NGO Toufexis
 Cannibalism can be broken down  O.K., let’s cut out all this
into two main categories: nonsense about romantic love.
exocannibalism, the eating of Let’s bring some scientific
outsiders or foreigners, and precision to the party. Let’s put
endocannibalism, the eating of love under a microscope.
members of one’s own social When rigorous people with
group (Shipman 70). Within these Ph.D.'s after their names do
categories are several functional that, what they see is not some
types of cannibalism, three of the silly, senseless thing. No, their
most common being survival probe reveals that love rests
cannibalism, dietary firmly on the foundations of
cannibalism, and religious and evolution, biology and
ritual cannibalism chemistry.

10. Your Thesis is a Map to Your Essay
Once you have your working thesis
written, you can make a tentative outline.
Introduction Category 2
Extended Anecdote Type 1
Thesis Type 2
 Category 1 Type 3
Type 1 Repeat if Necessary
Type 2 Conclusion
Type 3

11. Homework
Post #27: Make an outline for your concept
essay.
 Include a preliminary idea for what kind of anecdote you
might include in your introduction.
 Include your thesis
 Name at least two categories
 Include at least two or three types you may be able to
discuss under each category
 Use the format on slide ten if you need
help
Study: Vocab (1-22)