Essay: Thesis & Outline

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 5

Quick-fire assignment

Row near the door

Write a thesis about the environment.

Middle Row

Write a thesis about further education (University, HBO, MBO),

Row near the windows

Write a thesis about animal testing. 

Essay

Thesis & Outline

Fill in your best thesis statement from ex. A about education, environment, or social media.

A thesis statement should not be:

1. Debatable
2. A clear statement
3. Broad
4. Realistic

A thesis statement should be:

1. Weak
2. Specific
3. a Declaration
4. Fact

Exercise B

Drinking too much alcohol is bad for your health.

Using the internet has a positive effect on people.

Encouraging children to read can help them build analytical skills.

Encouraging children to read can help them build analytical skills.

Organ donors deserve money for their sacrifice.

This paper will look at the advantages of school uniforms.

Importance

I can usually tell from your thesis & arguments whether your essay will receive a sufficient  score. (for content)

Not having a good thesis and matching arguments will:

- Turns your essay into an informative text or "betoog".

- Makes your paragraphs disorganized.

- Have you add in random information where it doesn't belong. 

The grey wolf is a timid creature that is being hunted and exterminated.

Good

Bad

The grey wolf is a timid creature that is being hunted and exterminated.

Drinking too much alcohol is bad for your health.

Good

Bad

Drinking too much alcohol is bad for your health.

Organ donors deserve money for their sacrifice.

Good

Bad

Organ donors deserve money for their sacrifice.

Using the internet has a positive effect on people.

Good

Bad

This paper will look at the advantages of school uniforms.

Good

Bad

This paper will look at the advantages of school uniforms.

Saving the whales should be a top priority.

Good

Bad

Saving the whales should be a top priority.

Matching

Now you can have the most amazing thesis in the world, but if the arguments don't match your written work will just not function at all. 

Always do the why + thesis check.

Ask yourself whether your argument is relevant, strong, and true.

Don't just use the first thing that pops into your head, take time to brainstorm. 

Exercise C. Which arguments match the thesis statement?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Outline

Topic:

Thesis:

Argument 1:

Argument 2:

Argument 3:

Outline Example

Topic: hours spend on school

Thesis: Children should spend less time on school and more time studying at home.

Argument 1: it teaches them more independence and self discipline, because they have to come to school with all the work they’ve prepared and learned themselves.

Argument 2: it gives them more flexibility and freedom to plan their personal things and school work around school time.

Argument 3: it makes school more efficient, because you get rid of classes where you have to work for yourself or watch a movie for example. 

Why?

You've basically already written your essay, you just need to add words. 

But without those words it's now easy for you to check if the different parts are any good.

You can now stay more focussed while writing. 

Remember

Do remember that you need to find a way to explain your arguments to others through your writing. 

Make your point, then use evidence to prove it and examples to illustrate, end with a concluding sentence that links back to your point.

Next Step: The Words

Don't be boring darling.

Continue

Now that you have your outline, think, think long and hard and even in Dutch if you must. 

What words do you need to write an effective essay? What signal words can you use? How do you avoid repetition? How do you show off your language skills?

Language

Don't limit yourself because you don't know certain vocabulary. 

Think of what you want to say in Dutch and try to find a way to say it in English (Dictionary).

Being short

Don't be short. Or at least don't just use short sentences. 

You're no longer in the "onderbouw" you can use big people sentences ;)

Seriously, get practicing with your compound and complex sentence structures. 

Alternatives

Study your signal/linking words and find alternatives for the ones you use most often. 

play.blooket.com

Work on

Finish and hand in your essay outline. I need to be able to review it before you start writing it. 

Trust me, you won't like it when I tell you to rewrite the whole thing because your thesis or arguments make no sense. So write an outline!

While waiting for feedback, make a list of relevant (signal) words and phrases to help you write the essay.