Making a Thesis: September 1, 2016

Focus: How do we develop a routine for building a structurally sound thesis?

Look over your annotated bibliography, form  Level 3 question, and write it on your dry erase tape.

My ex: Why is paranoia contagious?

1. Warming up with literal and metaphorical building

• Build a boat. What's the most important part about the structure of a boat?
• Build a tree. What's the most important part about the structure of a tree?
• Build a house. What's the most part about the structure of a house?

• Build an essay. What's the most important part about the structure of an essay?

2. Taking your ideas and figuring out how to build them into a structurally sound essay (in small groups of people)

• Help each other find structures for building an essay by generating a guideline sheet.

3. Shaping your structure

4. Making your thesis: Looking at your structure, develop a thesis that makes an argument, possibly by answering the question on your dry erase tape, and lays out the overall structure.

My Level 3 question from yesterday: Why is paranoia contagious?

My rough thesis: The events of Y2K expose that paranoia is most contagious when it's rooted in dependence on technology and fear of poverty.

HW:
1. If you haven't finished a rough draft of your thesis, please finish. If you prefer to have a typed, more detailed outline, please complete that tonight. If you prefer to start drafting, then start drafting. TOMORROW YOU SHOULD WALK IN KNOWING YOUR THESIS AND WHAT YOU WILL TALK ABOUT IN EACH OF YOUR BODY PARAGRAPHS.

2. Click HERE for a conference sign-up. Everyone needs to conference with me at least once; you can conference during the early drafting stages, the later drafting stages, or after the final draft is due. Think about at point in your writing routine you need the most one-on-one help.

3.  If it's in your budget or on your bookshelf, please acquire your own copy of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.