how to write a thesis statement grade 5

Teaching 5th Graders How to Write a Thesis Statement

Our 5th-grade students write a 5 paragraph research paper about their choice of topics related to Ancient Egypt.  Some of my students are writing about Egyptian pyramids, Egyptian Gods, and one has undertaken the task of writing about the role of Egyptian women in religion.  All students are required to write “thin questions,” or questions that can be answered easily and with a fact, to get their minds going and then use their new knowledge to write a “thick question,” or overarching research question from which their thesis will be derived.

I can’t stress enough the importance of modeling how to write a thesis statement.   Model, model, model.   Bring in past students’ work, write your own thesis in front of them, do the thesis statement sheet (available below) with them a few times.  Go slowly for each step.   The idea isn’t getting your students to finish the thesis statement quickly, the idea is for them to learn how to craft their own argument and write it clearly.  

In order to help them through the process of getting from thin question to thick question to thesis I used several sources to develop my own version of “Write a Thesis Statement in 5 Steps.”  I was able to conference with students in small groups to help them look at their thick questions and their notes to develop a “because statement” for each of their papers.  Once they had a “because statement,” students had to prove it using three facts from their notes.  The next step and hardest step was synthesizing the question, the because statement, and the facts to write the thesis that will ultimately drive their body paragraphs and conclusion.

If you would like to use the “Write a Thesis Statement in 5 Steps” sheet, thesis statement in 5 steps .  It is free, but if you do use it please tell me how it went!

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• How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on January 11, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on August 15, 2023 by Eoghan Ryan.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . It usually comes near the end of your introduction .

Your thesis will look a bit different depending on the type of essay you’re writing. But the thesis statement should always clearly state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your essay should relate back to this idea.

You can write your thesis statement by following four simple steps:

• Start with a question
• Write your initial answer
• Develop your answer
• Refine your thesis statement

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Table of contents

What is a thesis statement, placement of the thesis statement, step 1: start with a question, step 2: write your initial answer, step 3: develop your answer, step 4: refine your thesis statement, types of thesis statements, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about thesis statements.

A thesis statement summarizes the central points of your essay. It is a signpost telling the reader what the essay will argue and why.

The best thesis statements are:

• Concise: A good thesis statement is short and sweet—don’t use more words than necessary. State your point clearly and directly in one or two sentences.
• Contentious: Your thesis shouldn’t be a simple statement of fact that everyone already knows. A good thesis statement is a claim that requires further evidence or analysis to back it up.
• Coherent: Everything mentioned in your thesis statement must be supported and explained in the rest of your paper.

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The thesis statement generally appears at the end of your essay introduction or research paper introduction .

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts and among young people more generally is hotly debated. For many who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education: the internet facilitates easier access to information, exposure to different perspectives, and a flexible learning environment for both students and teachers.

You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis , early in the writing process . As soon as you’ve decided on your essay topic , you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.

You might already have a question in your assignment, but if not, try to come up with your own. What would you like to find out or decide about your topic?

For example, you might ask:

After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the research process and writing process .

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Now you need to consider why this is your answer and how you will convince your reader to agree with you. As you read more about your topic and begin writing, your answer should get more detailed.

In your essay about the internet and education, the thesis states your position and sketches out the key arguments you’ll use to support it.

The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education because it facilitates easier access to information.

In your essay about braille, the thesis statement summarizes the key historical development that you’ll explain.

The invention of braille in the 19th century transformed the lives of blind people, allowing them to participate more actively in public life.

A strong thesis statement should tell the reader:

• Why you hold this position
• What they’ll learn from your essay
• The key points of your argument or narrative

The final thesis statement doesn’t just state your position, but summarizes your overall argument or the entire topic you’re going to explain. To strengthen a weak thesis statement, it can help to consider the broader context of your topic.

These examples are more specific and show that you’ll explore your topic in depth.

Your thesis statement should match the goals of your essay, which vary depending on the type of essay you’re writing:

• In an argumentative essay , your thesis statement should take a strong position. Your aim in the essay is to convince your reader of this thesis based on evidence and logical reasoning.
• In an expository essay , you’ll aim to explain the facts of a topic or process. Your thesis statement doesn’t have to include a strong opinion in this case, but it should clearly state the central point you want to make, and mention the key elements you’ll explain.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

Follow these four steps to come up with a thesis statement :

• Ask a question about your topic .
• Write your initial answer.
• Develop your answer by including reasons.
• Refine your answer, adding more detail and nuance.

The thesis statement should be placed at the end of your essay introduction .

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Writing a Thesis Statement

• By Gay Miller in Writing

January 11, 2021

Writing a thesis statement is an extremely difficult skill for some students. This post provides step-by-step instructions. Student-friendly language helps students understand the concepts. To learn the rules, students watch a Google Slide presentation. While watching, they complete organizers. The printable organizers may be placed in an interactive notebook. Digital organizers are also provided. They may be housed on Google Drive. Students may use these organizers as reference tools any time they write essays.

So where to begin…

The Teaching Standards

Common Core State Standards do not include the words thesis statements. CCSS state essays should introduce the topic and state an opinion. (Sounds like a thesis statement to me?!?!) Before Common Core, this skill was included in the 6th grade Tennessee Standards. Depending on the level of your students, I recommend including thesis statements beginning in 5th or 6th grades. Find more information on Why Thesis Statements are Important for Kids here.  

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1.A Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer’s purpose.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.1.A Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer’s purpose.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.1.A Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly.

Thesis Statement Google Slides

This lesson includes a Google Slide Presentation that goes over rules and examples. The presentation also includes a section with examples for students to evaluate. Students rate examples as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ and discuss why.  All the text in these presentations is editable. Therefore, you can change sentences to topics that interest your students. 

Download these free resources to use with your students.

Foldable Organizers

To make learning the information a little easier, three foldable graphic organizers go over the information. These organizers need no cutting. Just print and fold.

For Organizers #1 and #2, check out these 3 versions:

• Version 1 contains blanks for students to write their own definitions.
• The next version contains sentences with blank spaces for students to write in keywords.
• Version 3 is fully completed.

Use the third version as an answer key. Use different versions to differentiate instruction. Give absent students the completed organizer to use as a guide to complete their organizer.

For Organizer #3, students write example thesis statements. Because of this, only one version of the organizer is provided.

The Content

Organizer 1 – what is a thesis statement.

A thesis statement is the main idea of an essay.

It is often a point you want to argue or support in an essay.

The thesis statement explains to a reader the main idea of the essay and the writer’s opinion on that idea.

 A thesis statement is usually one sentence .

 It is often placed in the introductory paragraph of an essay.

A thesis statement is a claim that could be argued .

The essay will contain evidence and opinions that support the argument.

Organizer 2 – Things Thesis Statements Should Include and Should Avoid

A thesis statement should:

• contain a topic (main idea of what you are writing about)
• contain an opinion about the topic (what your attitude is toward the topic)

Subject + Attitude = Thesis

A thesis statement should avoid:

• the first person (I believe, In my opinion, etc.)
• unclear language (It seems, etc.)
• attempting two topics at once – even if they seem related. Pick one and stick with it.
• just stating a fact – A thesis is something you plan to make an argument about. Facts can’t be argued.

Organizer 3 – Thesis Statement Examples

• A thesis statement should not be too broad .

Mountain City is a great place to live.

Better – One reason to live in Mountain City is access to many wonderful places to fish.

2. A thesis statement should not be too wordy .

Some problems with Mountain City Elementary School are that it needs a larger playground, an air-conditioned gym, an auditorium, restrooms connected to each classroom, running water in the classrooms, and a number of other physical changes to the building.

Better – Mountain City Elementary needs several changes to its facility to make it a better school.

3. A thesis statement should not be a title .

Cost of Living

Better – The cost of living in Mountain City is lower than in most other cities in the United States.

4. A thesis statement should not be too general .

Music makes people happy.

Better – Music therapy is useful in relieving stress and other conditions.  

5. A thesis statement should not be a fact .

The average temperature for Mountain City in winter is 34 and in summer is 75 degrees.

Better – The climate in Mountain City is ideal for outdoor sports.

Important Update

If you are looking for original organizers, don’t worry. They’re still here. I know how frustrating it can be to follow a link from Pinterest, only to not find what you are looking for. Because of this, I included the original organizers in the download.

These organizers contain the exact same information as the new. The difference is they require more time to assemble. A link to the original PowerPoint is also included in the download.

More Activities

• Provide a topic. Tell students to write a  thesis statement on the topic. Collect the sentences. Read these aloud and have students evaluate them.
• Provide thesis statements. Students use different color highlighters to show the parts: subject + attitude.
• Anchor Chart
• Word Map with Facts

• Writing Strategies

Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=336

10 comments

Skip to comment form

• Theresa on January 25, 2015 at 12:20 pm

BRILLIANT! I will use this for my freshmen who have a tendency to “forget” what the thesis IS and IS NOT!

• anis on June 16, 2015 at 1:32 pm

• sarah egger on September 9, 2015 at 9:02 am

This is wonderful, thanks so much for sharing. I gave it to my fellow English teachers and we all use it and we are raving about how much the students enjoy it and learn from it.

• Beverly on September 9, 2015 at 9:31 am

Thank you so much.

• Louise on October 22, 2015 at 9:31 pm

This is so helpful. Thanks for sharing with us.

• ENRIQUE GUZMÁN CH on November 22, 2015 at 6:22 am

Hi. I´m from Colombia. Thanks a lot for everything.

• Pat on September 26, 2016 at 12:14 am

Thanks for sharing!

• student on September 29, 2016 at 5:25 am

Everything is very open with a really clear description.

It was definitely informative. Your website is very useful. Many thanks for sharing!

• Thesis Generator on January 27, 2017 at 12:30 pm

Most thesis statements are one sentence (Unless you have a really long paper) but if you need to add more info use a semi colon or a coordinating conjunction to add more.

• Homeschool Teacher/Mom on March 22, 2017 at 12:22 pm

Thank you so much! This was very helpful!!

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Writing a Thesis Statement Free Lesson Plan

Here is a guided writing workshop to teach students how to brainstorm and draft a thesis statement. This activity provides students an opportunity to consider their prompt and develop a claim that is effective and arguable. Three handouts are included in each download, with the teacher version also containing instructions on how to conduct the workshop.

This lesson plan can be used with any persuasive, argumentative, or research-based essay.

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How to Write a Thesis Statement

Christopher Curley holds a B.A. in English and Philosophy from Ursinus College. He has extensive writing experience, contributing on topics including health, wellness, health research policy, and health science, as well as tutoring experience in English and standardized testing prep.

Table of Contents

The thesis explained, when you're given an essay prompt, when you're not given an essay prompt, revising your thesis, lesson summary, lesson objectives.

Presumably you know what a thesis is by now. If not, go and watch 'What is a Thesis Statement?' Seriously, what are you waiting for? Go! Yeesh.

Okay, for the REST of you, let's recap what a thesis does, and then we'll break down what makes it tick so you can duplicate it. Today we've decided to kick it old school with our pal (and famous Greek mythological warrior) Theseus, the thesis... guy. He'll help lead us down the LABYRINTH of writing a good thesis. Are you ready, Theseus?

Haha! That's right, Theseus. But I think you'd better let me take it from here.

A strong thesis does three things:

• Answers a question with a claim that needs to be proved.
• Tells the audience what to expect in the rest of your essay going forward.
• Is specific.

Now, how you express these three elements depends on the type of essay you're being asked to write, so let's look at a couple of situations.

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• 0:04 The Thesis Explained
• 1:06 When Given an Essay Prompt
• 2:36 No Essay Prompt?!
• 4:56 Revising Your Thesis
• 7:21 Lesson Summary

To answer the first point, before you can answer the question posed by the prompt, you have to answer how you feel about the question for yourself. In other words, do a little brainstorming to see if you agree or disagree.

So let's say your prompt is as follows:

'There is no great success without failure.' - Develop an essay that explains how much you agree or disagree with the previous statement using examples from your reading, experiences, or observations.

First, decide whether you agree or disagree with the prompt. Maybe you think winning is all that matters, or maybe you think failing has its own virtues. What do you think, Theseus?

Phainomai tous kalistous logous einai... (Theseus is chased off by a Minotaur.)

Maybe there are shades of grey in between - it's okay to talk about that, too - but your thesis is going to tell us YOUR position. So, following the formula for a strong thesis, we'll try our own.

Success is defined by winning, not failure, but failure is an essential part of learning to succeed.

Does this satisfy the three requirements? It appears to answer the question - the writer thinks that failure is permissible and good - and it appears to make a claim that needs to be proved - namely, why it's essential to success. The audience can expect an essay about failure, but it's a little broad and lacks specifics. We'll address how to revise this thesis a little bit later.

If you're not given an essay prompt - or are given a more ambiguous one - a thesis statement still serves the exact same purpose we've already laid out. The only difference is that you're coming up with both the question (the prompt) and the answer (the thesis) on your own.

Let's say your teacher asks you to discuss the meaning of the story of Theseus and the Minotaur in an essay. Without any other direction, where do you go from there? Well, first you have to research the topic story and try to develop a persuasive argument. Maybe you decide that Theseus is a symbol of revolution, and that the labyrinth represents the difficulty of navigating politics, and the Minotaur represents the monster that lies at the heart of all governments.

With these symbols in hand, perhaps you ask the question: Is the story of Theseus and the Minotaur representative of something beyond a simple myth? And you decide that yes, each major character and challenge represents something about the process of revolution. Then you narrow down the specifics - Theseus is a revolutionary, the maze represents the difficulty of navigating politics, et cetera - so your eventual thesis looks like this:

The tale of Theseus and the Minotaur is a metaphor for revolution, with Theseus, the Minotaur, and the labyrinth each symbolizing a different aspect of the process of social upheaval.

This thesis answers the question the writer poses and makes a claim that needs to be proved (what the story symbolizes and how), lets the reader know what is going to be discussed, and then gives several specifics (we know we'll be talking about three major symbols and how they relate to social upheaval and revolution), making this a serviceable thesis.

One thing I should note here is that you shouldn't try to bite off more than you can chew with your thesis, and that's another reason why it pays to be specific. Discussing symbolism in a short tale is appropriate for a short or medium-length essay. Discussing all instances of symbolism in an epic-length poem like The Iliad is better suited to a whole book. If your thesis seems too broad, find a way to narrow it down.

No thesis is born perfect, but during a timed test - where you may have only 30 minutes to an hour to brainstorm, organize, write, and edit your full essay - you may have to try to get it right the first time. All other times, however, you should revise your thesis.

When revising your thesis, ask yourself:

• Does the thesis make one argument that my reader can disagree with? Too many arguments will confuse your reader as to what the thrust of your essay is.
• Does the thesis allow me to fully explain my argument in the space I'm given? If not, you'll have to narrow your topic.
• Is this thesis worth talking about? This step often gets left out, but it's important. It's okay if the argument you want to make is way out in left field, but you have to work extra hard to justify it.

Let's try the earlier thesis and see if we can make it better.

This appears to make a certain argument - namely, that failure is an important part of learning to succeed - so it appears to satisfy the first category. It's essentially a slight rephrasing of the prompt, which is okay, even if it's not very exciting.

What about the second component? Can you fully explain the argument? I don't think so, unless you're going to explain every failure you can possibly have in life and why it's good for you. You're going to have to be more specific. As it is, the thesis might be worth talking about, but it's too broad to say for sure. Let's try being more specific.

Michael Jordan, President Abraham Lincoln, and a group of Singaporean scientists all have one thing in common: They think that failure is not only normal, but necessary for success - and you should too.

This thesis answers the question the writer poses and makes a claim that needs to be proved. It takes the position that failure is necessary for success and even directly confronts the reader that they should believe the same thing, thus pulling the reader into the essay. It also gives three (odd) specific examples up front that you know they're going to talk about in the essay. This combination of specifics and challenging the reader makes this an effective thesis.

Remember that a great, well-written (and revised) thesis:

• Answers a question and makes an argument.
• Sets the reader's expectations.
• Has one main, overarching point and does not promise more than it can deliver in the space provided.
• Is specific and concrete.
• Is worth talking about and can be well argued.

After watching this lesson, you should be able to:

• Describe the three requirements of a strong thesis
• Explain how to write a thesis when you're given an essay prompt and when you're not
• Understand how to revise a thesis

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