Thinking in Threes

All good things come in threes.

Norwegian proverb

Do Now:

• Make a list of things that come in threes.

Thinking in Threes

The number three has a great deal of power when it comes to writing. Learning how to harness the power of three helps make persuasive essays clear and effective.

Today we will use the power of three to write our thesis statements.

Position Statement vs. Thesis

What is the difference between a position statement and a thesis?

Position statement = What side are you on?

Thesis = What side are you on and why?

The 3 Ps of the Thesis

A good thesis statement includes three “p’s.”

It is a three-pronged parallel preview of your essay.

What does that MEAN???

THREE PRONGED

Prongs are simply your reasons for why you hold the position you do.

In a strong essay, you should have THREE reasons why (three prongs) you feel the way you do.

THREE PRONGED

Let’s use an example from last week:

Should school go year round?

• School should go year round so students could learn more, take vacations in different seasons, and see their friends more often.

• School should not go year round because it would negatively affect long vacations, present childcare issues for parents, and cause students to get burnt out.

THREE PRONGED

You try:Create a three-pronged thesis statement based off

the question you worked on last week:

Should women be allowed in combat?

Should the minimum wage be raised?

PARALLELISM

What does parallel mean in math?

In writing, items are in parallel form when they have the same grammatical structure.

HomecomingDecorate hallsFloat building

The football game

HomecomingDecorate halls

Build floatsAttend football game

PARALLEL TIME!

Revise:-3 sentences need to be revised for

parallelism -1 sentence is perfect as it is -1 sentence uses parallel form, but could be revised for simplicity.

Please revise your sentences for the “sin” of the pronouns YOU and YOUR—sometimes called the “lazy writer’s pronouns”.

ANSWERS

1. Sports benefit a person’s overall health because they relieve stress in the muscles, work the cardiovascular system, and provide the brain with oxygen.

2. Computers are a way to communicate, to complete work faster, and to entertain.

Notice that sentence revision often involves the elimination of extra and unnecessary words. Every time you write a student should try to “streamline” several sentences by revising them for excess words.

ANSWERS

3. William Shakespeare is influential because of his poetry, his plays, and his new words.

4.Every student should complete high school because graduates earn more, find better jobs, and have more choices.

5.Perfect as it is!

Look at your sentence. Revise it for parallelism!

PREVIEW

Previews let you know what is coming.

Pre = before

View = sight, way of thinking

By providing three prongs in a parallel form, you are previewing your essay for your reader. By reading just the thesis, your reader knows what to expect in each of the three paragraphs in the body of the essay.

Let’s write a thesis!

Topic: Should teens be able to buy violent video games?

Step One: Make a pro and cons chart.

Step Two: Use the chart to decide which position you will take.

Step Three: Star or circle the THREE reasons you will use.

Step Four: Write your thesis statement (3 Ps!).

HOMEWORK- due tomorrow!

Choose one of the questions.

First, make a pros and cons chart.

Then, use the chart to decide what side you are on.

Finally, write a thesis statement. Remember to follow the 3 Ps!