How do you come up with proof for the argument in your thesis statement?

1. How do you come up with proof for the argument in your thesis statement?

2. In this lesson you will learn how to write the sub points for your thesis statement by turning the argument into a why question.

3. Thesis statement The littering problem should be solved because it costs our city money, makes people sick, and leads to more crime. Cities that have a littering problem end up losing more money than cities that don’t. For instance, it costs more money to clean up the streets than it does to empty trashcans. When people throw their garbage away in a trashcan, city workers only have to go to a few spots to gather it and take it to the dump. However, when the trash is all over the streets, city workers have to spend all day collecting it piece by piece in order to get it to the dump. The city has to pay the workers for the extra time it takes to do this job. Furthermore, litter makes the city look ugly. When the city looks bad, people won’t want to come to visit. This costs the city money because they can’t collect it from the tourists who come in and pay for hotels, buy food and souvenirs, and pay for entrance into museums and historical sights. Clearly, the city should solve its littering problem if it wants to have more money. Not only should our city solve the littering problem so it can save money, it should also solve the problem because it makes people sick. My little sister, for instance, got an infection when she cut herself on a rusty can sitting in the lot next to our house. Someone had taken their trash and threw it in the lot instead of keeping it until trash day and putting it out to be picked up. If they had thrown the trash in the garbage instead of the lot, my sister would not have had to get a shot and spend time out of school. In addition, litter can put bad things into the soil. If a person throws something onto the ground that shouldn’t be there, and you plant a garden, the food from your garden could be contaminated. Littering can also lead to more crime. In fact, studies have shown that areas that are full of litter tend to have higher crime rates. This may be because people don’t take as much pride in the area since it doesn’t seem that nice, so they’re more willing to do things like vandalize the buildings or public property. Moreover, when a person sees litter everywhere, he or she may think that they can get away with much more. It’s sort of like the rules at my school. The teachers give us consequences for small things, like having our shirts un-tucked. Because they do this, we understand that they’re very serious about the rules, and we’re less likely to cause a bigger disturbance. When someone sees litter everywhere, he or she may think that the rules are pretty relaxed there, and are more confident to do something that they shouldn’t.

4. Thesis Statement: The part of the essay that states the author’s opinion and lays out the support he or she is going to use.

5. Opinion The littering problem should be solved because it costs our city money, makes people sick, and leads to more crime. Evidence (sub points)

6. A rule that should be changed My principal Explain why the uniform policy should change Ms. Jones The uniform policy I. The uniform policy should be changed.

7. 1 • Turn the claim into a why question. • Give three, varied answers to the question. 2 3 • Complete the thesis statement.

8. 1 Why should the uniform policy be changed? The uniform policy should be changed.

9. 2 • Students can’t stand out • Students don’t learn responsibility • Students can’t show loyalty Why should the uniform policy be changed?

10. 3 I. The uniform policy should be changed because students can’t stand out, students don’t learn responsibility, and students can’t show loyalty. • Students can’t stand out • Students don’t learn responsibility • Students can’t show loyalty

11. 1 • Turn the claim into a why question. 2 • Give three, varied answers to the • question. 3 Complete the thesis statement.

12. In this lesson you have learned how to write the sub points for your thesis statement by turning the argument into a why question.

13. On the next slide you will see an argument. Use the question strategy to come up with the sub points for that argument.

14. There is a problem with bullying in our school.

15. In a moment, you will see an exemplar and the reasons it is an exemplar. Compare your sub points to the exemplar. Give yourself one point for each sub point that meets the criteria. When you’re done grading yourself, trade papers with a classmate and score them the same way. When you’re done quietly conference with your classmate and share your feedback.

16. The littering problem should be solved because it costs our city money, makes people sick, and leads to more crime. • The Sub Points • Varied • On Topic • State an Opinion

17. Try writing your thesis statement in a different form! Below, you will see the same thesis statement written two different ways. Model yours off both of them! The littering problem should be solved. It costs our city money, makes people sick, and leads to more crime. The littering problem should be solved because it costs our city money, makes people sick, and leads to more crime.

18. Directions: Use the question strategy to write sub points for the following argument. There are many reasons people still choose to eat junk food.