What is a Claim?

A claim is a challengeable or debatable statement about a specific point or topic in your argument.

Claims are super important in your writing because they establish your point and support your overall argument.

​How to Write a Claim

1. Choose the topic for your claim

2. Create a debatable question about your topic

3. Take a stance on the question you created

4. Write your claim by answering the question and communicating your stance

Your claim needs to be debatable

• Avoid stating facts for your claim

ex. Columbus sailed the ocean in 1492.

• Avoid stating opinions

ex. Green is the best color.

Your claim needs to Come From Evidence

If you are making a claim that is debatable, then you need to be able to back it up with evidence.

ex. If you claim "Whales can do math", but have no evidence, then your claim isn't very good. If you know bees do math because you have evidence, then you can make the claim "Bees can do math".

What is a Thesis Statement?

A thesis statement is the sentence that expresses or explains your central argument. It shows your stance and the reasons why you took that stance.

Thesis statements tell your reader what your writing is about, but they also help you to guide your ideas and keep your argument focused. Everything you write in your argument should tie back to the thesis!

​How to Write a thesis

1. Look at all the claims you're making in your writing. What is the overall message you're talking about?

   
   

2. Decide your stance, position, or attitude on the overall message.

3. Explain your stance with the claims you are making in your writing.

a. Ex. AI should be integrated into education OR
AI shouldn't be integrated into education

a. Ex. Is AI good for education? Is AI bad for education?

Your Thesis needs to be ...

• Thesis statements are ONE SENTENCE

• They usually go at the end of your intro paragraph

• Thesis statements should not include first person (just like the rest of your essay); NO "I believe", "I think", or "In my opinion."

• Your claims are like the stops you're making on a road trip.

• Your thesis is like the destination

​Your claims and thesis are like ...

Think about it this way

Your thesis guides the entire argument like how your destination guides your road trip. Your claims are the stope you make along the way to your destination that help you arrive at the conclusions of the thesis.

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