Teaching Thesis Statements (When Nothing Else Has Worked)

Literally, everyone has been there. You teach a thesis statement lesson and provide all the support, but somehow, students still aren’t getting it. Their thesis statements feel more like summaries, and they don’t serve as a guide to their essay or argument. You’re at a loss for how you can make the process clearer. If teaching thesis statements feels like a struggle, I have a few tips and strategies for how you can get students writing effective and clear statements, even if your past tricks haven’t worked out.

Tips for Teaching Thesis Statements 

I used to make this mistake when teaching thesis statements (and you might be making it, too): trying to fit the entire thesis writing process into a lesson or two. I’d give students all the information in one go, and then encourage them to apply it to their writing. The results were…a mixed bag. Most students couldn’t apply it to their writing, and I’d end up reteaching the thesis statement lesson again and again, with little improvement.

Eventually, I decided to ditch this way of teaching thesis statements and try something different. Here are the changes that made the biggest difference:

#1 Scaffolding the Process

I know, I know. It sounds really obvious, but scaffolding the thesis statement process into micro steps made a huge difference in my classroom. I’ll share in the second half of this blog how I actually break down the process for students, but the biggest thing to note is that I didn’t expect my students to grasp the concept in one lesson or even one unit. Instead, it was something we slowly built upon. I allowed the process to expand across writing units and genres, which helped students see how thesis statements can adapt and change based on the type of writing they are producing.

In The Middle School Writing Mastery Collection, I have thesis statement lessons inside each writing unit. The units build on each other, so students aren’t starting from scratch each time, but instead, building on their knowledge of thesis statements and applying it to a new genre of writing.

#2 Mentor Texts

My students would have never grasped writing a thesis statement without mentor texts or example essays. Mentor texts model the skill you want students to apply. It shows them what a thesis statement looks like in action, and it helps them see the difference between an okay statement and an effective statement. When I began using teaching thesis statements with mentor texts, I saw a positive change in my students’ writing because they didn’t just have “rules” or steps to follow, but could visually see what they were aiming for.

In my writing curriculum, The Middle School Writing Mastery Collection, I include differentiated essay examples (AKA mentor texts) that you can use when teaching all parts of the writing process, from thesis statements to transitions.

#3 Writing Conferences

Don’t underestimate the power of a writing conference. These conferences don’t need to be formal and full of prep. Instead, embrace a casual conference where you can simply sit down and chat with students about their thesis statement. This is your opportunity to check in on students, answer any questions, and make corrections to their thesis statements before they’ve gotten too far into the process. If you’re not sure where to start, begin by reading their statement, asking if they feel stuck on any part of writing their thesis, and offering a suggestion or two to edit and enhance their statement.

When you grab The Middle School Writing Mastery Collection, you’ll get access to my writing workshops and writing conference resources. I’ll show you how I used writing conferences in my classroom to cut down on grading while also increasing student writing performance. Win-win!

Steps to Writing a Thesis Statement

Teaching thesis statements shouldn’t be a one-and-done lesson. Strong thesis writing takes time, support, and repeated exposure across different units and genres. I want to share a process I use when scaffolding thesis statements for students –

Step One: Exposure through Mentor Texts

I mentioned that one of my favorite strategies for teaching thesis statements is mentor texts. Start by having students identify thesis statements in a sample text or essay, and then sharing what they notice. How does the statement connect to the rest of the essay? What claim is the author making? Is the statement effective?

Step Two: Build a Shared Definition

After showing students examples of thesis statements, you want to build a definition of what a thesis statement is. This definition should be student-friendly and flexible enough to apply to different writing types. For example, “A thesis statement is one sentence that tells your reader the main idea or argument of your essay.”

Step Three: Model Thinking and Writing

Now you’ll start to model the process of writing a thesis statement. Before I have students create their own, I like to model with a think-aloud. I show them how I begin with the prompt, think about the direction of my essay, formulate a thesis, and so on. I want to eliminate any “mystery” behind how thesis statements are created, and the think-aloud helps with that. This is also their first exposure to the thesis writing process.

Step Four: Use Sentence Frames

At this point in teaching thesis statements, students have seen them in action and have a grasp on the process of creating a statement. Now it’s time for them to write their own. In the beginning, it’s helpful to provide sentence frames. Of course, these are like training wheels. As students write more and more essays, they won’t need the sentence frames anymore.

Step Five: Meet in Writing Conferences

Now it’s time for writing conferences. Thesis statements are rarely perfect on the first try, so these conferences help you answer any questions, correct any mistakes, and keep students moving forward in their writing.

Step Six: Revisit and Reinforce

Thesis statements aren’t a one-genre skill. They show up across all types of essays, which means you have many opportunities to revisit, scaffold, and reinforce thesis writing. With each new unit, add a bit more complexity (like removing sentence frames) and continue to challenge students’ writing.

Writing Units with Thesis Statement Support

Teaching writing can be a challenge. Thesis statements are just one of the many skills that students can get stuck on. With The Middle School Writing Mastery Collection, you’ll get step-by-step writing units that scaffold the entire writing process for students. Plus, all the resources you need to teach writing effectively, from teaching slides to sample essays to daily lesson plans.
You can also join The Hungry Teacher’s Hub and get access to all my writing units, reading units, past workshops, grammar lessons, and more. It’s the done-for-you lesson hub that helps you simplify your planning and gives you extra confidence while teaching.