• Explain how brainstorming and freewriting can help you start writing
• Describe and use prewriting strategies like journaling, mapping, questioning, and sketching
• Explain the purpose of a working thesis statement

Writing a Good Working Thesis Statement

A strong thesis isn’t just a topic—it’s a topic plus an angle. The angle is your point, your perspective, or your claim.

Before you start writing your own working thesis statements, let’s practice identifying ones that have both a topic and an angle.

Let’s practice! Choose a broad topic that interests you (or use one from class).

1. Write the topic.
2. Brainstorm an angle that reflects a claim, perspective, or focus.
3. Write a full working thesis that combines the topic + angle.

Now, check your work by using the thesis checklist below:

Thesis Checklist

The following checklist is a helpful tool you can use to check the quality of your working thesis once you have it drafted.

Need help understanding thesis statements? Try this thesis generator from SUNY Empire State College to help you make your thesis statement—just plug in some of the details, and it can help you come up with a solid foundation! This is where you can use some of your prewriting or brainstorming to plug in details to create a working thesis statement. This is a great resource you can use in other classes.