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• How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on January 11, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on August 15, 2023 by Eoghan Ryan.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . It usually comes near the end of your introduction .

Your thesis will look a bit different depending on the type of essay you’re writing. But the thesis statement should always clearly state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your essay should relate back to this idea.

You can write your thesis statement by following four simple steps:

• Start with a question
• Write your initial answer
• Develop your answer
• Refine your thesis statement

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Table of contents

What is a thesis statement, placement of the thesis statement, step 1: start with a question, step 2: write your initial answer, step 3: develop your answer, step 4: refine your thesis statement, types of thesis statements, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about thesis statements.

A thesis statement summarizes the central points of your essay. It is a signpost telling the reader what the essay will argue and why.

The best thesis statements are:

• Concise: A good thesis statement is short and sweet—don’t use more words than necessary. State your point clearly and directly in one or two sentences.
• Contentious: Your thesis shouldn’t be a simple statement of fact that everyone already knows. A good thesis statement is a claim that requires further evidence or analysis to back it up.
• Coherent: Everything mentioned in your thesis statement must be supported and explained in the rest of your paper.

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The thesis statement generally appears at the end of your essay introduction or research paper introduction .

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts and among young people more generally is hotly debated. For many who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education: the internet facilitates easier access to information, exposure to different perspectives, and a flexible learning environment for both students and teachers.

You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis , early in the writing process . As soon as you’ve decided on your essay topic , you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.

You might already have a question in your assignment, but if not, try to come up with your own. What would you like to find out or decide about your topic?

For example, you might ask:

After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the research process and writing process .

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Now you need to consider why this is your answer and how you will convince your reader to agree with you. As you read more about your topic and begin writing, your answer should get more detailed.

In your essay about the internet and education, the thesis states your position and sketches out the key arguments you’ll use to support it.

The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education because it facilitates easier access to information.

In your essay about braille, the thesis statement summarizes the key historical development that you’ll explain.

The invention of braille in the 19th century transformed the lives of blind people, allowing them to participate more actively in public life.

A strong thesis statement should tell the reader:

• Why you hold this position
• What they’ll learn from your essay
• The key points of your argument or narrative

The final thesis statement doesn’t just state your position, but summarizes your overall argument or the entire topic you’re going to explain. To strengthen a weak thesis statement, it can help to consider the broader context of your topic.

These examples are more specific and show that you’ll explore your topic in depth.

Your thesis statement should match the goals of your essay, which vary depending on the type of essay you’re writing:

• In an argumentative essay , your thesis statement should take a strong position. Your aim in the essay is to convince your reader of this thesis based on evidence and logical reasoning.
• In an expository essay , you’ll aim to explain the facts of a topic or process. Your thesis statement doesn’t have to include a strong opinion in this case, but it should clearly state the central point you want to make, and mention the key elements you’ll explain.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

Follow these four steps to come up with a thesis statement :

• Ask a question about your topic .
• Write your initial answer.
• Develop your answer by including reasons.
• Refine your answer, adding more detail and nuance.

The thesis statement should be placed at the end of your essay introduction .

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Writing a Paper: Thesis Statements

Basics of thesis statements.

The thesis statement is the brief articulation of your paper's central argument and purpose. You might hear it referred to as simply a "thesis." Every scholarly paper should have a thesis statement, and strong thesis statements are concise, specific, and arguable. Concise means the thesis is short: perhaps one or two sentences for a shorter paper. Specific means the thesis deals with a narrow and focused topic, appropriate to the paper's length. Arguable means that a scholar in your field could disagree (or perhaps already has!).

Strong thesis statements address specific intellectual questions, have clear positions, and use a structure that reflects the overall structure of the paper. Read on to learn more about constructing a strong thesis statement.

Being Specific

This thesis statement has no specific argument:

Needs Improvement: In this essay, I will examine two scholarly articles to find similarities and differences.

This statement is concise, but it is neither specific nor arguable—a reader might wonder, "Which scholarly articles? What is the topic of this paper? What field is the author writing in?" Additionally, the purpose of the paper—to "examine…to find similarities and differences" is not of a scholarly level. Identifying similarities and differences is a good first step, but strong academic argument goes further, analyzing what those similarities and differences might mean or imply.

Better: In this essay, I will argue that Bowler's (2003) autocratic management style, when coupled with Smith's (2007) theory of social cognition, can reduce the expenses associated with employee turnover.

The new revision here is still concise, as well as specific and arguable.  We can see that it is specific because the writer is mentioning (a) concrete ideas and (b) exact authors.  We can also gather the field (business) and the topic (management and employee turnover). The statement is arguable because the student goes beyond merely comparing; he or she draws conclusions from that comparison ("can reduce the expenses associated with employee turnover").

Making a Unique Argument

This thesis draft repeats the language of the writing prompt without making a unique argument:

Needs Improvement: The purpose of this essay is to monitor, assess, and evaluate an educational program for its strengths and weaknesses. Then, I will provide suggestions for improvement.

You can see here that the student has simply stated the paper's assignment, without articulating specifically how he or she will address it. The student can correct this error simply by phrasing the thesis statement as a specific answer to the assignment prompt.

Better: Through a series of student interviews, I found that Kennedy High School's antibullying program was ineffective. In order to address issues of conflict between students, I argue that Kennedy High School should embrace policies outlined by the California Department of Education (2010).

Words like "ineffective" and "argue" show here that the student has clearly thought through the assignment and analyzed the material; he or she is putting forth a specific and debatable position. The concrete information ("student interviews," "antibullying") further prepares the reader for the body of the paper and demonstrates how the student has addressed the assignment prompt without just restating that language.

Creating a Debate

This thesis statement includes only obvious fact or plot summary instead of argument:

Needs Improvement: Leadership is an important quality in nurse educators.

A good strategy to determine if your thesis statement is too broad (and therefore, not arguable) is to ask yourself, "Would a scholar in my field disagree with this point?" Here, we can see easily that no scholar is likely to argue that leadership is an unimportant quality in nurse educators.  The student needs to come up with a more arguable claim, and probably a narrower one; remember that a short paper needs a more focused topic than a dissertation.

Better: Roderick's (2009) theory of participatory leadership  is particularly appropriate to nurse educators working within the emergency medicine field, where students benefit most from collegial and kinesthetic learning.

Here, the student has identified a particular type of leadership ("participatory leadership"), narrowing the topic, and has made an arguable claim (this type of leadership is "appropriate" to a specific type of nurse educator). Conceivably, a scholar in the nursing field might disagree with this approach. The student's paper can now proceed, providing specific pieces of evidence to support the arguable central claim.

Choosing the Right Words

This thesis statement uses large or scholarly-sounding words that have no real substance:

Needs Improvement: Scholars should work to seize metacognitive outcomes by harnessing discipline-based networks to empower collaborative infrastructures.

There are many words in this sentence that may be buzzwords in the student's field or key terms taken from other texts, but together they do not communicate a clear, specific meaning. Sometimes students think scholarly writing means constructing complex sentences using special language, but actually it's usually a stronger choice to write clear, simple sentences. When in doubt, remember that your ideas should be complex, not your sentence structure.

Better: Ecologists should work to educate the U.S. public on conservation methods by making use of local and national green organizations to create a widespread communication plan.

Notice in the revision that the field is now clear (ecology), and the language has been made much more field-specific ("conservation methods," "green organizations"), so the reader is able to see concretely the ideas the student is communicating.

Leaving Room for Discussion

This thesis statement is not capable of development or advancement in the paper:

Needs Improvement: There are always alternatives to illegal drug use.

This sample thesis statement makes a claim, but it is not a claim that will sustain extended discussion. This claim is the type of claim that might be appropriate for the conclusion of a paper, but in the beginning of the paper, the student is left with nowhere to go. What further points can be made? If there are "always alternatives" to the problem the student is identifying, then why bother developing a paper around that claim? Ideally, a thesis statement should be complex enough to explore over the length of the entire paper.

Better: The most effective treatment plan for methamphetamine addiction may be a combination of pharmacological and cognitive therapy, as argued by Baker (2008), Smith (2009), and Xavier (2011).

In the revised thesis, you can see the student make a specific, debatable claim that has the potential to generate several pages' worth of discussion. When drafting a thesis statement, think about the questions your thesis statement will generate: What follow-up inquiries might a reader have? In the first example, there are almost no additional questions implied, but the revised example allows for a good deal more exploration.

Thesis Mad Libs

If you are having trouble getting started, try using the models below to generate a rough model of a thesis statement! These models are intended for drafting purposes only and should not appear in your final work.

• In this essay, I argue ____, using ______ to assert _____.
• While scholars have often argued ______, I argue______, because_______.
• Through an analysis of ______, I argue ______, which is important because_______.

Words to Avoid and to Embrace

When drafting your thesis statement, avoid words like explore, investigate, learn, compile, summarize , and explain to describe the main purpose of your paper. These words imply a paper that summarizes or "reports," rather than synthesizing and analyzing.

Instead of the terms above, try words like argue, critique, question , and interrogate . These more analytical words may help you begin strongly, by articulating a specific, critical, scholarly position.

Read Kayla's blog post for tips on taking a stand in a well-crafted thesis statement.

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Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements

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Tips for Writing Your Thesis Statement

1. Determine what kind of paper you are writing:

• An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience.
• An expository (explanatory) paper explains something to the audience.
• An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence. The claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, an evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an interpretation. The goal of the argumentative paper is to convince the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided.

If you are writing a text that does not fall under these three categories (e.g., a narrative), a thesis statement somewhere in the first paragraph could still be helpful to your reader.

2. Your thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence.

3. The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper.

4. Your topic may change as you write, so you may need to revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in the paper.

Thesis Statement Examples

Example of an analytical thesis statement:

The paper that follows should:

• Explain the analysis of the college admission process
• Explain the challenge facing admissions counselors

Example of an expository (explanatory) thesis statement:

• Explain how students spend their time studying, attending class, and socializing with peers

Example of an argumentative thesis statement:

• Present an argument and give evidence to support the claim that students should pursue community projects before entering college

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Activities to Teach How to Write A Thesis Statement

Research Writing , Secondary Literacy , Writing

If there’s any literacy skill you would want your English Language Arts students to master, it would probably be how to write a thesis statement . If you want to teach your students how to write powerful, eloquent, and exceptionally captivating thesis statements, then you’ll love the activities in this article.

The key to any good essay is a strong thesis statement. A strong thesis statement sets the tone and clarifies the author’s purpose : it tells you the writer’s opinion, along with the level of thought and criticism that has gone into formulating it.

A strong thesis statement also creates an alluring introduction paragraph. This makes each paper in your grading pile a lot more inviting.

How do you teach students to write a thesis statement to make their audience continue reading? This blog post explores six activities to teach how to write a thesis statement.

1. Differentiate Between Strong and Weak Thesis Statements

Writing a thesis statement might be a new skill for your students. Thesis statements are often taught as a topic sentence or the “whole essay boiled down into one sentence.” This can be a challenging concept for your students to grasp.

To teach how to write a thesis statement, have a discussion about what makes a strong thesis statement. You can turn this into a collaborative lesson by brainstorming clarifying statements ; these statements dictate what a thesis is and is not.

For example: “ A proper thesis statement is written in one sentence ,” or “ a proper thesis statement is directly related to the rest of the essay .” This is a great opportunity to teach students the difference between concepts like a “topic sentence” or a “hook.”

Your students can use this free bookmark to differentiate between a strong thesis statement and a weak one. This slideshow lesson also explores clarifying statements with detailed examples.

2. Evaluate Thesis Statement Examples

Now that students have plenty of guidelines, challenge their understanding by evaluating thesis statement examples . You can use thesis statement examples from past students’ essays. You can even write your own examples based on the clarifying statements you create with your class.

If you’re open to your students receiving constructive, anonymous criticism , you can even have them write a thesis statement and evaluate each one as a class. I’ve had success with providing students with a thesis statement topic and having them write a thesis statement. Then, I prompt them to swap with their elbow partner to offer feedback.

If you’d rather provide a comprehensive list of thesis statements that reflect the common errors you would typically see in students’ essays, there are several student examples in this introductory lesson on how to write a thesis statement – this is one of my favourite activities for teaching thesis statement writing!

3. Provide a Thesis Statement Template

One of the easiest ways to teach how to write a thesis statement is to offer a thesis statement template . There are a variety of thesis statement templates that students can use as a framework for their essays. I start with a basic template that involves the three parts of a thesis statement: a topic, position, and evidence . I then demonstrate to students how they can create variations of this template, depending on which order they introduce each part. You can find examples for each template in these thesis statement handouts .

You can also introduce a few sentence styles to your students. These styles scaffold eloquent thesis statements. They also offer students the space to articulate their thoughts without exceeding the one-sentence limit.

Sentence Styles for the Three Parts of a Thesis Statement

Here are a few sentence styles that incorporate the three parts of a thesis statement. Each style also includes an example written by a real student:

• Style A : “Noun phrase; Noun phrase; Noun phrase – Independent Clause” Example: “The promotion of hygiene; the presence of medical professionals; the prevention of death – these are all reasons why supervised injection services are an important facet of public health.”
• Style B : If (subject + verb + object phrase), if (subject + verb + object phrase ), if (subject + verb + object phrase ), then (independent clause) Example: “If taxpayers do not wish to have their money allocated to cruelty, if more than 100 million animals die from animal testing a year, if alternatives to animal testing exist, then governments should ban the practice of testing on animals.”
• Style C : Independent clause: subject + verb, subject + verb, subject + verb Example: “College education should be entirely funded by the government: student debt would be eliminated, education would not be commodified, and access to education would not be exclusive to privileged people.”

All of these sentence styles are outlined in these practice worksheets for how to write a thesis statement, with writing prompts to reinforce each thesis statement template through repeated practice.

4. Daily Practice Activities to Teach How to Write a Thesis Statement

One of the most effective ways to teach how to write a thesis statement is through repeated practice. You can do this by incorporating daily bell ringers into your persuasive writing unit. To assign this activity, I provide students with three topics to choose from. I then prompt them to develop an opinion and write a thesis statement for one.

I’ll also include bell ringers that provide a thesis statement that students need to evaluate. Students really enjoy these drills! They get the opportunity to develop opinions on interesting topics, and many of them choose to explore these ideas as the subject of their final research paper.

If you’re looking for pre-made worksheets with thesis statement activities, these daily thesis statement bell ringers include one month’s worth of thesis statement prompts, graphic organizers, and templates in both digital and ready-to-print format.

5. Use a Self-Assessment Thesis Statement Anchor Chart

You can provide students with a thesis statement anchor chart to reference the guidelines and rules they’ve learned. A personalized anchor chart is best – like this free thesis statement bookmark – so that students can have it on hand while they are reading and writing.

You can distribute the anchor chart at the beginning of your research paper unit. Students can refer to it while evaluating thesis statement examples or completing daily practice activities. A thesis statement anchor chart has been a complete game-changer in my classroom, and I’m pleased to learn that many of my students have held on to these after completing my course.

6. Provide Engaging Thesis Statement Topics

You can collaborate with your students to generate an engaging list of good topics for thesis statements. Start by writing down every topic that your students suggest. Then, you can narrow this list down to avoid broad, far-reaching thesis statements that lead to a watered-down essay. When I make this list with my students, we end up with topics that are truly engaging for them. I also have the opportunity to clarify which topics might be a little too vague or broad for an exceptional essay.

For example, students often suggest topics like “racism” or “the problem with school.” These are learning opportunities to demonstrate to students that a great thesis statement is the essential starting point for an even greater essay.

To elaborate, a topic like racism has different implications all over the world. It is far too complex to explore in a single, 750-word essay. Instead, we work together to narrow this topic down to something like “racism in the media,” or even better, “representation in Hollywood.”

Additionally, a topic like “the problem with school” is more of a conclusion. To solve this, we work backward to identify some of the aspects of our school that make it an obstacle . This can include uniforms, early starts, or cell phone policies. This process leads students to a more concise topic, like “cell phone policies in twenty-first-century schools.”

If you’re looking for engaging thesis statement topics to inspire your students, I’ve included a list of 75 argumentative essay topics in this practice unit for how to write a thesis statement .

Tying it All Together

There are plenty of fun thesis statement activities and practice lessons that you can incorporate into your curriculum. Give thesis statements the love and attention they deserve in the classroom – after all, they truly are the most important part of a research essay.

All of the worksheets, lessons, and activities explored in this blog post are included in Mondays Made Easy’s unit for teaching how to write a thesis statement . This bundle has everything you need to teach your students how to master their thesis statements and apply these essential literacy skills to their writing.

25 Thesis Statement Examples

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Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

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A thesis statement is needed in an essay or dissertation . There are multiple types of thesis statements – but generally we can divide them into expository and argumentative. An expository statement is a statement of fact (common in expository essays and process essays) while an argumentative statement is a statement of opinion (common in argumentative essays and dissertations). Below are examples of each.

Strong Thesis Statement Examples

1. School Uniforms

“Mandatory school uniforms should be implemented in educational institutions as they promote a sense of equality, reduce distractions, and foster a focused and professional learning environment.”

Best For: Argumentative Essay or Debate

Read More: School Uniforms Pros and Cons

2. Nature vs Nurture

“This essay will explore how both genetic inheritance and environmental factors equally contribute to shaping human behavior and personality.”

Best For: Compare and Contrast Essay

Read More: Nature vs Nurture Debate

3. American Dream

“The American Dream, a symbol of opportunity and success, is increasingly elusive in today’s socio-economic landscape, revealing deeper inequalities in society.”

Best For: Persuasive Essay

Read More: What is the American Dream?

4. Social Media

“Social media has revolutionized communication and societal interactions, but it also presents significant challenges related to privacy, mental health, and misinformation.”

Best For: Expository Essay

Read More: The Pros and Cons of Social Media

5. Globalization

“Globalization has created a world more interconnected than ever before, yet it also amplifies economic disparities and cultural homogenization.”

Read More: Globalization Pros and Cons

6. Urbanization

“Urbanization drives economic growth and social development, but it also poses unique challenges in sustainability and quality of life.”

Read More: Learn about Urbanization

7. Immigration

“Immigration enriches receiving countries culturally and economically, outweighing any perceived social or economic burdens.”

Read More: Immigration Pros and Cons

8. Cultural Identity

“In a globalized world, maintaining distinct cultural identities is crucial for preserving cultural diversity and fostering global understanding, despite the challenges of assimilation and homogenization.”

Best For: Argumentative Essay

Read More: Learn about Cultural Identity

9. Technology

“Medical technologies in care institutions in Toronto has increased subjcetive outcomes for patients with chronic pain.”

Best For: Research Paper

10. Capitalism vs Socialism

“The debate between capitalism and socialism centers on balancing economic freedom and inequality, each presenting distinct approaches to resource distribution and social welfare.”

11. Cultural Heritage

“The preservation of cultural heritage is essential, not only for cultural identity but also for educating future generations, outweighing the arguments for modernization and commercialization.”

12. Pseudoscience

“Pseudoscience, characterized by a lack of empirical support, continues to influence public perception and decision-making, often at the expense of scientific credibility.”

Read More: Examples of Pseudoscience

13. Free Will

“The concept of free will is largely an illusion, with human behavior and decisions predominantly determined by biological and environmental factors.”

Read More: Do we have Free Will?

14. Gender Roles

“Traditional gender roles are outdated and harmful, restricting individual freedoms and perpetuating gender inequalities in modern society.”

Read More: What are Traditional Gender Roles?

15. Work-Life Ballance

“The trend to online and distance work in the 2020s led to improved subjective feelings of work-life balance but simultaneously increased self-reported loneliness.”

Read More: Work-Life Balance Examples

16. Universal Healthcare

“Universal healthcare is a fundamental human right and the most effective system for ensuring health equity and societal well-being, outweighing concerns about government involvement and costs.”

Read More: The Pros and Cons of Universal Healthcare

17. Minimum Wage

“The implementation of a fair minimum wage is vital for reducing economic inequality, yet it is often contentious due to its potential impact on businesses and employment rates.”

Read More: The Pros and Cons of Raising the Minimum Wage

18. Homework

“The homework provided throughout this semester has enabled me to achieve greater self-reflection, identify gaps in my knowledge, and reinforce those gaps through spaced repetition.”

Best For: Reflective Essay

Read More: Reasons Homework Should be Banned

19. Charter Schools

“Charter schools offer alternatives to traditional public education, promising innovation and choice but also raising questions about accountability and educational equity.”

Read More: The Pros and Cons of Charter Schools

20. Effects of the Internet

“The Internet has drastically reshaped human communication, access to information, and societal dynamics, generally with a net positive effect on society.”

Read More: The Pros and Cons of the Internet

21. Affirmative Action

“Affirmative action is essential for rectifying historical injustices and achieving true meritocracy in education and employment, contrary to claims of reverse discrimination.”

Best For: Essay

Read More: Affirmative Action Pros and Cons

22. Soft Skills

“Soft skills, such as communication and empathy, are increasingly recognized as essential for success in the modern workforce, and therefore should be a strong focus at school and university level.”

Read More: Soft Skills Examples

23. Moral Panic

“Moral panic, often fueled by media and cultural anxieties, can lead to exaggerated societal responses that sometimes overlook rational analysis and evidence.”

Read More: Moral Panic Examples

24. Freedom of the Press

“Freedom of the press is critical for democracy and informed citizenship, yet it faces challenges from censorship, media bias, and the proliferation of misinformation.”

Read More: Freedom of the Press Examples

25. Mass Media

“Mass media shapes public opinion and cultural norms, but its concentration of ownership and commercial interests raise concerns about bias and the quality of information.”

Best For: Critical Analysis

Read More: Mass Media Examples

Checklist: How to use your Thesis Statement

✅ Position: If your statement is for an argumentative or persuasive essay, or a dissertation, ensure it takes a clear stance on the topic. ✅ Specificity: It addresses a specific aspect of the topic, providing focus for the essay. ✅ Conciseness: Typically, a thesis statement is one to two sentences long. It should be concise, clear, and easily identifiable. ✅ Direction: The thesis statement guides the direction of the essay, providing a roadmap for the argument, narrative, or explanation. ✅ Evidence-based: While the thesis statement itself doesn’t include evidence, it sets up an argument that can be supported with evidence in the body of the essay. ✅ Placement: Generally, the thesis statement is placed at the end of the introduction of an essay.

Try These AI Prompts – Thesis Statement Generator!

One way to brainstorm thesis statements is to get AI to brainstorm some for you! Try this AI prompt:

💡 AI PROMPT FOR EXPOSITORY THESIS STATEMENT I am writing an essay on [TOPIC] and these are the instructions my teacher gave me: [INSTUCTIONS]. I want you to create an expository thesis statement that doesn’t argue a position, but demonstrates depth of knowledge about the topic.

💡 AI PROMPT FOR ARGUMENTATIVE THESIS STATEMENT I am writing an essay on [TOPIC] and these are the instructions my teacher gave me: [INSTRUCTIONS]. I want you to create an argumentative thesis statement that clearly takes a position on this issue.

💡 AI PROMPT FOR COMPARE AND CONTRAST THESIS STATEMENT I am writing a compare and contrast essay that compares [Concept 1] and [Concept2]. Give me 5 potential single-sentence thesis statements that remain objective.

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50 High School Senior Thesis Topics [PDF Included]

As high school seniors approach the end of their academic journey, one final task stands before them: the senior thesis. This capstone project is a culmination of their years of learning and provides an opportunity to delve deeply into a topic of their choosing. The senior thesis is a chance for students to showcase their research, writing, and analytical skills, as well as their creativity and intellectual curiosity. 

With so many potential research topics to explore, the senior thesis is a unique and exciting opportunity for high school seniors to leave their mark on the academic world. In this article, we will explore some of the most interesting and engaging high school senior thesis topics, and offer tips on how to choose the right topic for you.

Unleashing the Creative Minds: Exciting thesis ideas for high schoolers

Much like satire essay topics , literacy essay topics , and biology research topics , the topics given below cover a wide range of subjects, from science and technology to art, and literature. They are intended to inspire high school seniors to think critically and explore their interests in depth.

Students can choose a topic that resonates with them and conduct research to gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter. Each topic has its unique significance and can lead to interesting and thought-provoking insights that can contribute to the larger body of knowledge on the subject.

1.   The effects of social media on mental health: 

With the rise of social media, there is growing concerned about its impact on mental health, making this an important and timely topic to explore.

2.   The impact of climate change on local ecosystems:

 Climate change is an urgent global issue that has significant impacts on local ecosystems, making this topic highly relevant.

3.   The history and impact of jazz music: 

Jazz is a uniquely American art form that has had a profound impact on music and culture worldwide, making it an interesting and important topic for exploration.

4.   The effects of caffeine on the human body: 

Caffeine is a commonly consumed substance with a range of effects on the body, making this topic both interesting and relevant.

5.   The causes and consequences of income inequality: 

Income inequality is a significant societal issue with far-reaching consequences, making this an important topic for exploration.

6.   The role of technology in education: 

Technology is rapidly transforming education, and understanding its impact on learning is crucial for shaping the future of education.

7.   The history and significance of the Civil Rights Movement: 

The Civil Rights Movement was a defining moment in American history that continues to shape our society today, making it a compelling and important topic for study.

8.   The impact of fast food on public health: 

Fast food is a ubiquitous part of modern life with potentially significant health consequences, making this topic both interesting and relevant.

9.   The portrayal of gender roles in media: 

The media plays an important role in shaping societal attitudes toward gender, making this a timely and important topic for exploration.

10.   The history and significance of the Olympic Games: 

The Olympic Games are a celebrated global event with a rich history and cultural significance, making them a fascinating topic for study.

11.   The effects of sleep deprivation on academic performance: 

Sleep is crucial for academic success, and understanding its effects on performance is important for students and educators alike.

12.   The role of art in society: 

Art has the power to inspire, challenge, and transform society, making this a fascinating and important topic for exploration.

13.   The history and impact of hip-hop music: 

Hip-hop is a cultural phenomenon that has had a significant impact on music, fashion, and society, making it an interesting and important topic for study.

14.   The impact of social class on education: 

Social class can have a significant impact on educational opportunities and outcomes, making this a relevant and important topic for exploration.

15.   The impact of globalization on culture: 

Globalization is reshaping culture in a complex and sometimes unexpected ways, making this a fascinating and important topic for study.

16.   The effects of exercise on mental health: 

Exercise has been shown to have significant mental health benefits, making this an important topic for exploration.

17.   The role of government in protecting the environment: 

Governments play a crucial role in protecting the environment, making this a relevant and important topic for exploration.

18.   The impact of video games on cognitive development: 

Video games are a popular form of entertainment with potentially significant impacts on cognitive development, making this topic both interesting and relevant.

19.   The impact of social media on political activism: 

Social media has been a powerful tool for political activism in recent years, making this topic both timely and important for exploration.

20.   The history and impact of rock music: 

Rock music is a genre with a rich history and cultural significance, making it an interesting and important topic for study.

21.   The effects of stress on physical health: 

Stress can have significant impacts on physical health, making this topic both relevant and important for exploration.

22.   The impact of immigration on society: 

Immigration has shaped societies throughout history, and understanding its impact is crucial for understanding our world today.

23.   The role of art in political activism: 

Art can be a powerful tool for political activism, making this a timely and important topic for exploration.

24.   The effects of technology on human communication: 

Technology is rapidly transforming the way we communicate, making this topic both interesting and relevant.

25.   The impact of social media on self-esteem: 

Social media has been shown to have both positive and negative effects on self-esteem, making this a relevant and important topic for study.

26.   The effects of childhood obesity on health outcomes: 

Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern with significant health consequences, making this an important topic for exploration.

27.   The history and impact of punk rock music: 

Punk rock is a genre with a unique history and cultural significance, making it an interesting and important topic for exploration.

28.   The effects of mindfulness meditation on mental health: 

Mindfulness meditation has been shown to have significant mental health benefits, making this an important topic for study.

28.   The impact of technology on privacy: 

Technology has transformed the way we think about privacy, making this a relevant and important topic for study.

29.   The history and impact of reggae music:

 Reggae is a genre with a rich history and cultural significance, making it an interesting and important topic for exploration.

30.   The effects of social support on mental health: 

Social support can have significant mental health benefits, making this an important topic for study.

31.   The portrayal of beauty standards in media: 

The media plays a powerful role in shaping societal attitudes toward beauty, making this an important and timely topic for exploration.

32.   The impact of social media on romantic relationships: 

Social media has transformed the way we navigate romantic relationships, making this topic both interesting and relevant.

33.   The role of technology in modern art: 

Technology is transforming the way we create and experience art, making this a fascinating and important topic for study.

34.   The impact of social class on health outcomes:

 Social class can have a significant impact on health outcomes, making this a relevant and important topic for exploration.

35.   The history and impact of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: 

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation with profound impacts on American society, making it an important and compelling topic for study.

36.   The effects of peer pressure on academic performance: 

Peer pressure can have both positive and negative impacts on academic performance, making this a relevant and important topic for exploration.

37.   The impact of climate change on global health: 

Climate change has significant impacts on global health, making this a timely and important topic for exploration.

38.   The effects of music on memory and cognitive function: 

Music has been shown to have both short- and long-term effects on memory and cognitive function, making this an interesting and important topic for study.

39. The impact of technology on education: 

Exploring the role of online learning platforms and digital tools in enhancing student learning outcomes.

40. Critical thinking skills in higher education:

 Examining the factors that promote the development of critical thinking skills among college students.

41. Teacher-student relationships and academic achievement:

 Investigating the impact of positive teacher-student relationships on academic performance.

42. The impact of parental involvement on academic achievement: 

Examining the ways in which parental involvement can positively impact academic performance.

43. Learning styles and student achievement:

 Investigating the relationship between individual learning styles and academic achievement.

44. The role of motivation in student success:

 Exploring the importance of motivation in academic achievement.

45. The effects of socioeconomic status on academic achievement:

 Examining the relationship between socioeconomic status and academic performance.

46. Cross-cultural differences in academic achievement:

 Investigating how cultural diversity can impact academic achievement.

47. The impact of standardized testing on student learning:

 Examining the effectiveness of standardized testing as a measure of student achievement.

48. Teaching methods and student engagement:

 Exploring the relationship between different teaching methods and student engagement in learning.

49. The impact of classroom environment on student learning:

 Examining how the physical and social environment of the classroom can impact student learning outcomes.

50. Teacher burnout and turnover: 

Investigating the factors that contribute to teacher burnout and turnover, and the impact on student achievement.

All work and no play makes jack a dull boy: How to make your thesis journey fun?

Writing a thesis can be a long and challenging journey that requires a significant amount of time, effort, and dedication. However, it’s important to remember that taking breaks and finding ways to make the process more enjoyable can help you stay motivated and focused. At the same time, it is often there on every high schooler’s bucket list. Here are some tips to make your thesis journey more fun:

• Break it down into smaller tasks: Writing a thesis can seem overwhelming, but breaking it down into smaller tasks can help make it more manageable. You can start by creating a list of tasks and prioritizing them based on importance and deadlines. Then, focus on completing one task at a time, rather than thinking about the entire thesis at once.
• Set achievable goals: Setting goals that are realistic and achievable is important to maintain your motivation and focus. You can set daily, weekly, or monthly goals, depending on your needs and timeline. Celebrating each milestone can help boost your confidence and encourage you to keep going.
• Create a supportive community: It can be helpful to have a supportive community while working on your thesis. You can join a study group, create a writing group with peers, or seek a mentor to provide guidance and support. Having people who understand what you’re going through can help you feel less alone and motivate you to keep working.
• Find a comfortable workspace: Your workspace can have a big impact on your productivity and focus. Find a space that is comfortable and free from distractions. Make sure your desk and chair are at the right height, and that you have adequate lighting. A clutter-free workspace can also help you feel more organized and focused.
• Take breaks: Taking regular breaks is important to avoid burnout and maintain your focus. You can take short breaks throughout the day to stretch, meditate, or take a walk. Longer breaks, such as a weekend getaway, can also help you recharge and come back to your work with fresh energy.
• Mix it up: Sometimes, changing your routine can help you stay engaged and focused. You can experiment with different writing techniques, such as brainstorming, mind-mapping, or freewriting. Changing your study location can also help, such as working from a café, library, or park. Listening to music or using different background noises can also help you stay focused.
• Reward yourself: Setting up a reward system can help you stay motivated and give you something to look forward to. You can reward yourself for completing a task, reaching a milestone, or sticking to your study schedule. Rewards can be small, such as a favorite snack or a movie, or larger, such as a weekend trip or a spa day.

In conclusion, high school senior thesis topics can be a great way for students to explore their interests and develop critical thinking skills. These topics cover a wide range of subjects and can lead to fascinating insights and discoveries. By conducting research and writing a thesis, students can gain a deeper understanding of their chosen topic and contribute to the larger body of knowledge on the subject.

Whether exploring social issues, science, technology, art, or literature, there is a topic out there for every student to delve into and make their own. By choosing a topic that resonates with them and putting in the work to create a well-researched and thoughtful thesis, high school seniors can develop valuable skills and gain a sense of accomplishment and pride in their work.

Having a 10+ years of experience in teaching little budding learners, I am now working as a soft skills and IELTS trainers. Having spent my share of time with high schoolers, I understand their fears about the future. At the same time, my experience has helped me foster plenty of strategies that can make their 4 years of high school blissful. Furthermore, I have worked intensely on helping these young adults bloom into successful adults by training them for their dream colleges. Through my blogs, I intend to help parents, educators and students in making these years joyful and prosperous.

1 thought on “50 High School Senior Thesis Topics [PDF Included]”

Your topics are worth researching into. These are real problems society is faced with and researching into these problems will help find solutions to them. Good job for listing these topics.

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What Is a Senior Thesis?

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• Writing Research Papers
• Writing Essays
• English Grammar
• M.Ed., Education Administration, University of Georgia
• B.A., History, Armstrong State University

A senior thesis is a large, independent research project that students take on during their senior year of high school or college to fulfill their graduation requirement. It is the culminating work of their studies at a particular institution, and it represents their ability to conduct research and write effectively. For some students, a senior thesis is a requirement for graduating with honors.

Students typically work closely with an advisor and choose a question or topic to explore before carrying out an extensive research plan.

Style Manuals and the Paper's Organization

The structure of your research paper will depend, in part, on the style manual that is required by your instructor. Different disciplines, such as history, science, or education, have different rules to abide by when it comes to research paper construction, organization, and modes of citation. The styles for different types of assignment include:

Modern Language Association (MLA): The disciplines that tend to prefer the MLA style guide include literature, arts, and the humanities, such as linguistics, religion, and philosophy. To follow this style, you will use parenthetical citations to indicate your sources and a works cited page to show the list of books and articles you consulted.

American Psychological Association (APA): The APA style manual tends to be used in psychology, education, and some of the social sciences. This type of report may require the following:

• Introduction

Chicago style: "The Chicago Manual of Style" is used in most college-level history courses as well as professional publications that contain scholarly articles. Chicago style may call for endnotes or footnotes corresponding to a bibliography page at the back or the author-date style of in-text citation, which uses parenthetical citations and a references page at the end.

Turabian style: Turabian is a student version of Chicago style. It requires some of the same formatting techniques as Chicago, but it includes special rules for writing college-level papers, such as book reports. A Turabian research paper may call for endnotes or footnotes and a bibliography.

Science style: Science instructors may require students to use a format that is similar to the structure used in publishing papers in scientific journals. The elements you would include in this sort of paper include:

• List of materials and methods used
• Results of your methods and experiments
• Acknowledgments

American Medical Association (AMA): The AMA style book might be required for students in medical or premedical degree programs in college. Parts of an AMA research paper might include:

• Proper headings and lists
• Tables and figures
• In-text citations
• Reference list

Choose Your Topic Carefully

Starting off with a bad, difficult, or narrow topic likely won't lead to a positive result. Don't choose a question or statement that's so broad that it's overwhelming and could comprise a lifetime of research or a topic that's so narrow you'll struggle to compose 10 pages. Consider a topic that has a lot of recent research so you won't struggle to put your hands on current or adequate sources.

Select a topic that interests you. Putting in long hours on a subject that bores you will be arduous—and ripe for procrastination. If a professor recommends an area of interest, make sure it excites you.

Also, consider expanding a paper you've already written; you'll hit the ground running because you've already done some research and know the topic. Last, consult with your advisor before finalizing your topic. You don't want to put in a lot of hours on a subject that is rejected by your instructor.

Organize Your Time

Plan to spend half of your time researching and the other half writing. Often, students spend too much time researching and then find themselves in a crunch, madly writing in the final hours. Give yourself goals to reach along certain "signposts," such as the number of hours you want to have invested each week or by a certain date or how much you want to have completed in those same timeframes.

Organize Your Research

Compose your works cited or bibliography entries as you work on your paper. This is especially important if your style manual requires you to use access dates for any online sources that you review or requires page numbers be included in the citations. You don't want to end up at the very end of the project and not know what day you looked at a particular website or have to search through a hard-copy book looking for a quote that you included in the paper. Save PDFs of online sites, too, as you wouldn't want to need to look back at something and not be able to get online or find that the article has been removed since you read it.

Choose an Advisor You Trust

This may be your first opportunity to work with direct supervision. Choose an advisor who's familiar with the field, and ideally select someone you like and whose classes you've already taken. That way you'll have a rapport from the start. 

Consult Your Instructor

Remember that your instructor is the final authority on the details and requirements of your paper. Read through all instructions, and have a conversation with your instructor at the start of the project to determine his or her preferences and requirements. Have a cheat sheet or checklist of this information; don't expect yourself to remember all year every question you asked or instruction you were given. 

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100 Interesting Research Paper Topics for High Schoolers

What’s covered:, how to pick the right research topic, elements of a strong research paper.

• Interesting Research Paper Topics

Composing a research paper can be a daunting task for first-time writers. In addition to making sure you’re using concise language and your thoughts are organized clearly, you need to find a topic that draws the reader in.

CollegeVine is here to help you brainstorm creative topics! Below are 100 interesting research paper topics that will help you engage with your project and keep you motivated until you’ve typed the final period. 

A research paper is similar to an academic essay but more lengthy and requires more research. This added length and depth is bittersweet: although a research paper is more work, you can create a more nuanced argument, and learn more about your topic. Research papers are a demonstration of your research ability and your ability to formulate a convincing argument. How well you’re able to engage with the sources and make original contributions will determine the strength of your paper. 

You can’t have a good research paper without a good research paper topic. “Good” is subjective, and different students will find different topics interesting. What’s important is that you find a topic that makes you want to find out more and make a convincing argument. Maybe you’ll be so interested that you’ll want to take it further and investigate some detail in even greater depth!

For example, last year over 4000 students applied for 500 spots in the Lumiere Research Scholar Program , a rigorous research program founded by Harvard researchers. The program pairs high-school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project . The program actually does not require you to have a research topic in mind when you apply, but pro tip: the more specific you can be the more likely you are to get in!

Introduction

The introduction to a research paper serves two critical functions: it conveys the topic of the paper and illustrates how you will address it. A strong introduction will also pique the interest of the reader and make them excited to read more. Selecting a research paper topic that is meaningful, interesting, and fascinates you is an excellent first step toward creating an engaging paper that people will want to read.

Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is technically part of the introduction—generally the last sentence of it—but is so important that it merits a section of its own. The thesis statement is a declarative sentence that tells the reader what the paper is about. A strong thesis statement serves three purposes: present the topic of the paper, deliver a clear opinion on the topic, and summarize the points the paper will cover.

An example of a good thesis statement of diversity in the workforce is:

Diversity in the workplace is not just a moral imperative but also a strategic advantage for businesses, as it fosters innovation, enhances creativity, improves decision-making, and enables companies to better understand and connect with a diverse customer base.

The body is the largest section of a research paper. It’s here where you support your thesis, present your facts and research, and persuade the reader.

Each paragraph in the body of a research paper should have its own idea. The idea is presented, generally in the first sentence of the paragraph, by a topic sentence. The topic sentence acts similarly to the thesis statement, only on a smaller scale, and every sentence in the paragraph with it supports the idea it conveys.

An example of a topic sentence on how diversity in the workplace fosters innovation is:

Diversity in the workplace fosters innovation by bringing together individuals with different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, which stimulates creativity, encourages new ideas, and leads to the development of innovative solutions to complex problems.

The body of an engaging research paper flows smoothly from one idea to the next. Create an outline before writing and order your ideas so that each idea logically leads to another.

The conclusion of a research paper should summarize your thesis and reinforce your argument. It’s common to restate the thesis in the conclusion of a research paper.

For example, a conclusion for a paper about diversity in the workforce is:

In conclusion, diversity in the workplace is vital to success in the modern business world. By embracing diversity, companies can tap into the full potential of their workforce, promote creativity and innovation, and better connect with a diverse customer base, ultimately leading to greater success and a more prosperous future for all.

Reference Page

The reference page is normally found at the end of a research paper. It provides proof that you did research using credible sources, properly credits the originators of information, and prevents plagiarism.

There are a number of different formats of reference pages, including APA, MLA, and Chicago. Make sure to format your reference page in your teacher’s preferred style.

• Analyze the benefits of diversity in education.
• Are charter schools useful for the national education system?
• How has modern technology changed teaching?
• Discuss the pros and cons of standardized testing.
• What are the benefits of a gap year between high school and college?
• What funding allocations give the most benefit to students?
• Does homeschooling set students up for success?
• Should universities/high schools require students to be vaccinated?
• What effect does rising college tuition have on high schoolers?
• Do students perform better in same-sex schools?
• Discuss and analyze the impacts of a famous musician on pop music.
• How has pop music evolved over the past decade?
• How has the portrayal of women in music changed in the media over the past decade?
• How does a synthesizer work?
• How has music evolved to feature different instruments/voices?
• How has sound effect technology changed the music industry?
• Analyze the benefits of music education in high schools.
• Are rehabilitation centers more effective than prisons?
• Are congestion taxes useful?
• Does affirmative action help minorities?
• Can a capitalist system effectively reduce inequality?
• Is a three-branch government system effective?
• What causes polarization in today’s politics?
• Is the U.S. government racially unbiased?
• Choose a historical invention and discuss its impact on society today.
• Choose a famous historical leader who lost power—what led to their eventual downfall?
• How has your country evolved over the past century?
• What historical event has had the largest effect on the U.S.?
• Has the government’s response to national disasters improved or declined throughout history?
• Discuss the history of the American occupation of Iraq.
• Explain the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
• Is literature relevant in modern society?
• Discuss how fiction can be used for propaganda.
• How does literature teach and inform about society?
• Explain the influence of children’s literature on adulthood.
• How has literature addressed homosexuality?
• Does the media portray minorities realistically?
• Does the media reinforce stereotypes?
• Why have podcasts become so popular?
• Will streaming end traditional television?
• What is a patriot?
• What are the pros and cons of global citizenship?
• What are the causes and effects of bullying?
• Why has the divorce rate in the U.S. been declining in recent years?
• Is it more important to follow social norms or religion?
• What are the responsible limits on abortion, if any?
• How does an MRI machine work?
• Would the U.S. benefit from socialized healthcare?
• Elderly populations
• The education system
• State tax bases
• How do anti-vaxxers affect the health of the country?
• Analyze the costs and benefits of diet culture.
• Should companies allow employees to exercise on company time?
• What is an adequate amount of exercise for an adult per week/per month/per day?
• Discuss the effects of the obesity epidemic on American society.
• Are students smarter since the advent of the internet?
• What departures has the internet made from its original design?
• Has digital downloading helped the music industry?
• Discuss the benefits and costs of stricter internet censorship.
• Analyze the effects of the internet on the paper news industry.
• What would happen if the internet went out?
• How will artificial intelligence (AI) change our lives?
• What are the pros and cons of cryptocurrency?
• How has social media affected the way people relate with each other?
• Should social media have an age restriction?
• Discuss the importance of source software.
• What is more relevant in today’s world: mobile apps or websites?
• How will fully autonomous vehicles change our lives?
• How is text messaging affecting teen literacy?

Mental Health

• What are the benefits of daily exercise?
• How has social media affected people’s mental health?
• What things contribute to poor mental and physical health?
• Analyze how mental health is talked about in pop culture.
• Discuss the pros and cons of more counselors in high schools.
• How does stress affect the body?
• How do emotional support animals help people?
• What are black holes?
• Discuss the biggest successes and failures of the EPA.
• How has the Flint water crisis affected life in Michigan?
• Can science help save endangered species?
• Is the development of an anti-cancer vaccine possible?

Environment

• What are the effects of deforestation on climate change?
• Is climate change reversible?
• How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect global warming and climate change?
• Are carbon credits effective for offsetting emissions or just marketing?
• Is nuclear power a safe alternative to fossil fuels?
• Are hybrid vehicles helping to control pollution in the atmosphere?
• How is plastic waste harming the environment?
• Is entrepreneurism a trait people are born with or something they learn?
• How much more should CEOs make than their average employee?
• Can you start a business without money?
• Should the U.S. raise the minimum wage?
• Discuss how happy employees benefit businesses.
• How important is branding for a business?
• Discuss the ease, or difficulty, of landing a job today.
• What is the economic impact of sporting events?
• Are professional athletes overpaid?
• Should male and female athletes receive equal pay?
• What is a fair and equitable way for transgender athletes to compete in high school sports?
• What are the benefits of playing team sports?
• What is the most corrupt professional sport?

Where to Get More Research Paper Topic Ideas

If you need more help brainstorming topics, especially those that are personalized to your interests, you can use CollegeVine’s free AI tutor, Ivy . Ivy can help you come up with original research topic ideas, and she can also help with the rest of your homework, from math to languages.

Disclaimer: This post includes content sponsored by Lumiere Education.

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25 Thesis Statement Examples That Will Make Writing a Breeze

Understanding what makes a good thesis statement is one of the major keys to writing a great research paper or argumentative essay. The thesis statement is where you make a claim that will guide you through your entire paper. If you find yourself struggling to make sense of your paper or your topic, then it's likely due to a weak thesis statement.

Let's take a minute to first understand what makes a solid thesis statement, and what key components you need to write one of your own.

A thesis statement always goes at the beginning of the paper. It will typically be in the first couple of paragraphs of the paper so that it can introduce the body paragraphs, which are the supporting evidence for your thesis statement.

Your thesis statement should clearly identify an argument. You need to have a statement that is not only easy to understand, but one that is debatable. What that means is that you can't just put any statement of fact and have it be your thesis. For example, everyone knows that puppies are cute . An ineffective thesis statement would be, "Puppies are adorable and everyone knows it." This isn't really something that's a debatable topic.

Something that would be more debatable would be, "A puppy's cuteness is derived from its floppy ears, small body, and playfulness." These are three things that can be debated on. Some people might think that the cutest thing about puppies is the fact that they follow you around or that they're really soft and fuzzy.

All cuteness aside, you want to make sure that your thesis statement is not only debatable, but that it also actually thoroughly answers the research question that was posed. You always want to make sure that your evidence is supporting a claim that you made (and not the other way around). This is why it's crucial to read and research about a topic first and come to a conclusion later. If you try to get your research to fit your thesis statement, then it may not work out as neatly as you think. As you learn more, you discover more (and the outcome may not be what you originally thought).

Additionally, your thesis statement shouldn't be too big or too grand. It'll be hard to cover everything in a thesis statement like, "The federal government should act now on climate change." The topic is just too large to actually say something new and meaningful. Instead, a more effective thesis statement might be, "Local governments can combat climate change by providing citizens with larger recycling bins and offering local classes about composting and conservation." This is easier to work with because it's a smaller idea, but you can also discuss the overall topic that you might be interested in, which is climate change.

So, now that we know what makes a good, solid thesis statement, you can start to write your own. If you find that you're getting stuck or you are the type of person who needs to look at examples before you start something, then check out our list of thesis statement examples below.

Thesis statement examples

A quick note that these thesis statements have not been fully researched. These are merely examples to show you what a thesis statement might look like and how you can implement your own ideas into one that you think of independently. As such, you should not use these thesis statements for your own research paper purposes. They are meant to be used as examples only.

• Vaccinations Because many children are unable to vaccinate due to illness, we must require that all healthy and able children be vaccinated in order to have herd immunity.
• Educational Resources for Low-Income Students Schools should provide educational resources for low-income students during the summers so that they don't forget what they've learned throughout the school year.
• School Uniforms School uniforms may be an upfront cost for families, but they eradicate the visual differences in income between students and provide a more egalitarian atmosphere at school.
• Populism The rise in populism on the 2016 political stage was in reaction to increasing globalization, the decline of manufacturing jobs, and the Syrian refugee crisis.
• Public Libraries Libraries are essential resources for communities and should be funded more heavily by local municipalities.
• Cyber Bullying With more and more teens using smartphones and social media, cyber bullying is on the rise. Cyber bullying puts a lot of stress on many teens, and can cause depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts. Parents should limit the usage of smart phones, monitor their children's online activity, and report any cyber bullying to school officials in order to combat this problem.
• Medical Marijuana for Veterans Studies have shown that the use of medicinal marijuana has been helpful to veterans who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Medicinal marijuana prescriptions should be legal in all states and provided to these veterans. Additional medical or therapy services should also be researched and implemented in order to help them re-integrate back into civilian life.
• Work-Life Balance Corporations should provide more work from home opportunities and six-hour workdays so that office workers have a better work-life balance and are more likely to be productive when they are in the office.
• Teaching Youths about Consensual Sex Although sex education that includes a discussion of consensual sex would likely lead to less sexual assault, parents need to teach their children the meaning of consent from a young age with age appropriate lessons.
• Whether or Not to Attend University A degree from a university provides invaluable lessons on life and a future career, but not every high school student should be encouraged to attend a university directly after graduation. Some students may benefit from a trade school or a "gap year" where they can think more intensely about what it is they want to do for a career and how they can accomplish this.
• Studying Abroad Studying abroad is one of the most culturally valuable experiences you can have in college. It is the only way to get completely immersed in another language and learn how other cultures and countries are different from your own.
• Women's Body Image Magazines have done a lot in the last five years to include a more diverse group of models, but there is still a long way to go to promote a healthy woman's body image collectively as a culture.
• Cigarette Tax Heavily taxing and increasing the price of cigarettes is essentially a tax on the poorest Americans, and it doesn't deter them from purchasing. Instead, the state and federal governments should target those economically disenfranchised with early education about the dangers of smoking.
• Veganism A vegan diet, while a healthy and ethical way to consume food, indicates a position of privilege. It also limits you to other cultural food experiences if you travel around the world.
• University Athletes Should be Compensated University athletes should be compensated for their service to the university, as it is difficult for these students to procure and hold a job with busy academic and athletic schedules. Many student athletes on scholarship also come from low-income neighborhoods and it is a struggle to make ends meet when they are participating in athletics.
• Women in the Workforce Sheryl Sandberg makes a lot of interesting points in her best-selling book, Lean In , but she only addressed the very privileged working woman and failed to speak to those in lower-skilled, lower-wage jobs.
• Assisted Suicide Assisted suicide should be legal and doctors should have the ability to make sure their patients have the end-of-life care that they want to receive.
• Celebrity and Political Activism Although Taylor Swift's lyrics are indicative of a feminist perspective, she should be more politically active and vocal to use her position of power for the betterment of society.
• The Civil War The insistence from many Southerners that the South seceded from the Union for states' rights versus the fact that they seceded for the purposes of continuing slavery is a harmful myth that still affects race relations today.
• Blue Collar Workers Coal miners and other blue-collar workers whose jobs are slowly disappearing from the workforce should be re-trained in jobs in the technology sector or in renewable energy. A program to re-train these workers would not only improve local economies where jobs have been displaced, but would also lead to lower unemployment nationally.
• Diversity in the Workforce Having a diverse group of people in an office setting leads to richer ideas, more cooperation, and more empathy between people with different skin colors or backgrounds.
• Re-Imagining the Nuclear Family The nuclear family was traditionally defined as one mother, one father, and 2.5 children. This outdated depiction of family life doesn't quite fit with modern society. The definition of normal family life shouldn't be limited to two-parent households.
• Digital Literacy Skills With more information readily available than ever before, it's crucial that students are prepared to examine the material they're reading and determine whether or not it's a good source or if it has misleading information. Teaching students digital literacy and helping them to understand the difference between opinion or propaganda from legitimate, real information is integral.
• Beauty Pageants Beauty pageants are presented with the angle that they empower women. However, putting women in a swimsuit on a stage while simultaneously judging them on how well they answer an impossible question in a short period of time is cruel and purely for the amusement of men. Therefore, we should stop televising beauty pageants.
• Supporting More Women to Run for a Political Position In order to get more women into political positions, more women must run for office. There must be a grassroots effort to educate women on how to run for office, who among them should run, and support for a future candidate for getting started on a political career.

Still stuck? Need some help with your thesis statement?

If you are still uncertain about how to write a thesis statement or what a good thesis statement is, be sure to consult with your teacher or professor to make sure you're on the right track. It's always a good idea to check in and make sure that your thesis statement is making a solid argument and that it can be supported by your research.

After you're done writing, it's important to have someone take a second look at your paper so that you can ensure there are no mistakes or errors. It's difficult to spot your own mistakes, which is why it's always recommended to have someone help you with the revision process, whether that's a teacher, the writing center at school, or a professional editor such as one from ServiceScape .

High School Essay

High school essay generator.

Navigating the complexities of High School Essay writing can be a challenging yet rewarding experience. Our guide, infused with diverse essay examples , is designed to simplify this journey for students. High school essays are a crucial part of academic development, allowing students to express their thoughts, arguments, and creativity. With our examples, students learn to structure their essays effectively, develop strong thesis statements, and convey their ideas with clarity and confidence, paving the way for academic success.

What Is a High School Essay? A high school essay is anything that falls between a literary piece that teachers would ask their students  to write. It could be anything like an expository essay , informative essay , or a descriptive essay . High school essay is just a broad term that is used to describe anything that high school student writes, probably in subjects like English Grammar or Literature.

It is a good way to practice every student’s writing skills in writing which they might find useful when they reach college. Others might even be inspired to continue writing and take courses that are related to it.

Download High School Essay Bundle

When you are in high school, it is definite that you are expected to do some write-ups and projects which require pen and paper. Yes. You heard that right. Your teachers are going to let you write a lot of things starting from short stories to other things like expository essays. However, do not be intimidated nor fear the things that I have just said. It is but a normal part of being a student to write things. Well, take it from me. As far as I can recall, I may have written about a hundred essays during my entire high school years or maybe more. You may also see what are the parts of an essay?

High School Essay Format

1. introduction.

Hook: Start with an engaging sentence to capture the reader’s interest. This could be a question, a quote, a surprising fact, or a bold statement related to your topic. Background Information: Provide some background information on your topic to help readers understand the context of your essay. Thesis Statement: End the introduction with a clear thesis statement that outlines your main argument or point of view. This statement guides the direction of your entire essay.

2. Body Paragraphs

Topic Sentence: Start each body paragraph with a topic sentence that introduces the main idea of the paragraph, supporting your thesis statement. Supporting Details: Include evidence, examples, facts, and quotes to support the main idea of each paragraph. Make sure to explain how these details relate to your topic sentence and thesis statement. Analysis: Provide your analysis or interpretation of the evidence and how it supports your argument. Be clear and concise in explaining your reasoning. Transition: Use transition words or phrases to smoothly move from one idea to the next, maintaining the flow of your essay.

3. Conclusion

Summary: Begin your conclusion by restating your thesis in a new way, summarizing the main points of your body paragraphs without introducing new information. Final Thoughts: End your essay with a strong closing statement. This could be a reflection on the significance of your argument, a call to action, or a rhetorical question to leave the reader thinking.

Example of High School Essay

Community service plays a pivotal role in fostering empathy, building character, and enhancing societal well-being. It offers a platform for young individuals to contribute positively to society while gaining valuable life experiences. This essay explores the significance of community service and its impact on both individuals and communities. Introduction Community service, an altruistic activity performed for the betterment of society, is a cornerstone for personal growth and societal improvement. It not only addresses societal needs but also cultivates essential virtues in volunteers. Through community service, high school students can develop a sense of responsibility, a commitment to altruism, and an understanding of their role in the community. Personal Development Firstly, community service significantly contributes to personal development. Volunteering helps students acquire new skills, such as teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. For instance, organizing a local food drive can teach students project management skills and the importance of collaboration. Moreover, community service provides insights into one’s passions and career interests, guiding them towards fulfilling future endeavors. Social Impact Secondly, the social impact of community service cannot be overstated. Activities like tutoring underprivileged children or participating in environmental clean-ups address critical societal issues directly. These actions not only bring about immediate positive changes but also inspire a ripple effect, encouraging a culture of volunteerism within the community. The collective effort of volunteers can transform neighborhoods, making them more supportive and resilient against challenges. Building Empathy and Understanding Furthermore, community service is instrumental in building empathy and understanding. Engaging with diverse groups and working towards a common goal fosters a sense of solidarity and compassion among volunteers. For example, spending time at a senior center can bridge the generational gap, enriching the lives of both the elderly and the volunteers. These experiences teach students the value of empathy, enriching their emotional intelligence and social awareness. In conclusion, community service is a vital component of societal development and personal growth. It offers a unique opportunity for students to engage with their communities, learn valuable life skills, and develop empathy. Schools and parents should encourage students to participate in community service, highlighting its benefits not only to the community but also in shaping responsible, caring, and informed citizens. As we look towards building a better future, the role of community service in education cannot be overlooked; it is an investment in our collective well-being and the development of the next generation.

Essay Topics for High School with Samples to Edit & Download

• Should schools have dress codes?
• Sex education in middle school
• Should homework be abolished?
• College education costs
• How does technology affect productivity?
• Is climate change reversible?
• Is social media helpful or harmful?
• Climate change is caused by humans
• Effects of social media on youth
• Are men and women treated equally?
• Are professional athletes overpaid?
• Changes over the past decade
• Guns should be more strictly regulated
• My favorite childhood memory
• Religion in school
• Should we stop giving final exams?
• Video game addiction
• Violence in media content

High School Essay Examples & Templates

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Argumentative Essays for High School

Informative Essays for High School

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Narrative Essays

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High School Graduation Essay

High School Leadership Essay

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How to Write a High School Essay

Some teachers are really not that strict when it comes to writing essay because they too understand the struggles of writing stuff like these. However, you need to know the basics when it comes to writing a high school essay.

1. Understand the Essay Prompt

• Carefully read the essay prompt or question to understand what’s required. Identify the type of essay (narrative, persuasive, expository, etc.) and the main topic you need to address.

2. Choose a Topic

• If the topic isn’t provided, pick one that interests you and fits the essay’s requirements. Make sure it’s neither too broad nor too narrow.

3. Conduct Research (if necessary)

• For expository, argumentative, or research essays, gather information from credible sources to support your arguments. Take notes and organize your findings.

4. Create an Outline

• Outline your essay to organize your thoughts and structure your arguments effectively. Include an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

5. Write the Introduction

• Start with a hook to grab the reader’s attention (a quote, a question, a shocking fact, etc.). Introduce your topic and end the introduction with a thesis statement that presents your main argument or purpose.

6. Develop Body Paragraphs

• Each body paragraph should focus on a single idea or argument that supports your thesis. Start with a topic sentence, provide evidence or examples, and explain how it relates to your thesis.

7. Write the Conclusion

• Summarize the main points of your essay and restate your thesis in a new way. Conclude with a strong statement that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

Types of High School Essay

1. narrative essay.

Narrative essays tell a story from the writer’s perspective, often highlighting a personal experience or event. The focus is on storytelling, including characters, a setting, and a plot, to engage readers emotionally. This type allows students to explore creativity and expressiveness in their writing.

2. Descriptive Essay

Descriptive essays focus on detailing and describing a person, place, object, or event. The aim is to paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind using sensory details. These essays test the writer’s ability to use language creatively to evoke emotions and bring a scene to life.

3. Expository Essay

Expository essays aim to explain or inform the reader about a topic in a clear, concise manner. This type of essay requires thorough research and focuses on factual information. It’s divided into several types, such as compare and contrast, cause and effect, and process essays, each serving a specific purpose.

4. Persuasive Essay

Persuasive essays aim to convince the reader of a particular viewpoint or argument. The writer must use logic, reasoning, and evidence to support their position while addressing counterarguments. This type tests the writer’s ability to persuade and argue effectively.

5. Analytical Essay

Analytical essays require the writer to break down and analyze an element, such as a piece of literature, a movie, or a historical event. The goal is to interpret and make sense of the subject, discussing its significance and how it achieves its purpose.

6. Reflective Essay

Reflective essays are personal pieces that ask the writer to reflect on their experiences, thoughts, or feelings regarding a specific topic or experience. It encourages introspection and personal growth by examining one’s responses and learning from them.

7. Argumentative Essay

Similar to persuasive essays, argumentative essays require the writer to take a stance on an issue and argue for their position with evidence. However, argumentative essays place a stronger emphasis on evidence and logic rather than emotional persuasion.

8. Research Paper

Though often longer than a typical essay, research papers in high school require students to conduct in-depth study on a specific topic, using various sources to gather information. The focus is on presenting findings and analysis in a structured format.

Tips for High School Essays

Writing a high school essay if you have the tips on how to do essay effectively . This will give you an edge from your classmates.

• Stay Organized: Keep your notes and sources well-organized to make the writing process smoother.
• Be Clear and Concise: Avoid overly complex sentences or vocabulary that might confuse the reader.
• Use Transitions: Ensure that your paragraphs and ideas flow logically by using transition words and phrases.
• Cite Sources: If you use direct quotes or specific ideas from your research, make sure to cite your sources properly to avoid plagiarism.
• Practice: Like any skill, essay writing improves with practice. Don’t hesitate to write drafts and experiment with different writing styles.

Importance of High School Essay

Aside from the fact that you will get reprimanded for not doing  your task, there are more substantial reasons why a high school essay is important. First, you get trained at a very young age. Writing is not just for those who are studying nor for your teachers. As you graduate from high school and then enter college (can see college essays ), you will have more things to write like dissertations and theses.

At least, when you get to that stage, you already know how to write. Aside from that, writing high essays give a life lesson. That is, patience and resourcefulness. You need to find the right resources for your essay as well as patience when finding the right inspiration to write.

How long is a high school essay?

A high school essay typically ranges from 500 to 2000 words, depending on the assignment’s requirements and the subject matter.

How do you start a personal essay for high school?

Begin with an engaging hook (an anecdote, quote, or question) that introduces your theme or story, leading naturally to your thesis or main point.

What makes a good high school essay?

A good high school essay features a clear thesis, coherent structure, compelling evidence, and personal insights, all presented in a polished, grammatically correct format.

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

Write a High School Essay on the importance of participating in sports.

Discuss the role of student government in high schools in a High School Essay.

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Theses/dissertations from 2022 2022.

High School Teachers’ Perceptions of Promoting Student Motivation and Creativity through Career Education , Kyeonghyeon Park

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Persistence Like a Mother: Nursing the Narrative toward Doctoral Completion in English Education—A Poetic Autoethnography , Krista S. Mallo

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

The Effects of Augmented Reality (AR)-infused Idiom Material on Iranian Students’ Idiom Achievements, Motivation, and Perceptions , Babak Khoshnevisan

How the Use of Learner-Generated Images and Authentic Materials Affects the Comprehension and Production of Vivid Phrasal Idioms in L2 English Learners , Melissa Larsen-Walker

Explore L2 Chinese Learners' Motivation through L2MSS: Selves, Mental Imagery, and Pedagogical Implications , Yao Liu

Exploring Adult Indigenous Latinxs’ English Language Identity Expressions and Agency: A MALP®-informed Photovoice Study , Andrea Enikő Lypka

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Illuminating Changes in Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions about Teaching Elementary Mathematicsin an Introductory Methods Course , Elaine Cerrato

International Teaching Assistants’ Perceptions of English and Spanish Language Use at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez , Edward G. Contreras Santiago

The Effects and Students’ Views of Teachers' Coded Written Corrective Feedback: A Multiple-Case Study of Online Multiple-draft Chinese Writing , Jining Han

Promoting L2 Idiomatic Competence among Chinese College Students via WeChat , Zhengjie Li

EFL Student Collaborative Writing in Google Docs: A Multiple Case Study , Quang Nam Pham

A New Literacy Coach and Two English Language Arts Teachers Learn Together: A Narrative Inquiry , Christiana C. Succar

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Exploring Mathematics Teacher Education Fieldwork Experiences through Storytelling , Melody Jeane Elrod

Cultivating Peace via Language Teaching: Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs and Emotions in an EFL Argentine Practicum , María Matilde Olivero

Perspectives of AP U.S. History Teachers in Title I Schools , Mark Lance Rowland

What Does It Mean to Be a Service-Learning Teacher? - An Autoethnography , Kristy Causey Verdi

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Urban English Language Arts Teachers’ Stories of Technology Use: A Narrative Inquiry , Bridget Abbas

Foreign Language College Achievement and the Infusion of Three Selected Web 2.0 Technologies: A Mixed Method Case Study , Eulises Avellaneda

Educators' Oral Histories of Tampa Bay Area Writing Project Involvement , Margaret Hoffman Saturley

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Student-teacher Interaction Through Online Reflective Journals in a High School Science Classroom: What Have We Learned? , Megan Elizabeth Ehlers

Facilitating Motivation in a Virtual World Within a Second Language Acquisition Classroom , Andrew Warren Gump

IWitness and Student Empathy: Perspectives from USC Shoah Foundation Master Teachers , Brandon Jerome Haas

Job Satisfaction of Adjunct Faculty Who Teach Standardized Online Courses , Claudia A. Ruiz

The Common Core State Standards: Its Reported Effects on the Instructional Decision Making of Middle School Social Studies Teachers , Tracy Tilotta

The Effects of Blog-supported Collaborative Writing on Writing Performance, Writing Anxiety and Perceptions of EFL College Students in Taiwan , Hui-Ju Wu

The Influence of Types of Homework on Opportunity to Learn and Students' Mathematics Achievement: Examples from the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project , Yiting Yu

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Picturing the Reader: English Education Pre-service Teachers' Beliefs About Reading Using Photovoice , Michael Dicicco

Balanced Artistry: Describing and Explaining Expert Teacher Practice as Adaptive Expertise , Nina Graham

A Phenomenological Study of the Experiences of Higher Education Students with Disabilities , Allen J. Heindel

The Effect of Teachers' Epistemological Beliefs on Practice , Milton David Huling

Presentation of Civic Identity in Online High School Social Studies Discussion Forums , Holly Mcbride

In Our Image: The Attempted Reshaping of the Cuban Education System by the United States Government, 1898-1912 , Mario John Minichino

The Effects of Emotive Reasoning on Secondary School Students' Decision-Making in the Context of Socioscientific Issues , Wardell Anthony Powell

Reflections in the Classroom: Perspectives on Teaching for Social Justice from Secondary Social Studies Educators , Gregory Lee Samuels

A Case Study of the Roles and Perceptions of Writing Coaches , Amy June Schechter

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Curriculum Gatekeeping in Global Education: Global Educators' Perspectives , Robert Wayne Bailey

An Investigation of the Effects of an Authentic Science Experience Among Urban High School Students , Angela Chapman

Social Studies Teachers in an Evaluative Role: The Peer Evaluator Experience in the Accountability Era , Martha Barnes Ford

English Language Teachers' Learning to Teach with Technology through Participation in an Online Community of Practice: A Netnography of Webheads in Action , Derya Kulavuz-Onal

Assessing Competing Demands and Charting a Course: A Phenomenological Study of Advanced Placement U.S. History Teachers' Decision Making and Course Planning , Kerry Dean Poole

School Library Media Specialists' Perceptions of Collaboration, Leadership and Technology , Jozan Maria Powell

Preparing Teachers to Apply Research to Mathematics Teaching: Using Design-Based Research to Define and Assess the Process of Evidence-Based Practice , Sarah Van Ingen

From Limited-English-Proficient to Educator: Perspectives on Three Spanish-English Biliteracy Journeys , Elizabeth Visedo

A Case Study of Peer Review Practices of Four Adolescent English Language Learners in Face-to-Face and Online Contexts , Oksana Vorobel

Intermediate-Level Chinese Language Learners' Social Communication in Chinese on Facebook: A Mixed Methods Study , Shenggao Wang

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Member Perceptions of Informal Science Institutions Graduate Certificate Program: Case Study of a Community of Practice , Lois A. Ball

Team-Teaching Experiences of a Mathematician and a Mathematics Teacher Educator: An Interpretative Phenomenological Case Study , Sarah K. Bleiler

The Impact of Socioscientific Issues Based Curriculum Involving Environmental Outdoor Education for Fourth Grade Students , Karey Burek

A Phenomenological Study of Teaching Endangered Languages Online: Perspectives from Nahua and Mayan Educators. , Dustin De Felice

"Are We Supposed to be the Guy on the Horse?" A Case Study on the Use of Political Cartoons in the American History Classroom , James Manuel Duran

Teachers' Narratives of Experience with Social Class , Natalie Elizabeth Keefer

Multiple Intelligences in the Text: Examining the Presence of MI Tasks in the Annotated Teacher's Editions of Four High School United States History Textbooks , Carey Mullican

Four English Language Learners' Experiences and Strategy Use in Learning Environments of Multiliteracies , Ho Ryong Park

Statistical Content in Middle Grades Mathematics Textbooks , Maria Consuelo (suzie) Capiral Pickle

Socioscientific Issues: A Path Towards Advanced ScientificLiteracy and Improved Conceptual Understanding of Socially Controversial Scientific Theories , Dean William Pinzino

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

A Case Study of Adolescent Females' Perceptions of Identity in an After-School Book Club , Holly Atkins

The Impact of an Online Learning Community Project on University Chinese as a Foreign Language Students' Motivation , Shengrong Cai

Opportunity to Learn (OTL) and the Alignment of Upper Division Mathematics Learning Outcomes, Textbooks, and the National Assessment in Belize , Gabriel Cal

Making Meaning with "Readers" and "Texts": A Narrative Inquiry into Two Beginning English Teachers' Meaning Making from Classroom Events , Christi Underwood Edge

A Sociocultural-Theory-Based Study of the Impact of Mediation During Post-Observation Conferences on Language Teacher Learning , Jane Harvey

Role of CMC-Embedded Webquests in Enhancement of Online Students' Knowledge and Understanding of German Culture - A Case Study , Radhika Lothe

Technology Use as Transformative Pedagogy: Using Video Editing Technology to Learn About Teaching , Michelle Macy

"We Have Never Known What Death Was Before"--A Just War Doctrine Critique of U.S. History Textbooks , Mark Pearcy

El Poder / The Power: Latino/a Literature Inclusion in the Florida High School Language Arts Classroom as a Contributing Deterrent to the Latino/a Dropout Rate , Monica Adriana Sleeter

Revision And Validation Of A Culturally-Adapted Online Instructional Module Using Edmundson's CAP Model: A DBR Study , Marie A. Tapanes

Geometric Transformations in Middle School Mathematics Textbooks , Barbara Zorin

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

Through the Lens of a Global Educator: Examining Personal Perceptions Regarding the Construction of World-Mindedness , Kenneth T. Carano

Concepts of Variable in Middle-Grades Mathematics Textbooks during Four Eras of Mathematics Education in the United States , James K. Dogbey

Experiences of Foreign Language Teachers and Students Using a Technology-Mediated Oral Assessment , Jeannie Ducher

Manifestations of Hidden Curriculum in a Community College Online Opticianry Program: An Ecological Approach , Barry Hubbard

Proportionality in Middle-School Mathematics Textbooks , Gwendolyn Joy Johnson

Preservice Elementary Teachers‟ Pedagogical Content Knowledge Related to Area and Perimeter: A Teacher Development Experiment Investigating Anchored Instruction With Web-Based Microworlds , Matthew S. Kellogg

Systematic Development and Validation of a Course of Instruction in Prior Learning Assessment , John D. McNally

The Dynamic Graphic Organizer and its Influence on Making Factual, Comparative, and Inferential Determinations within Comparative Content , Cameron Spears

Technology Integration For Preservice Science Teacher Educators , Nina C. Stokes

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

Motivation And Instructor’s Self-Disclosure Using Facebook In A French Online Course Context , James M. Aubry

Enhancing Nature of Science Understanding, Reflective Judgment, and Argumentation through Socioscientific Issues , Brendan E. Callahan

College Students' Use of Science Content During Socioscientific Issues Negotiation: Impact of Evolution Understanding and Acceptance , Samantha R. Fowler

Teacher Self-Efficacy and the Civic Knowledge of Secondary Social Studies Teachers in a Large Urban School District: A Policy Study , Dennis Holt

Teaching social studies in an age of globalization: A case study of secondary social studies teachers' participation in the UNA-USA's Global Classrooms curriculum program , Kelly R. Miliziano

The realization of the speech act of refusal in Egyptian Arabic by American learners of Arabic as a foreign language , Nader Morkus

Exploring efficient design approaches for display of multidimensional data to facilitate interpretation of information , Chitra S. Pathiavadi

Classroom discourse and Teacher talk influences on English language learner students' mathematics experiences , Mariana M. Petkova

A Multiple Case Study Analysis of Middle Grades Social Studies Teachers' Instructional Use of Digital Technology with Academically Talented Students at Three High-Performing Middle Schools , Caroline C. Sheffield

Development and Validation of a Web-Based Module to Teach Metacognitive Learning Strategies to Students in Higher Education , Oma B. Singh

Transformational Processes and Learner Outcomes for Online Learning: An Activity Theory Case Study of Spanish Students , Joseph M. Terantino

Theses/Dissertations from 2008 2008

The Process of Change Experienced by Pre-Service and In-Service Social Studies Teachers in an Online Content Area Reading Course , Aimee L. Alexander-Shea

The Role of Image Resolution to Locomotion Tasks in Virtual Desktop Wayfinding , Lisa Dawn Anderson

Secondary Pre-Service Teachers’ Knowledge and Confidence in Dealing with Students’ First Amendment Rights in the Classroom , Ian Call

Culture Learning in Spanish Companion Book Websites: An Analysis of Tasks , Angela Cresswell

The Effects of Pre-Writing Strategy Training Guided by Computer-Based Procedural Facilitation on ESL Students’ Strategy Use, Writing Quantity, and Writing Quality , Darunee Dujsik

Ocean Literacy and Reasoning About Ocean Issues: The Influence of Content, Experience and Morality , Teresa Greely

Digitally Implemented Interactive Fiction: Systematic Development and Validation of “Mole, P.I.”, a Multimedia Adventure for Third Grade Readers , Denise Haunstetter

Personal Epistemological Growth in a College Chemistry Laboratory Environment , Linda S. Keen-Rocha

A Comparative Study of Six Decades of General Science Textbooks: Evaluating the Evolution of Science Content , Anna Lewis

The Acquisition of Procedural Skills: An Analysis of the Worked-Example Effect Using Animated Demonstrations , David Lewis

A Study of Instructional Strategies that Promote Learning Centered Synchronous Dialogue Online , Shelley Stewart

Dynamic Assessment: Towards a Model of Dialogic Engagement , Robert Summers

Teacher Efficacy and Student Achievement in Ninth and Tenth Grade Reading: A Multilevel Analysis , Anete Vasquez

Theses/Dissertations from 2007 2007

High school social studies teachers' attitudes towards the inclusion of ELL students in mainstream classes , Jason L. O'Brien

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The ‘Gestapo Game’ at the high school where Tim Walz worked was part of a trend Holocaust educators now reject

As Tim Walz was inveighing against trends in Holocaust education in his 2001 master’s thesis , the high school where he worked was employing one of those methods: a “game” that, by today’s standards, would repel almost every expert in the field.

A fellow teacher divided his class into halves: Some would have to wear yellow stars and play “Jews,” while the others would play the part of Gestapo officers charged with tormenting them.

A Jewish former student who was disturbed by the activity told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency last week that Walz had stepped in to stop the game after her father complained. But her father, Stewart Ross, subsequently told JTA that he did not recall anything beyond his daughter’s distress.

Bob Ihrig, the teacher who led the Gestapo activity, and John Barnett, Mankato West’s principal from the time, also told JTA that they did not recall such an incident. But Ihrig said Walz, now the Democratic candidate for vice president, had been aware of the activity.

“When students start wearing stars, walking down the hall, they go from my classroom down the hall past Tim’s classroom,” he said. “There’s no way that you could avoid that.”

What is certain is that in another context, Walz had cautioned against exercises like the one Ihrig used, which was called the “Gestapo Game” and was a trademarked activity conducted in settings around the world. In his thesis for his master’s degree in experiential education at Minnesota State University, Mankato, which argued for changes to Holocaust education, Walz noted that researchers had “deemed counterproductive” activities in which students were asked to play roles from the Holocaust.

“Trying to simulate the conditions that victims of the Holocaust experienced was absurd,” Walz wrote. “The result on student learning was a trivialization of the horrors experienced during the Holocaust.”

Walz was not alone in objecting to the game: The activity championed by Ihrig is anathema in the field of Holocaust education today. Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial; the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum; and the Anti-Defamation League all warn against Holocaust role plays.

Related: As a Holocaust educator, I’ve grappled with same questions Tim Walz explored — and that’s reassuring

“Even when great care is taken to prepare a class for such an activity, simulating experiences from the Holocaust remains pedagogically unsound,” the U.S. museum says on its website. “The activity may engage students, but they often forget the purpose of the lesson and, even worse, they are left with the impression that they now know what it was like to suffer or even to participate during the Holocaust.”

Looking at a pictorial story of their country’s history, German high school girls appear aghast as they wander through the Paulskirche in Frankfurt. The exhibition titled “Warsaw Ghetto,” staged in 1963 and 1964, was the first of its kind in Germany. (Getty Photos)

Walz completed his thesis at the same time that Agustin recalls being in Ihrig’s class. The thesis reflected a longstanding interest in teaching about Holocaust and genocide that predated Walz’s years at Mankato West and extended into his current tenure as Minnesota’s governor.

Walz’s thesis argued that schools would do better to remove teaching about the Holocaust from units about World War II and instead situate it within instruction about genocides and human rights. That way, he said, students could understand the root causes of the violence with the aims of preventing future genocides.

The belief appeared to be long-held. Walz had previously taught about the Holocaust and other genocides in an early teaching role in Alliance, Nebraska. There, after studying the Holocaust as one of several genocides, his class accurately predicted that Rwanda was the most likely place for a future genocide to take place ; one unfolded there the following year.

But Walz did not discuss his outlook on Holocaust education with some of his closest colleagues, several of them told JTA. Ihrig and Mike Sipe, another teacher who was also Mankato West’s wrestling coach, both said they had been surprised to learn last week that Walz had written a thesis about Holocaust education while they worked with him. They noted that completing a master’s degree conferred benefits including a pay raise and did not always reflect a teacher’s core interests.

Both recalled Walz as an inspiring teacher and good colleague who participated in the collaboration that took place informally in their department. (The student yearbook named Walz “Most Inspiring” the same year it called Ihrig “Most Likely to Conquer the World.”) Ihrig said Walz had been “encouraging” and “inquisitive” about the Holocaust activity, showing curiosity about elements of the exercise — which Ihrig recalls as a highlight of his teaching career more than a decade after he retired.

Ihrig said he first encountered the activity in a catalog for teachers in the late 1970s — making him one of thousands to purchase Rabbi Raymond Zwerin’s Gestapo game since its release in 1976.

Zwerin, a congregational rabbi in Denver who was married to a Holocaust survivor, designed the game in response to clamor from classroom educators for more engaging curriculum materials about the Holocaust, according to a 2022 story in the Forward . He told the news outlet that the game was meant to illustrate the role that luck — mazel, in Yiddish — played in survival.

“I think about my wife’s situation. Her parents were killed, her sister was killed, and she escapes,” he said. “Somebody found her on the street, as a little kid, and got her to the right ship at the right time. Total mazel.”

Israeli schoolchildren visit the “From Holocaust to Revival” Museum in Kibbutz Yad Mordechai in southern Israel on May 4, 2016 on the eve of the Holocaust Remembrance Day. (Menaham Kahana/AFP via Getty Images)

Zwerin’s game landed in a receptive climate. An explosion of interest in the Holocaust had generated an NBC miniseries , best-selling books and courses in high schools and colleges across the country. Simulation activities abounded: A made-for-TV movie released in 1981, “The Wave,” dramatized a classroom activity that turned students against each other without ever mentioning the Holocaust. Even some Jewish schools and camps engaged in simulations, with one boasting the slogan “Creative camping personalizes the Holocaust,” according to a 1980 New York Times story about the growing popularity of Holocaust narratives .

But qualms were already emerging. The Times story reported that Elie Wiesel, the survivor and novelist who became the face of Holocaust memory and would later win a Nobel Prize, was “appalled by the fact that well-meaning teachers think they have conveyed the meaning of the Holocaust to children by locking them in small rooms to simulate gas chambers” — a move that he traced to the NBC miniseries. “When he asked one teacher why she used simulation techniques,” the newspaper reported, “he was told, ‘If NBC could do it, if they could create fake gas chambers for their audience, why can’t we do it for children?’”

Ihrig’s classroom was never made to resemble a gas chamber. But the Gestapo activity morphed and expanded as generations of Mankato West students experienced it, Ihrig said. Students suggested that some of them act as the Gestapo. The stars, he said, were his own innovation. So was the decision to have the activity extend beyond his classroom walls.

“I wanted the students to understand that the Jewish people didn’t stop being a Jew and stop being persecuted, that it was a constant 24/7,” he told JTA. “It was too easy for these students, when the bell rang at the end of the period, to pick up and leave and life was back to normal. And so I wanted that stress, that tension, that experience, to last longer.”

But “Gestapo” students started harassing the “Jewish” ones in uncomfortable ways, Ihrig recalled, including in the bathrooms. The escalation was problematic but also instructive, he said.

“They hadn’t been coached, they hadn’t been taught. They took this upon themselves,” he said. “Probably 95% of the students were just totally compliant and obedient, which is exactly what happened in Nazi Germany.”

Borka Marinkovic, far left, talks about her experiences as the daughter of Holocaust survivors with a group of Serbian teachers during an August 2023 TOLI education seminar in Šabac, Serbia. (Larry Luxner)

Holocaust educators today say there are far better ways to teach that lesson: through survivor testimonies, by examining primary source materials and by learning about psychology and human behavior. They say role plays serve to traumatize students and trivialize the experiences of survivors and victims while not teaching anything about history.

“In the Holocaust education field, it’s universally frowned upon in the strongest way — role plays are inappropriate — and I think we’ve done a good job. All the organizations are communicating that to teachers,” said Deborah Lauter, executive director of the Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights.

“Today it would not be seen as common,” Lauter added. “It happens once in a while, and it’s shut down pretty quickly.”

A Florida middle school was inundated with criticism in 2006 after dividing students between the “privileged” and “persecuted” groups as part of a unit that included reading “The Diary of Anne Frank”; according to the ADL, one student told his parents, “The only thing I learned today is that I don’t want to be Jewish.”

A 2015 article in an Indiana newspaper described a one-day simulation participated in by teachers and students alike — and where the teacher who had conducted the activity for over a decade said he was increasingly having to combat Holocaust denial among his students.

Sipe, who still teaches at Mankato West, says there are no longer Holocaust simulations conducted in history classes there.

“I certainly don’t think it’s something that should be part of public education today,” he said. “No, the activity is certainly not part of something we do anymore.”

Ihrig said he understood that times have changed and that many would see the simulation as “traumatizing” today. But he also recalled years of positive feedback about the Gestapo activity that he said had predated Agustin’s experience, and followed it.

“I had a mother who was a school board member who talked to me and said, ‘You know, this was really emotionally draining for my daughter, and she’d come home at the end of each day and all of the stress and tension,’ because I told the students that, you know, you take this seriously, it’s going to have an impact on you,” Ihrig said. “And she said, ‘You know, that was really difficult to deal with in the week before vacation break,’ but she says, ‘I’m glad that you did that for my daughter and other students, because they needed that experience.’”

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The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition celebrates the exciting research conducted by graduate students. Developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), the exercise cultivates students’ academic, presentation and research communication skills.

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The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition is an event designed to test the presentation skills of graduate students. Knowledge in a field will allow you to succeed, but can you communicate it effectively to an audience from diverse backgrounds?

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Who was Mike Lynch? The controversial tech tycoon has been found dead after a superyacht sank.

• Tech tycoon Mike Lynch is dead after a superyacht disaster near Sicily.
• Lynch sold Autonomy to HP for more than $11 billion in 2011, sparking years of legal disputes.
• Take a look at Lynch's colorful life as "Britain's Bill Gates."

Technology tycoon Mike Lynch has been found dead after a superyacht disaster off the coast of Sicily, multiple news outlets reported Thursday, citing Italian authorities.

Lynch, who was 59, became a British success story after selling his software startup Autonomy to HP for more than $11 billion in 2011.

But HP soon accused Autonomy's bosses of fraudulently inflating the company's revenues to boost the acquisition price, sparking a 12-year legal battle for Lynch.

The latest trial ended in June with a jury acquitting Lynch of all charges.

Here's a closer look at Lynch's colorful life.

Michael Richard Lynch was born in Essex, UK on June 16, 1965.

He had humble beginnings: his mother was a nurse and his father was a fireman.

Lynch said that his father regretted not having the chance to go to university. "He realized the importance of education so that was something that was very much fostered in my home," Lynch told LeadersIn .

When he was 11 years old, he won a scholarship to study at Bancroft's School in Woodford, Essex. Today, for those not on a scholarship, the senior school charges around £21,000 or $27,000 per student per year.

Lynch, pictured in the centre of this five-piece jazz band, was interested in music from a young age.

Lynch got his first taste of management from running a band in his early 20s. The name of the band isn't known.

After school, Lynch went to the University of Cambridge to study natural sciences. During his course, he combined mathematics with biological and physical sciences.

Lynch also studied electrical sciences as part of his degree. His interest in electrical sciences led him to meet Peter Rayner, who became his mentor in the signal processing laboratory at Cambridge's engineering department.

After graduating, Lynch went on to complete a PhD at Cambridge in signal processing and communications research. It was titled: "Adaptive techniques in signal processing and connectionist models."

The PhD can be viewed here .

Toward the end of the 80s, Lynch founded a company called Lynett Systems Ltd.

The company produced designs and audio products for the music industry. One invention included a sampler for the Atari ST known as the Lynex. That was followed by the ADAS sampler for Atari, Mac, and PC.

In 1991, Lynch founded Cambridge Neurodynamics — a tech company that focused on computer-based fingerprint recognition.

Lynch also sold some of his fingerprint machines to South Yorkshire Police.

But Lynch decided to focus his efforts on software. He cofounded search software firm Autonomy in 1996 with David Tabizel and Richard Gaunt as a spinoff from Cambridge Neurodynamics. Autonomy would go on to be one of the UK's biggest tech companies.

Autonomy's first attempt to commercialize its technology was in a consumer product. It featured a virtual dog that would take commands to help internet users manage information.

However, soon after it launched, corporates started buying the technology in large numbers.

This, coupled with the emerging trend of free consumer products online, was enough to persuade Lynch to shift toward concentrating on corporates. It was a key strategic move for Autonomy.

Autonomy's software could also be used to sift through emails in place of humans, and the company's pattern-matching algorithms could abstract meaning from a jumble of information.

Lynch's beloved otterhound, Gromit (not pictured), became famous when it featured in some of Autonomy’s earlier products.

Autonomy went public in 1998 with shares priced at 30p each.

Autonomy witnessed the full power of the dot-com boom (and subsequent bust) when its shares climbed to over £30 in the late 90s before falling to under £1 when the bubble burst in 2000/2001.

Lynch told The Telegraph that managing a company through such tumultuous swings provided great training.

"It was like the Wild West back then for volatile stocks," he said. "All sorts of things went on that don't go on these days. It was very good training, you learn how to deal with quite outrageous situations."

In May 2007, Autonomy bought video search engine Blinkx from Suranga Chandratillake, who previously worked at Autonomy as CTO. Autonomy floated Blinkx in a stock market listing that valued the company at $250 million (£193 million).

Chandratillake told Business Insider: "Mike is a uniquely talented entrepreneur, especially within the European ecosystem. It's rare to find someone who is a PhD in data science but also a visionary product marketer and talented organization builder.

"I learned a great deal about business, product, marketing and the competitive element that is at the core of really successful organizations through the opportunity I had working for him as Autonomy's US CTO. Years later when he sold the company to HP, I wasn't surprised that it was the largest AI exit ever and one of the top three technology exits from Europe in history."

Autonomy made a number of other sizable acquisitions including: search software rival Verity ($500 million, December 2005); email archiving and litigation support company Zantaz ($375 million, July 2007); records management software firm Meridio Holdings (£20 million, October 2007); enterprise content management firm Interwoven ($775 million, January 2009); and online backup provider Iron Mountain Digital ($380 million, May 2011).

In October 2011, Lynch sold Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard for $11.7 billion (£8.7 billion) as the US tech giant looked to focus on software. Léo Apotheker was HP's CEO at the time but he was fired by the board as the controversial deal went through.

The acquisition turned out to be highly controversial and many of HP's shareholders claimed that HP had overpaid at the time.

Lynch took £500 million from the deal, according to ComputerworldUK .

In September 2011, Apotheker was replaced by former eBay CEO Meg Whitman. She remained committed to the Autonomy deal but she and Lynch didn't always see eye-to-eye.

In November 2012, HP announced an $8.8 billion writedown related to the Autonomy acquisition, with $5 billion due to alleged "accounting irregularities" that led HP to massively overpay for Autonomy. That same month, investors started taking legal action against HP based on how it handled the deal.

In December 2012, the US Justice Department began its probe into the Autonomy sale. The US Securities and Exchange Commission was also informed.

Around the same time, auditing giant Deloitte, which had been involved in the acquisition, came out in support of Lynch and Autonomy.

HP's legal battle with investors lasted two years before the firm won the right to settle out of court in March 2015, leaving it free to pursue Mike Lynch.

HP sued Lynch that same month for $5.1 billion in the UK's High Court.

This court case has resulted in a wider spaghetti of legal entanglements between HP and Autonomy's former executives.

In its filings to the UK High Court case, HP unveiled full details of the acquisition. It said that Lynch inflated revenues by $700 million (£541 million) over a two-and-a-half-year period. 

After writing off three-quarters of Autonomy's value, HP sold what was left of the company to British firm Micro Focus in September 2016 as part of an $8.8 billion (£6.8 billion) deal that involved other HP business units.

Just to confuse things further, Lynch counter-sued HP in October 2015 for more than $150 million.

In October 2015, Lynch counter-sued HP in London's High Court for more than $150 million (£116 million) over the allegations of massive fraud it against him. Lynch accused Whitman of trashing his reputation and hampering his venture capital fundraising efforts.

In the meantime, Lynch planned a $1 billion (£770 million) fund called Invoke Capital to invest in fundamental European technologies.

Commenting on the fallout between HP and Autonomy at TechCrunch Disrupt in 2016 , Lynch said: "It's a sad thing that happened in the end."

He added: "The UK model is there's no way of stopping a takeover. So when Hewlett Packard came along and wanted to make its offer, we couldn't stop them. The people that were doing it at the time, Leo and Shane (head of strategy), had an amazing strategy. What they wanted to do was to take the company, refocus it into this new age of big data and software and machine intelligence and that was exciting and we got convinced by them.

"We could see the future was that way. The problem was the week after the deal they get fired and we're left with a hardware group that used to call us the stepchild. All the understanding of clever, high growth, software people wasn't there."

Darktrace developed software that helps organizations detect intruders on their network.

The company's technology, which can spot unusual email activity and suspicious file uploads, is underpinned by complex maths that was developed at Cambridge University.

"The reason I liked it was that it was a completely new approach," Lynch told Business Insider in 2016 . "Most of what's out there in cybersecurity is based on knowing what you're looking for. So things like anti-virus and that sort of stuff, or trying to build a big wall around the outside of your company, a boundary.

"The problem is that the world's moved on and the attacks no longer have signatures. You can get kits that make attacks that don't look like anything that's been done before. But also every day you allow loads of people to walk through your wall and so the wall is pretty porous. The reality I was familiar with from some of my other roles as directors of large companies is that it's very, very hard to keep stuff out. The reality is almost every company is infiltrated. So you have to take a different approach. You have to do it much more like an immune system."

Lynch's successes were overshadowed by the Autonomy lawsuits. Former CFO Sushovan Hussain was charged with fraud in April 2018.

A US jury found former Autonomy CFO Sushovan Hussain guilty of fraud. They found he had played a key part in the takeover by HP, which boosted his own wealth by $7.7 million. 

Hussain was sentenced in 2019 to five years in prison.

Mike Lynch was later charged with fraud and lost a long battle against extradition to the US.

The US Department of Justice filed 14 charges of fraud and conspiracy against Lynch in November 2018. The charges carried a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and US prosecutors wanted to see Lynch give up the $815 million he made from the Autonomy sale.

Following the charges, Lynch stepped back from his public activities. He stepped down from the board of Darktrace, and as an advisor to the Royal Society and the government.

The Sunday Times once referred to Lynch as "Britain's Bill Gates," while The Financial Times called him "the doyen of European software."

Lynch kept red poll cattle and other rare animal breeds at his home in Suffolk.

"I keep rare breeds," Lynch told Leaders In in an interview uploaded to YouTube . "So I have cows that became defunct in the 1940s and pigs that no one has kept since the medieval times and none of them have any Apple products whatsoever."

HP won a fraud claim against Lynch in the UK in 2022, but Lynch was cleared of all charges by a US jury in June 2024.

Mike Lynch died in a superyacht disaster off the coast of Sicily.

Mike Lynch was confirmed dead by Italian authorities on August 22 after his family superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily three days earlier.

He was declared missing after a violent storm capsized Bayesian, a luxury sailing vessel. His body and those of several other passengers were recovered a few days later.

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