Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region VII, Central Visayas
DIVISION OF MANDAUE CITY
Jose L. Briones St.,Mandaue City

THESIS STATEMENT IN
ACADEMIC TEXTS
ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC
AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES
FOR SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

SELF-LEARNING KIT
 One of the most essential parts to any essay is the thesis
statement. A thesis statement is an imperative trait to form a
strong essay. Learning how to form a thesis statement is very
important. There are two main reasons why thesis statements are
so important for an essay: (1) It provides direction to help the
writer keep their paper organized; and, (2) It tells the audience
what they will be reading about.

This module will enable you to understand what makes up a

solid thesis. In the basis of an essay, a thesis must support three
things: audience, purpose, and content. This basically just means
that it answers the who, why, and what in your thesis. Who are
you writing this thesis for? Why are you writing this thesis? What will
be included in this thesis? To achieve all of these, you will be
guided by this material along with the exercises inside.

This Self-Learning Kit is divided into three parts:

A. What happened? Where they will perform different activities

related to the learning competency.
B. What to Know? This is the part wherein the competencies will
be elaborated further.
C. What have you learned? The part where we will determine
their knowledge on the learning competency.

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 The learner acquires knowledge of appropriate reading strategies
for a better understanding of academic texts.

The learner produces a detailed abstract of information gathered

from the various academic texts read.

CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-Ia-c-6: States the thesis statement of an

academic text.

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

 Determine the qualities of a well-crafted thesis
statement;
 Identify explicit and implicit thesis statements in
texts;
 Use strategies for using thesis statements to
predict content of texts; and,
 Formulate a thesis statement of academic text.

WELCOME BACK!

3 Image: mycutegraphics.com
 I. What Happened?
PRE-ASSESSMENT
Read the selection below. Then, write the main idea of the whole essay.
The Golden Age Of Comics

Comics have been in existence since the end of the 19th century, but it was after the depression that
the popularity of newspaper cartoons expanded into a major industry.

The precise era of the Golden Age is disputed, though most agree that it was born with the launch of
Superman in 1938. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Superman is possibly the most recognizable
comic book character to this day.

The success of Superman spawned a series of spin-offs and created a whole new genre of characters
with secret identities, superhuman powers and colorful outfits – the superhero. Batman and Robin,
Wonder Woman, Plastic Man, Green Lantern and Flash were amongst those who followed.

Captain Marvel proved to be one of the most popular superhero comics of the Golden Age, regularly
outselling the adventures of Superman during the 1940s.

The sales of comic books increased markedly during World War II. They were cheap, portable and had
inspirational, patriotic stories of good triumphing over evil. The tales very much reflected the events and
values of the time. Pro-American characters were popular, particularly Captain America, a superhero
whose entire creation was based on aiding the country’s war effort.

Sporting the stars and stripes as his costume, Captain America was pictured battling Adolf Hitler on the
cover of the very first issue. Though the superhero comics were the top sellers, other genres emerged
during the Golden Age.

Horror and crime were popular, notably The Spirit, a masked detective who captured villains and
dispensed justice.

Science fiction and Western-themed comics were some of the new styles of story-telling that started to
appear. The teen genre was also gaining interest. A comic strip featuring a red-head named Archibald
"Archie" Andrews debuted in 1941, becoming so popular the company that created it changed its
name to Archie Comics in 1946.

Animal and jungle themed comics were led by Walt Disney, featuring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and
Tarzan.

After the war, the superhero genre lost steam, marking what many consider to be the end of the
Golden Age. The era itself, though, left an indelible mark on comic books with many of the characters
remaining popular almost 70 years later. The first superhero, Superman is still alive and well in popular
culture today.

Perhaps one of the most important impacts of the Golden Age was the cementation of the comic as a
mainstream artform, with its own defined language and creative conventions.

Main Idea:
___________________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________________
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 II. What to Learn?

Image: mycutegraphics.com
Starting your journey at a university or any institution can be frightening
with all the new impressions being thrown at you. It is a whole new way of
living and the projects can be very different. Writing is crucial to many
college classes. Unlike high school level writing, college level writing can be a
bit more comprehensive. Professors tend to look for key elements in your
essays. One of the most critical parts to any essay is the thesis statement.
Formulating a well-written thesis statement is very important. A thesis
statement is a vital trait to form a strong essay. Normally one or two
sentences, a thesis unifies and provides direction for a piece of writing.

There are two focal reasons why thesis statements are imperative for an
essay:
• First, a thesis is developed to construct a focus on an essay’s main idea. It is
important to write the main idea in a few sentence to create a well-
defined idea for the paper. The thesis gives direction to the writer as well as
the reader.
• Second, a well-crafted thesis statement helps the reader comprehend the
central idea of the essay. The thesis statement sets the reader up for the
rest of the essay as it tells them what they will be reading about.

Since thesis statements are essential in any essay, it is important to identify

the key features of what makes up a compacted thesis. It must support three
things: audience, purpose, and content. This answer the questions who, why,
and what. Who are you writing this thesis for? Ascertain who the audiences
are to clarify who your paper is for. Why are you writing this thesis? Establish a
purpose to guarantee the reader’s direction when reading your paper. What
will be included in this thesis? Determine the important points of your essay
and include them in your thesis.

Lastly, readers should easily discover the thesis in your essay. It should be
clear and concise so that it can be identified. If someone can’t find the thesis
in your essay, go back and make sure that you created a meaningful and
well-understood thesis.
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 A thesis statement is one of the most important elements of any successful
essay. A thesis statement controls the subject matter of the essay and states
something significant to the reader. It is the one statement that summarizes
the main point of the essay and states why the essay is important and worth
reading. An essay that lacks a strong thesis will be inadequate and often
lacking in focus.

The following are qualities of a well-crafted thesis statement:

• Should identify a specific purpose, a specific way to accomplish the

purpose, and oftentimes a specific audience (depending on the type of
essay).
• Should assert something about the essay.
• Should be easily identifiable by a reader and should be clear and not
ambiguous.
• Generally comes toward the end of the introduction.
• States the main idea of the essay in a complete sentence, not in a
question form
• States an opinion or attitude on a topic. It doesn’t just state the topic, itself
• It often lists subtopics
• It does not directly announce the main topic

Example #1: "In order to succeed in the classroom, college students need to
utilize the resources available to them throughout their academic careers."
Notice how this thesis statement includes a specific audience (college
students), a specific purpose (success in the classroom) and the specific way
this can be accomplished (utilizing available resources).

Example #2: "The Philippine government needs to implement a nationalized

healthcare system to lower the cost of healthcare and improve the overall
health of all citizens." Notice how, much like the above example, this thesis
statement also has a specific purpose (lowering the cost of healthcare and
improving health) and a specific way to do so (implementing national
healthcare). What this thesis does not address, because of the nature of the
essay and topic, is a specific audience. A thesis statement for an argument
essay does not always address a specific audience since it is written to
broader audience with the attempt to persuade others to a specific
viewpoint.

Just as the contents of the essay may change during the writing process, so
may the thesis statement. It is important to create a thesis statement before
writing the paper. There are what we call as working thesis because it
changes along with the contents of the essay. It is important that a writer
uses the thesis to direct the creation of the essay, but it is also important that
the writer is open to changing the thesis, as necessary.
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1. Analyze your topic. For example, ask yourself the question, “What do you
notice?” What do you notice about your topic? Do you notice any patterns
in your pre-writing?
2. Focus on the rank of each detail. What three details are more interesting,
significant, revealing or strange? Circle these in your pre-writing activity.
3. Write down why they struck you as the most interesting. This step is to
analyze your topic. Don’t generalize or jump to judgment.
4. After you have determined the most interesting subtopics, make an
assertion – a sentence stating your topic and the point you want to make
about it.
5. If you are having trouble producing an assertion, change your topic into a
question that your essay can answer. After you have created the question,
develop the answer.

How to Generate a Thesis Statement if the Topic is Assigned

Almost all assignments, no matter how complicated, can be reduced to a

single question. Your first step, then, is to distill the assignment into a specific
question. For example, if your assignment is “Write a report to the local school
board explaining the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade
class,” turn the request into a question like “What are the potential benefits of
using computers in a fourth-grade class?” After you’ve chosen the question
your essay will answer, compose one or two complete sentences answering
that question.
-- The answer to the question is the thesis statement for the essay.

How to Generate a Thesis Statement if the Topic is Not Assigned

Even if your assignment doesn’t ask a specific question, your thesis statement
still needs to answer a question about the issue you’d like to explore. In this
situation, your job is to figure out what question you’d like to write about.

A Bad Thesis Statement:

There are some negative and positive aspects to the Banana Herb Tea
Supplement.

A Good Thesis Statement:

Because Banana Herb Tea Supplement promotes rapid weight loss that
results in the loss of muscle and lean body mass, it poses a potential danger
to customers.

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 The following discussion defines the key terms explicit and implicit, as they
relate to thesis statements and other ideas present in what you read. It also
introduces the excellent idea of the reading voice and the thinking voice
that strong readers use as they work through a text.

Actually, yes! These

Is it true that there are
thesis statements are
explicit and implicit
in a form of
thesis statements?
arguments or claims.

Image: mycutegraphics.com

The author Pavel Zemliansky posits on her online article that arguments
can be explicit and implicit. Explicit arguments contain noticeable and
definable thesis statements and lots of specific evidences. Implicit arguments,
on the other hand, work by weaving together facts and narratives, logic and
emotion, personal experiences and statistics. Unlike explicit arguments,
implicit arguments do not have a one-sentence thesis statement. Instead,
authors of implicit arguments use evidence of many different kinds in
effective and creative ways to build and convey their point of view to their
audience. Research is essential for creative effective arguments of both
kinds.

In simple say, explicit means directly stated. If something is stated explicitly,

it is clear. It is obvious. The opposite of that is implicit. Implicit means that
something written down is not directly stated. However, when an author
writes implicitly, clues are given so that the reader can figure out what the
author is trying to say. When an author writes implicitly, the reader has to
draw inferences. And an inference is the act or process of using clues or
evidence to draw a conclusion.

Remember that successful readers go beyond explicit ideas. Successful

readers dig deeper using the author's clues to draw inferences on implicit
information. Successful readers use the author's clues to support their thinking
voice as evidence.

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What you're going to do for part one of this practice is you
are going to be reading some statements. Your job is to
decide if the following are good thesis statements or not.
Write yes if it is a good one. Write no if it is a weak thesis
statement. Then, explain why did you say “yes” or why you
did say “no.”

1. Cancer is a bad disease. Image: mycutegraphics.com

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

2. Some children have to walk to school.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

3. Transformers is a great movie.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

4. High schools should require students to wear uniforms.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

5. Every seventy-four years, Haley’s comet passes Earth.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

6. The Philippine government needs to raise its minimumwage for workers.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

7. Greenland is an island made of ice.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

8. This essay will explain whycollege tuition rates are increasing.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

9. It is necessary because children need help and need to be safe.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

10. Political fighting prevents the government from functioning properly.

___________________________________________________________________________
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 #2 Good job! On this part, you are going to read the
following paragraphs. Extract the thesis statement and
write it on your own words. Write it on the space provided.
Good luck!

Image: mycutegraphics.com

1. Previous studies revealed that meaning-focused instruction (MFI) and form-

focused instruction (FFI) are two of the most effective approaches in developing
the overall language skills of second language learners, separately. However, no
experimental studies have been conducted to prove their effectiveness when
integrated. This study, therefore, aims to fill in this gap by investigating the effects
of combining MFI and FFI in developing the speaking, writing, and grammar skills
of selected secondary ESL students in public high schools in the Philippines. The
participants involved in this study are 480 third year high school students. These
students were divided into four groups: Group A (n=120) received both the MFI
and FFI, Group B (n=120) received MMI only, Group C (n=120) received FFI only,
and Group D (n=120) received the standard English programme for secondary
ESL students. Findings revealed that students from Group A, B, and C significantly
improved in their speaking, writing, and grammar skills but not Group D. Based
on ANOVA, findings further showed that students from Group A have
outperformed students from Group B,C, D. From these findings, it is concluded
that combining MFI and FFI is an effective way in significantly improving the
language skills of students. Future directions and implications for teaching are
also discussed.

Thesis statement:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

2. Filipinos are frequent moviegoers. Perhaps because of the comic relief that
comedy films promise, or the fairytale ending we all want to have that the rom-
coms provide, we indulge in the cinematography of moving pictures. In the 1984
Guinness Book of World Records, the Philippines was listed as the nation with the
world’s most avid film-going public, averaging 19 trips to the cinema per year, per
person (Yeatter, 2007). In a more recent statistic, the country has also been known
to have the highest level of theatre admission in Southeast Asia, with 63 million
moviegoers in 2004 (“Phil. Indie films”, n.d.). More often than not, movie theatres
all over the Metro are filled with people who want to break out from their usual
working routine to catch a two-hour movie with friends. Oddly enough, however,
we as constant consumers of these motion pictures tend to patronize those that
are made particularly international.

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Thesis Statement:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

3. There is a challenge posted to higher education. That is to attune its present

educational goals, objectives, and mission-vision to the demands of a globalized
world. Consequently, institutions, especially in the developing countries, have
started to reconstruct their global dynamics of knowledge production through
establishing linkages among institutions across nations. Generally, the common
set of internationalization of higher education highlights the importance of
promoting cultural diversity and fostering intercultural understanding, respect,
and tolerance among people (Turner and Robinson, 2007). These reiterations of
what internationalization of higher education should emphasize are actually
based on the profound belief that the cultural heritage of people is universal and
humankind shares the bond of humanity and global citizenship in the process of
advancement of knowledge (Wing, 2010)… Exploratory in nature, this paper aims
to examine the key concepts on IHE. Specifically, this paper reviews articles which
will shed light on the significant ideas, proposes a preliminary framework for IHE in
the Philippines.

Thesis Statement:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

4. Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) plays a crucial role in ensuring
that children are taught the skills and knowledge essential in building a learner’s
interest to acquire education in life. Recognizing the benefits of ECCD to a person’s
well-being and the country, RA No. 8980 or the ECCD Act was legislated to
institutionalize a national ECCD system. Through the ECCD ACT, a comprehensive,
integrative, and sustainable ECCD framework of the country was developed. This
ECCD Act promotes multisectoral and inter-agency collaboration under the
coordination of a national ECCD Council.

Thesis Statement:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

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III. What Have You Learned?
A. Directions: State if the following thesis is weak or strong. Then explain why.

1. The court needs to implement stronger sentences.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

2. Charles Dickens is a good author.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

3. History is an important subject.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

4. Charles Dickens uses the setting of his novels to emphasize the theme of
class division.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

5. Socialism is the best form of government for Kenya because it will promote
equal opportunity for workers.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

6. If the government takes over the copper industry in Kenya, it will become
more efficient through regulation and standardization.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

7. Sigmund Freud is one of the greatest psychologists in medical history.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

8. Because Banana Herb Tea Supplement promotes rapid weight loss that
results in the loss of muscle and lean body mass, it poses a potential danger
to customers.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

9. Movies are becoming more and more daring in their subject matter.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

10. Jane Austen’s book entitled Pride and Prejudice is one of the best novels.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

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B. Directions: Create a thesis statement based on the following information.

1. Topic: Education is important to have.

Supports:
a. It could enable one to get a better paying job.
b. It makes a person a more interesting individual.
c. It makes a person a more informed citizen.

Thesis Statement:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

2. Topic: Bowling is a sport for everyone.

Supports:
a. It is not limited to any age group.
b. It can be played at any time.
c. It does not require any expensive equipment.

Thesis Statement:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

3. Topic: Young children require a lot of care.

Supports:
a. You must provide for their physical needs.
b. You must provide for their emotional needs.
c. You must help them grow mentally.

Thesis Statement:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

4. Topic: You have won the lottery and can choose to travel anywhere in the
world.
Supports:
a. I would travel to France because I love French food.
b. Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and I would like to see it.
c. I would like to practice my French and become more fluent.

Thesis Statement:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

13
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF MANDAUE CITY
NIMFA D. BONGGO, Ed.D., CESO V
Schools Division Superintendent

ESTELA B. SUSVILLA, Ph.D., CESO VI

Assitant Schools Division Superintendent
JAIME P. RUELAN, Ph.D.
Chief, Curriculum Implementation Division

ISMAELITA N. DESABILLE, Ed.D.

Education Program Supervisor (LRMDS)

DR. MERCEDITA M. DEMORAL

Education Program Supervisor, ENGLISH

DEAL B. DEMETILLO
Writer

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
REGIONAL OFFICE VII

SALUSTIANO T. JIMENEZ, ED.D, JD, CESO V

OIC, Regional Director

CRISTITO A. ECO
OIC, Assistant Regional Director
MAURITA F. PONCE
LRMDS, Education Program Supervisor
DR. JUVELYN P. OTERO
MAPEH, Education Program Supervisor

14
 SYNOPSIS

One of the most essential parts to any essay is the thesis statement. A
thesis statement is an imperative trait to form a strong essay. Learning how to
form a thesis statement is very important. There are two main reasons why
thesis statements are so important for an essay: (1) It provides direction to
help the writer keep their paper organized; and, (2) It tells the audience what
they will be reading about.

This module will enable you to understand what makes up a solid thesis. In
the basis of an essay, a thesis must support three things: audience, purpose,
and content. This basically just means that it answers the who, why, and what
in your thesis. Who are you writing this thesis for? Why are you writing this
thesis? What will be included in this thesis? To achieve all of these, you will be
guided by this material along with the exercises inside.

There are several exercises and tests that will guide and track the Senior
High School students’ progress while still enjoying their journey on this module.
They will find several critical thinking activities that will make the learning fun
and challenging.

Writer: MA. THERESA P. TATANG. Graduated Bachelor of Arts

in English Major in Applied Linguistics at Cebu Technological
University – Main Campus. Took 30 units in Master of Arts in
Literature at Cebu Normal University – Main Campus. A
Senior High School Teacher at Cabancalan National High
School.

15
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barrot, Ph. D., Jessie Saraza. “Locating Main Ideas.” Essay. In Communication
Today: English for Academic and Professional Purposes, edited by Philippe
John Fresnillo Sipacio, 17–22. Quezon City, Quezon: C & E Publishing, Inc.,
2016.

Armstrong, Nancy. “Thesis Statements – Web Worksheet,” 2017.

https://bit.ly/3js4Gg3.
Atkins, Todd. “What Is a Thesis Statement,” 2008. https://bit.ly/2WG4JuL.
Bishoff, M. “Thesis Statement.” LinkedIn SlideShare, September 5, 2011.
https://bit.ly/2CVWDrb.
Bornstein, Leah. “Online Writing Lab.” The Writing Process - Thesis Statements -
Aims Community College, 2020. https://bit.ly/3jmLa4F.
DiSalvo, M. “Writing Thesis Statements,” 2018. https://bit.ly/3hsrVoz.
Tabler, Mackenzie. “Importance of a Thesis Statement.” Writing Right. Writing
Right, December 4, 2014. https://bit.ly/2WLUJAt.
Cowan, Wes, et, al. “The Golden Age Of Comics | History Detectives.” PBS.
Public Broadcasting Service, 2014. https://to.pbs.org/2E4s9nf.
Unknown. “Pre-Writing and Thesis Statement Strategies,” 2008.
https://bit.ly/2ZMCwEM.
Zemliansky, Pavel. “Basic Reading and Writing.” Identifying Thesis Statements
| Basic Reading and Writing, 2018. https://bit.ly/2CTaKxi.

17
 It is hoped that you have understood and mastered the
competencies covered in the Self-Learning Kit. The skills you have
learned will be of great help as you take part in the challenging
demands of society.
The enriching experiences you have gained through this learning
material enable you to know more about yourself, especially your
capabilities. Hence, you are ready to extend your horizons.
Learning the essential competencies in English for Academic and
Professional Purposes is to prepare you to become globally
competitive in the future. As you meet the complex demands of the
global world, you stand confident because of the wide range of
competencies you have mastered which made you more expressive
of your thoughts and ideas.
Bringing up rear, as productive learners, you are equipped with the
21st century skills which you need to be ready for tomorrow’s world.

Learning Resource Management and

Development Center (LRMDC)
Curriculum Implementation Division
Division of Mandaue City