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Lesson 2

We work on crafting a thesis statement and supporting claims with relevant evidence using a tool.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I develop my Culminating Task draft into a focused, structured, and coherent piece of writing by using an organizing structure appropriate to purpose, topic, and context?

  • Can I develop my Culminating Task draft into a focused, structured, and coherent piece of writing by developing an engaging idea reflecting depth of thought with specific details, examples, and commentary?

  • Can I plan my Culminating Task writing to be appropriate for various purposes and audiences by generating ideas through a range of strategies, such as brainstorming?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • The Odyssey, Homer, translated by Robert Fagles, Penguin Publishing Group, 1996
  • Unit Reader
    • “A Translator’s Reckoning with the Women of the Odyssey,” Emily Wilson, The New Yorker, December 8, 2017
    • “Odysseus the Foreigner,” Joshua R. Hall, Ancient World Magazine, June 22, 2018
  • Digital Access
    • “What Is Xenia?,” Greek Comix, YouTube
    • “What Role Do the Gods Play in The Iliad and The Odyssey?,” Barry Powell, YouTube, Oxford University Press, June 30, 2014

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read

We will review the criteria and process for writing a thesis statement prior to reviewing and revising our central claims as thesis statements for the Culminating Task’s expository essay.

Review the expectations about your central claim (or thesis statement) on the Culminating Task Checklist. Remember the following guidelines as you review and revise your claim as a thesis statement for your essay:

  • It should respond directly to the Central Question.

  • It should be specific, not too vague or broad.

  • It should reflect and be supported by the evidence you have identified.

  • It should cover what you plan to discuss in your paper.

  • It generally appears at the end of the first paragraph.

  • You can revise your thesis statement if your focus shifts.

Activity 2: Write

We will revise our central claim into a thesis statement to be used in composing the essay for the Culminating Task.

Write a thesis statement or central claim for your essay for the Culminating Task. Remember the following:

  • The thesis needs to answer the task’s prompt and question.

  • The thesis should be a guide map for what you will say overall in the essay—if you had to sum it up for someone in one sentence.

  • The thesis is only preliminary; in other words, it is a rough draft and subject to revision and change as you continue composing the essay.

You will want to revisit the thesis statement at various points throughout the composition process to ensure that it is serving your essay in the way that it should.

Activity 3: Write

We will review our previous notes as we gather our thoughts and move toward locating evidence to support our central claims and thesis statements.

Review the structure of the Organizing Evidence Tool, noting that it provides places to record evidence that supports your central claim and a series of supporting claims. Before you can organize evidence for your essay, you will need to think about the ideas you will present to support your central claim and develop your thesis.

Generate a list of claim statements that explain or develop your thesis. To do so, you can develop an outline or cluster diagram around the thesis statement. You might also use the Culminating Task’s set of expectations to organize your supporting claims.

Thesis:

  • Present and develop a central claim about how Homer depicts power in The Odyssey.

Supporting Claims:

  • Present and develop supporting claims, explaining Homer’s message.

  • Provide evidence for the claims based on the events from the poem as well as supplemental texts.

  • Explain how evidence from the texts develops and supports your central claim.

  • Explain connections or comparisons among the pieces of evidence and how they together are representative of how Homer depicts the idea of power in The Odyssey.

Record your central claim (thesis) and the supporting claim statements you have drafted on the Organizing Evidence Tool. These claims will now organize the evidence you decide to use in your essay. Note that the tool asks you both to provide (record and cite) the evidence and analyze (explain) how it supports your claims.

Review all of your notes and previous work to gather additional evidence related to your central and supporting claims. Record and cite evidence you identify on the Organizing Evidence Tool.