What is a "thesis statement"?

What is a "thesis statement"?

Shelbi Wilson (Teacher, Lincoln High School, Riverside, CA) gives expert video advice on: What's the secret to getting started on a high school research paper?; How can I find great sources for my research paper? and more...

The most important thing in a high-school research paper is to have something that you're going to prove to the reader. And that's your thesis statement: What is it that you want the researcher or the person reading your paper, your audience, to know at the end of your paper? What makes that better than just reciting general information or things that you found off the internet, is that you are using your own passion and your own desire and you're going and you're finding information to support what you already believe. And that's important. A lot of students don't necessarily understand how to formulate their thesis statement. And a thesis can be something as simple as "School is boring." Well, can you prove that to me? And I may have to go and research - there are fifteen students in my classroom that say "School is boring!" Now, I can expand that to say well, Time magazine, or Newsweek, or current research, but the bottom line is that you've taken something you're passionate about, and you've decided to prove it.