Before instructors ask students to write a thesis statement for any paper, they should discuss the common misconceptions regarding thesis statements: what do students think a thesis is? After discussing what a thesis does (and does not do), instructors can provide examples of thesis statements from previous semesters/ones they wrote themselves and then ask students to dissent what each example does well and what is missing. [As a follow-up homework assignment, students can create mind maps to elaborate on the topic as a visual way to brainstorm what their ideas are and organize them to solidify the thesis. The next class could then use one of the 2 following activities.] 

Students will bring a tentative thesis statement to class. The instructor should explain beforehand that the thesis does not need to be a sentence but can be multiple sentences/a paragraph (depending on the length of the essay) and should be arguable. In class, students will sit in pairs and (politely) argue with each other to ensure that the thesis does make an arguable claim.