Four Square Writing Method to write a thesis statement

Four Square Writing Method

This is the Four Square writing Method and it was developed by Judith S. Gould  and Evan Jay Gould. Normally it is used for primary kids but we also used it in junior and middle schools. Today, let us learn how to construct a thesis statement using this writing method. As you can see that the topic is placed in the middle square and in each square, you can write your keyword and when you are done with 3 keywords-in the fourth square, you can construct your thesis statement using all the three keywords.  Now, let’s see how it is done. The topic: Importance of doing community service.

I have put all the three keywords in each square and in the fourth square I have framed a sentence using the 3 keywords. Thus, forming my thesis statement. This method can be suitable to write even your introduction and body paragraphs which I practise in primary classes. I suggest you to explore more on this method.

How to write a thesis statement?

Thesis statement is an engine of an essay that moves the information down the paragraphs in very logical order. Any student daring to write without the thesis statement will never have complete control over the content of the essay. In other words, the flow of the essay will be erratic and lack cohesiveness.

The pattern of thesis statement is mostly subjected to the demand and the nature of the essay. However, in our case, we are writing an essay that consist of 5 paragraphs and therefore, we will be designing a thesis statement that has three keywords in it.

Now, let us look at some of the examples of the thesis statement with three key words. The first one is derived from the 3 Golden Rs shared by Current Education Minister of Bhutan.       

2. An ideal student is characterized by three qualities: responsibility, respect and resilience.

3. Responsibility, respect and resilience are the three key factors that define an ideal student.

The above three thesis statements have same keywords but their pattern varies which hardly matters as long as you have three solid keywords. Moreover, if you examine closely,  the three keywords used should be either adjective or noun. 

 The bottom line is-you must ensure uniformity while you use the three keywords.

Now, let’s look at the formula for the thesis statement.

2. Simple Webbing

After webbing, choose three suitable keywords and your thesis statement should possibly look like this: Junk food is health hazardous because it causes obesity, cardiovascular disease and vitamin deficiencies.

In next session if possible, let us learn how to use Four-square method to construct a thesis statement.