As a pre-writing exercise, you should consider constructing a thesis map for your paper. The map includes the thesis of your paper, the topic sentence for each paragraph in the body of your paper, and the specific examples you will use to support your topic sentences.

Although the thesis map requires two specific examples for each topic sentence, sometimes, you might only have one example to illustrate your point. At other times, you might have more than two. Remember that the thesis map is a tool you can modify to fit your needs; not a set of arbitrary rules to which you must fit your writing.

I have designed a graphical illustration of a thesis map.

Example Essay and Thesis Map

After reading Making the Most From College: Students Speak Their Minds, I wrote "Getting to Know an Instructor" explaining why it is important for students to get to know their instructors. My essay could be graphically illustrated using a thesis map.