Process

Review the Issue/Position Identification Guidelines for the contest. Read the definitions of Thesis and Issue aloud to each other. After reading the definitions, review each of the examples to learn how to distinguish the issue from the position. Pay close attention to where the thesis and issue are usually located in the article, this will help a lot when you need to identify these on your own. Select 4 articles from the Opinion section of one of the following websites: You may want to focus on articles that appear interesting to you. Recored the title and author of each of the articles on the first page of the Contest Application you can find here...
 * [[image:http://questgarden.com/09/64/9/051115223847/images/readnewspaper2.GIF width="153" height="146" align="left"]]1. Review Issue/Position Identification Guidelines.**
 * 2. Select Articles to Review**
 * [|TeenInk.com Opinion Page]
 * [|USA Today Opinion Page]
 * [|Yahoo! News]
 * [|New York Times Opinion and Editorials]
 * [|Los Angeles Times Opinion]
 * [|Washington Post Opinion Page]

Read the first few paragraphs of the articles you selected in step 2, focusing on identifying the issue and position in each of these articles. After you've identified the issue and the thesis statement, copy these down on the first page of the Contest Application.
 * [[image:http://questgarden.com/09/64/9/051115223847/images/FillingOutForm.gif width="140" height="140" align="right"]]3. Fill-Out Contest Form**

Review the thesis statement and decide if you feel the thesis is convincing and if the author includes a reason why they believe in their position, recording your answer on the contest application. Page 2 of the Contest Application requires that you construct your own thesis and position statements. Review the issues proposed on the application and decide where you stand on three of the issues. For each of these three issues, write an effective thesis that states your position and why you believe in that position. You may want to try using the [|Online Thesis Builder]. When you have completed the entire application, write your name at the top of both pages.
 * 4. Evaluate Thesis**
 * [[image:http://questgarden.com/09/64/9/051115223847/images/type.gif width="150" height="149" align="left"]]5. Construct Your Own Thesis/Positon**
 * 6. Assemble and Submit Application**