This handout provides definitions, examples, and explanations of essential differences between thesis and claim statements. Best used near the beginning of the unit to establish foundations for argumentation, it helps students to differentiate from the often more familar thesis statement to the claim statement in order to understand how the claim is the focus of an argument. Examples mirror those in the Argumentation with integrity: Lesson 2 presentation and may be supplemented by the infographic found on the Thesis or claim poster .