Have students review the sections of the handbook on developing and revising a thesis and on wordiness or conciseness. Then have each student express her or his thesis as a haiku (5 syllables / 7 syllables / 5 syllables). For example: Balinese cockfight And American football. Texts of culture both. This is not an easy exercise, but it’s a great way to have students focus on the core of what they want their papers to say, in its most condensed form.