The line spring model with arbitrary distributed loads on crack surfaces is used to obtain the approximate solution for a surface-cracked plate subjected to thermal shock. The general formulation is finally reduced to two integral equations for net ligament stress and moment. Assuming that inertia effects and the temperature-dependence of thennoelastic constants are neglected, the transient thermal stresses in an uncracked state can be obtained from uncoupled thermoelasticity. These stresses can be used as surface tractions for the calculations of stress intensity factors. Numerical results of the transient stress intensity factors for a semi-elliptical surface crack are tabulated for various values of Biot number, Fourier number and the crack depth-to-thickness ratio.