Writing an Outline

Writing an Outline

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Introduction Paragraph

• Hook

• Thesis

Hook: The first thing your reader will see when they read your paper

• Can start with a...

  Question, statistic, mystery, quote, metaphor/simile

• Should engage the audience

• Make them want to continue to read your paper

Open Ended

Write a hook for the following topic: School should only be 4 days a week

Open Ended

Write a hook for the following topic: College athletes should be paid

Body Paragraphs

• Topic Sentence

• Supporting Details

Topic Sentence: Identify the main ideas of the paragraph

• Should be general--not too specific

• Leave the deails of the paragraph to the

• Example: "The most important problem in our city is the poor public transportation."

Multiple Choice

_________________________________________________. North Americans send cards for many occasions. They send cards to family and friends on birthdays and holidays. They also send thank-you cards, get well cards, graduation cards, and congratulation cards. It is very common to buy cards in stores and send them through the mail, but turning on the computer and sending cards over the Internet is also popular.

• Sending cards is very popular in North America

• Birthday cards are the most popular kind of card.

• It is important to send thank-you cards.

Multiple Choice

_____________________________________. I enjoy summer sports like water skiing and baseball. The weather is usually sunny and hot, so I can go to the beach almost every day. Gardening is my hobby and I spend many summer days working in my garden. Unfortunately, the days pass too quickly in summer.

• I like to garden in the summer.

• Summer is my favorite season.

• Summer is to short.

Multiple Choice

________________________________________ . First of all, we need money to repair old roads and build new roads. We also need more to pay teachers’ salaries and to pay for services such as trash collection. Finally, more tax money is needed to give financial help to the poor citizens of the city. It is clear that the city will have serious problems if taxes are not raised soon.

• City taxes are too high.

• City taxes pay for new roads.

• We should raise city taxes.

Multiple Choice

_________________________________________ . For example, a person can have breakfast in New York, board an airplane, and have dinner in Paris. A businesswoman in London can instantly place an order with a factory in Hong Kong by sending a fax. Furthermore, a schoolboy in Tokyo can turn on a TV and watch a baseball game being played in Los Angeles.

• Airplanes have changed our lives.

• Advances in technology have made our world seem smaller

• The fax machine is a very important invention.

Open Ended

Write one topic sentence for the topic: School should only be 4 days a week.

Open Ended

Write one topic sentence for the topic: College athletes should be paid.

Conclusion

A conclusion is what you will leave with your reader. It “wraps up” your essay. It demonstrates to the reader that you accomplished what you set out to do. It shows how you have proved your thesis. It provides the reader with a sense of closure on the topic

What to include

• Your conclusion wraps up your essay in a tidy package and brings it home for your reader

• Do not simply restate your thesis statement, as that would be redundant

  Rephrase the thesis statement with fresh and deeper understanding

• Your conclusion is no place to bring up new ideas

• Your supporting sentences should summarize what you have already said in the body of your essay.

  If a brilliant idea tries to sneak into the final paragraph, you must pluck it out and let it have its own paragraph in the body, or leave it out completely

What to include pt. 2

• Your topic for each body paragraph should be summarized in the conclusion

  Wrap up the main points

• Your closing sentence should help the reader feel a sense of closure

• Your closing sentence is your last word on the subject; it is your “clincher”

  Demonstrate the importance of your ideas Propel your reader to a new view of the subject End on a positive note

• Closing sentence should make me glad I read your paper

Conclusion Outline

• Topic sentence: Fresh rephrasing of thesis statement

• Supporting sentences

  Summarize or wrap up the main points in the body of the essay Explain how ideas fit together

• Closing sentence

  Final words Connects back to the introduction Provides a sense of closure