Chapter 4-Outlining
Outlining is a form of prewriting and provides structure before you begin writing. A properly detailed outline will ensure your essay is nicely organized, and ultimately, will save you time.
Many instructors will require you to submit a proposal and outline before you begin your draft. If your instructor asks you to do this, definitely DO NOT skip this assignment! By submitting an outline, you give your teacher the opportunity to check your topic to make sure it fits the assigned genre. Additionally, if your outline is properly detailed, your teacher will be able to give you feedback about organization or changes you should make before you begin writing. This could save you, the writer, lots of time!
Outlines follow a specific format and are NOT paragraphs or simple bullet points. Instead, you will use Roman Numerals. When outlining, it is not necessary to write in full sentences; brief notes are acceptable. However, make sure your “notes” are detailed enough for your instructor to give you feedback.
Below, you will see the proper format for an outline.
I. Introduction paragraph
A. Hook
B. Background Information
C. Thesis (this should be a complete sentence)
II. Body Paragraph-include the topic for this paragraph
A. Detail
B. Detail
C. You can have as many details as you want.
III. Body Paragraph-include the topic for this paragraph
A. Detail
B. Detail
C. You can have as many details as you want.
IV. Body Paragraph-include the topic for this paragraph
A. Detail
B. Detail
C. You can have as many details as you want.
V. Concluding Paragraph
A. Summarize main points.
B. Restate your thesis.
C. Include a proposal, solution, or call to action (if appropriate)
D. Do not include any new information
Keep in mind, you can have as many paragraphs as you want or need. The example above is set up for a 5-paragraph essay. You may certainly have additional body paragraphs, and your introduction and conclusion do not have to be just one paragraph. Remember, each Roman Numeral represents a new paragraph.
Here is an example of an outline submitted by a student:
I. Introduction
a. “Impossible is a word only found in the dictionary of fools” Napoleon Bonaparte (Hook)
b. Describe my feelings and sensations, as well as my surroundings, when I was on the plane right before landing in St Louis.
c. All the stress, the work, the hard decisions, and the long travel were necessary to bring me right here to this point, and it was worth it. (Thesis statement)
II. The background
a. Things that went on my mind as I was looking outside the window.
b. Remembering my 15-year-old self, what were my aspirations, dreams, and thoughts.
c. How and why my previous ideas changed.
III. The process
a. Describe the effort and work I put into building my application for universities.
b. Preparation for the English tests.
c. Waiting for Colleges to respond.
IV. The Decision
a. Making comparisons between colleges.
b. Exposure and acceptance of real conditions/Grounding.
c. Hard choices.
d. Final decision.
a. Describe how I felt that day since the beginning, also what things I did.
b. Leaving my house on the way to the airport.
c. Airport problem due to COVID.
d. The journey from the check-in area to the boarding area.
e. Thoughts before the plane took off.
VI. Miami Airport
a. Founding and transporting the luggage.
b. Almost got lost: Electric trains in the airport?
c. Boarding final plane, finally heading to St Louis.
VII. Airplane to St Louis
a. Continue the thread of the introduction paragraph: Coming back to reality as the plane is starting to land.
b. Describe how I feel at that moment, changes that I perceive, new expectations forming.
VIII. Conclusion
a. Sometimes the things you least expect or plan are the best things that can happen to you.
b. All efforts at the end of the day have their reward.
c. Even if sometimes you do not know where you are going and feel without direction, God always has the right path for you.