Part 5: Outlining

With this assignment, you will be asked to develop an outline for an argument essay on humor.

An outline is a tool used to organize and map out the points of an essay. A writer can use an outline to visualize their ideas during the planning stage of their writing process. An outline breaks down the essay into topics and subtopics using numbers and/or bullets to arrange the essay logically to convey points or claims.

An outline provides writers with a solid foundation as they embark on their writing journeys, initiating the writing process. Outlines help writers lay the groundwork for their papers and help them connect their topics and subtopics to support their thesis statement, purpose, or argument.

Watch the following video to learn about outlining.

Ultimately, your humor argument essay should focus on one of the choices below, and you should argue for the benefits of humor or the consequences of using humor in the workplace or in the treatment of health issues.

Use this outline assignment to help you plan what you might describe in an argument essay. This outline will help you draft your essay.

Choose one of the following prompts to use for this outline assignment:

  • Choice 1: What do you think about humor in the workplace? Is it beneficial, or does it conflict with the need to be professional?
  • Choice 2:  Is humor better than medicine for the treatment of health problems?

Choose only one choice (above).

Create an outline that shows what you will discuss in each paragraph. You will need to include an introduction, a conclusion, and a few body paragraphs. You may use the ideas from the prewriting assignment you already completed.

Here is an example of how your outline may be organized.

I. Introduction

  1. Introduce a specific point, stance, or topic
  2. State your thesis statement

II. First Body Paragraph

  1. Start with a topic sentence that supports your thesis statement
  2. Provide facts, data, and examples to support your stance or argument
  3. Connect the supporting elements back to your thesis statement

III. Second Body Paragraph

  1. Start with a topic sentence that supports your thesis statement
  2. Provide facts, data, and examples to support your stance or argument
  3. Connect the supporting elements back to your thesis statement

IV. Third Body Paragraph

  1. Start with a topic sentence that supports your thesis statement
  2. Provide facts, data, and examples to support your stance or argument
  3. Connect the supporting elements back to your thesis statement

V. Conclusion

  1. Summarize the main points of your essay or paper
  2. Restate your thesis statement

In one of your body paragraphs, please include some supporting information from one of the articles that you read on humor. Be sure to include this supporting information as well as the author’s name in your outline.

Licenses and Attributions

  • “A Guide to Outlining” by Brittany Washington at the University of Oklahoma’s Writing Center, license: Creative Commons BY NC SA.

Video Content (linked)

  • “Outlining.” License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube license.

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Integrated Reading and Writing Level 2 Copyright © 2018 by Pamela Herrington-Moriarty is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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