ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

How to Teach The Outline: Step Two of the Writing Process

Updated on February 28, 2013
Source

The Purpose of the Outline

Many people might think that after one has brainstormed, he or she is ready to start writing. For some writers, this may be their process, but for students just learning the Writing Process, it is important for them to take the time to make an outline. This will help them stay organized, thesis driven and keep their writing cohesive.



Teaching Students to Outline


Just as I mentioned in the brainstorming step, it is important to keep the entire writing process as authentic as possible for the writers. This can be accomplished in many ways, the most important is allowing the students to approach each step in a way that is comfortable for him or her. Depending on what grade level you are teaching to outline, you may find that some of your students have had experience with outlines in the past and have one that they feel comfortable with.

The first step to outlining is coming up with a rough thesis statement. This can be one of the most challenging parts of this step, as students have a tendency to want to get it right the first time. They need to know that the writing that is happening at this particular step is malleable and will not look the same when they are finished.

When students are working on the rough thesis statement, have them consider a few questions to help them with formulating it. Remind them that the thesis represents purpose. What is the purpose of writing the paper? What is it that they are trying to say, prove, or discuss in the writing? Once those questions are answered, the thesis can be developed. The rough thesis does not have to be perfect by any means; it can be manipulated later on.

Once the rough thesis is developed, the writer needs to take the ideas from the brainstorm and organize them around the thesis statement. Remind the writer that ideas from the brainstorm can be thrown out and new ideas that are not on the brainstorm are welcome in the outline.

There are several ways to approach outlining. Always teach and model a variety of ways and allow the students to pick what way works best for them. I will often show the bulleted outline first because that is the one I am most comfortable with. It looks like this:

Thesis Statement:

  • Main Detail
  • Support of the Main Detail
  • Support of the Main Detail
  • Main Detail
  • Support of the Main Detail
  • Support of the Main Detail
  • Main Detail
  • Support of the Main Detail
  • Support of the Main Detail

It is important to emphasize how everything must be tied into the thesis statement. The main details should be in support of the thesis and should tie in. They should also be presented in an order that works at proving and supporting the thesis statement. Subsequently, the support of the main details should tie to the main details and be organized in a way that supports that particular detail. One way to teach students to stay true to their thesis is to use the Sandwich Strategy.

Another way to show an outline would be to use a web. The thesis statement would go in the center, around it the main details and from them the supporting details. This outline is especially loved by our visual learners.

Some students may have a difficult time really organizing in this structured way. Their outlines may be bits and pieces of writing and phrases that are organized around a thesis statement. Again, regardless of the method the student chooses, the purpose of the outline is to organize thoughts and ideas around a central thesis so that as the student moves to the next step, drafting, he or she has some direction.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)