Homework answers / question archive / An outline is a helpful way to focus and order your ideas on a topic

An outline is a helpful way to focus and order your ideas on a topic

Business

Share With

---

An outline is a helpful way to focus and order your ideas on a topic. Without a plan for writing, you may find yourself veering from the main topic and away from your central argument. There are different kinds of outlines such as topic outlines and sentence outlines . You have likely created those in the past. However, for this class, you will be completing a paragraph outline.

Purpose:

This assignment will help you to

• chart the course of your argument and develop the sequence in which your supporting elements are explored.
• integrate research from the sources in the Annotated Bibliography where they will best support your argument.
• identify areas that need additional support. You can utilize your work from our Week 2 Discussion. Make sure to revise, incorporating some of the useful feedback that you received. 

Task:Create an outline by following these steps and  Using the format from attached file

• Include a strong thesis statement that reveals your argument and your three supporting elements. For example: Active reading should be a primary method of learning because it supports strong communication skills in the workplace, enhances EFL learner’s transition from the native language to the adopted one, and promotes a tangible experience not found in social media engagement. 
• Craft three substantive body paragraphs. These will become the major sections of your final paper. Within the final paper, you will further expand on these ideas. Each paragraph should open with a topic sentence. A topic sentence delves into one of the supporting elements listed in the thesis. It is a declarative statement that prepares the reader for the ideas explored in the coming paragraphs. In the outline format that you will follow, each of the first sentences in the paragraphs is the topic sentence. Notice how it further expands each of the supporting elements. For example:  Reading is beneficial because it supports strong communication skills, which is necessary for anyone seeking employment. 
• Integrate research into each paragraph. Utilize a paraphrase within two paragraphs and a short-burst quotation within one. When integrating a quotation, make sure to provide context for the quotation. Explain what the quotation reveals, proves, disproves, or elucidates. How does this quotation impact the argument? What hole in the research does it fill? 
• Insert APA in-text citations whenever research is utilized in the outline and include APA references at the end of the outline. 
• Open each paragraph with a transitional phrase. Review the transitions resources in the Week 3 Learning Module. For example:  Beyond offering strong communication skills, more specifically, reading can also provide the necessary tools for English language learners to learn how to transition to and effectively use the English language. 
• A good outline should also indicate alternate points of view, such as other solutions, other causes, or other effects. Dedicate some time to considering counterarguments. How can you disprove them? 
• Review the rubric for this assignment.

Criteria for Success:

• Revise your introduction from your Week 3 Discussion. Do not submit the same discussion post. Make substantive changes based on feedback.
• Revise your thesis from the previous weeks' work.
• Craft three body paragraphs. These will become the major sections of your later paper. They should not be thought of as the only body paragraphs you will need.
• Generally, order your points weakest to strongest. It is not advisable to begin with your strongest point.
• In your body paragraphs, indicate where your sources will fit.
• As your final paper requires 7+ sources, begin to use those here.
• Indicate where you need further research.
• A good outline should also indicate alternate points of view, such as other solutions, other causes, or other effects. Dedicate some time to considering counterarguments.
• In your conclusion, indicate why your argument matters to your readers.
• Review the rubric

•