Prince William County School’s 9 th Grade Research Paper

What is an Outline?  An Outline organizes information and thoughts in order to prepare the writer for the first rough draft.  It is useful for quick note taking or as a preliminary outline for a research paper.

Guidelines to Remember! Remember the following guidelines for all types of outlines. 1.Center the title of the piece of writing at the top of the outline. 2.The thesis statement should be a complete sentence, left justified, beneath the title. 3.Arrange numbers and letters in the following order, from main point to most specific subpoint: I., A.,1.,a.,(1), (a). 4.Begin each entry in the outline with a capital letter. 5.At the end of each Concrete Detail place the parenthetical citation for the source.

Sample Outline No Teacher Left Behind Teachers should earn more money based on the additional hours they work, their responsibilities, and their contribution to the community. I. Hours they work A. “Teachers are often required to chaperone after school Activities” (Florer). 1. If teachers are going to be required to attend after school activities they should be compensated. 2. Educators are expected to spend time away from their families in order to care for other people’s children; all without pay. B. Upwards of 15 hours a week are spent at home, preparing lessons and grading assignments (McBain 12). 1. Unlike other jobs, teachers have to take home work. 2. Responsible educators should be paid for the numerous hours worth of work they take home with them. II. Additional responsibilities A. Teachers have to attend parent conferences on a regular basis (Hackett). 1. If schools demand teachers take time to meet with parents they should be paid over time. 2. Other professions have over time policies built into contracts, whereas teachers do not. B. Conferences can sometimes keep teachers away from home for days and require them to pay hundreds of dollars out of pocket (“Paying Teachers”). 1. If a school system wants to ensure their teachers are meeting professional standards they should pay for the time spent away from home and any associated costs. 2. These costly professional development requirements ultimately benefit the students. III. Contributions to the community A. “A teacher’s influence lasts forever” (Aristotle). 1. Only future generations will suffer if teachers are not paid what they are worth and have to leave the profession in search of raises and respect. 2. Some of the wisest most influential people in history knew that teachers were the key to future success. B. Teachers improve communities with their very presence (Edwards). 3-Prong Thesis Statement Title of Paper 1 st subtopic 2 nd subtopic 3 rd subtopic There can be no “A” without a “B”! Subtopics must appear in the same order throughout the paper as they do in the thesis statement!

Practice with Topic Outlines The outline on the left has not been completed correctly. What needs to be changed in order for it to be a genuine Topic Outline? Birth Order and Personality Does birth order effect a child’s personality? 1.middle child a. lonely b. rebellious II. youngest child 1. spoiled i. immature 3. Oldest Child A. Mature Birth Order and Personality Birth order can affect a child’s personality. I. Oldest child A. Can be more mature B. Stricter rules II. Middle child A. Can feel lonely B. May act out or be rebellious III. Youngest child A. Rules are more loosely followed B. Spoiled C. Immature

Outlines There can be no “A” without a “B” “As” and “Bs” should be concrete details 2:1 ratio – for every CD there should be 2 COMMS Your thesis statement should be at the top of the page For more information, visit your Research Paper Handbook, pages 38-39

Your Topic Outline Must Be… Typed Double-spaced 1” margins 12pt font Times New Roman Due 1/20 (2 nd & 6 th period) and 1/21 (1 st & 5 th period) before you begin Peer Editing