Presented by Harley Trimble and Sam Ev ans Image courtesy of Losing control of your paper? spring 2008

Why Outline? Serves as a great brainstorming activity Identifies main points of your arguments Helps you organize your research material Shows potential strengths and weaknesses in your argument spring 2008

Types of Outlines Pre-draft Outlines Traditional Outlines Post-draft Outlines Color-Block Outline spring 2008

Type 1: Pre-Draft Outlining Questions to keep in mind while outlining What is the assignment? What is the thesis of the paper? Who is the intended audience for this assignment? Source: Purdue OWL spring 2008

Four Central Components Parallelism Compare Home Run Statistics Show Mitchell Report Coordination Subordination Division Source: Purdue OWL spring 2008

Traditional Outline Uses a system of Roman and Arabic numerals in combination with upper and lower case letters to classify bits of information spring 2008

From Assignment Prompt to Outline The Writing Assignment Answer the following question in essay form: What does the college application process entail? Your Process Step #1: list elements you want to include in the essay Step #2: create a working (tentative ) thesis Step #3: make an outline that corresponds to your thesis spring 2008

Homework? You cannot be serious! Step #1: List elements you want to include in the essay: Visit Colleges In Person List Relevant Coursework Complete Online Applications List Work Experience Revise Your Personal Statement Visit College Websites Write Personal Statement to Accompany Application Evaluate online course catalogs List Volunteer Experience. Step #2: Create a working (tentative) thesis : Selecting a college, preparing applications and application materials, and compiling material for a résumé are key steps in the complex process of applying to colleges. Your “homework”: Use the list and working thesis in steps 1 and 2 above to create an outline for this paper. Include both main ideas from the thesis and subsidiary ideas from the list in your outline. Source: Purdue OWL spring 2008

Yours may have looked something like... spring 2008

Type 2: Post-Draft Outline Outlines are important and useful throughout the writing process. An outline is not concrete; any outline can change. A post-draft outline alerts the writer of possible imbalances or organizational problems. spring 2008

Color Blocking: A Vibrant Revision Method Visually highlights the structure of an essay Can be used with multiple drafts Can be adapted to various genres Can be used to check organizational structures spring 2008

Assigning Meaning to Colors An Argumentative Essay: Pink=thesis Yellow=introductory elements and/or conclusion Orange=research Blue =writer’s commentary/voice spring 2008

Example of Color Blocking: Introduction and Thesis: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Writer’s Voice and Research: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX spring 2008

Next Step: Interpretation of Colors Questions to ask after color blocking: Is the pink section (thesis) positioned well within the yellow (introduction)? What is the balance between orange (research) and blue (writer’s voice)? Does the orange overpower the blue, or is the blue overly dominant? spring 2008

References “Developing an Outline.” The OWL at Purdue. Ed. Dana Lynn Driscoll Feb Knudtson, Maria. Personal interview. 11 February spring 2008