two outline and summary

Essay Outline Form

Essay Question:  YOU MUST ANSWER THE ESSAY QUESTION IN THE THESIS STATEMENT OF YOUR OUTLINE/ESSAY. 

Outline/rough draft:  this is a formal outline; you MUST use the correct numbering and lettering system, and you MUST indent each time you change from a number to a letter or a letter to a number.

Outline

I. Introduction

A.      Hook [1-3 sentences] (function = to get your reader’s attention); for example, this may be a surprising fact, an anecdote, a joke, or a well-known saying

B.      Background [1 sentence] (function = to tell your reader what the topic is IN GENERAL); this should be a fact about the overall topic that everyone agrees with

C.      Thesis statement [1 sentence] (function = to tell the reader specifically what your essay will be about); answer the essay question; this is NEVER a question but  always a STATEMENT of your idea

II. Body paragraph #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, . . .

A.           Topic sentence [1 sentence] (function = to tell the reader the subject of this paragraph); this must be general enough to describe ALL of the content of this paragraph

B.           Support sentences [you may have 7-12 sentences; EACH sentence MUST be numbered] (function = to further explain and offer evidence that proves your topic sentence)

1.          explain topic sentence further

2.          cite the source and your evidence (example, statistics, expert opinion, research results)

3.          present information from your source(s)

4.          explain information from your source(s)

C.       Concluding sentence [1 sentence] (function = to remind the reader of the most important idea in your paragraph and/or offer a transition to the next paragraph) 

[Typically, essays will have more than one body paragraph, which should be appropriately numbered III, IV, V and which will have the same structure as the body paragraph above.]

III.  Conclusion

A.            Summary of Main Points OR (not AND) Paraphrase of Thesis Statement (function = to tell the reader your message)

B.            Comment on hook (function = to conclude your essay by returning to and commenting on the first sentence of your essay)

C. Provide solutions, suggestions, recommendations, or predictions (the conclusion paragraph can leave your reader with a final interesting thought about your topic)

NOTE: An outline must include enough information for you to be able to use only the outline to write your rough draft.  The thesis statement and topic sentences should be complete, but other portions of the outline may be incomplete sentences, phrases, or words to remind you of what you will say in your rough draft later.  If you are using a source for information, MAKE SURE YOU WRITE THE AUTHOR’S FULL NAME AND COMPLETE TITLE OF THE SOURCE in your outline.