Tip: This outline is most useful AFTER you’ve done your brainstorming, free-writing or clustering, and have gathered together your main ideas and supporting examples.
Intro
I plan on using _______________ to hook the reader and get her/his attention.
A. a quotation
B. a narrative example
C. a powerful factual example
D. an interesting generalization that leads to a more specific context and discussion
E. an important definition of a key term or concept
Working Thesis Statement:
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Working Topic Sentence Body #1:
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Proof/Evidence/Example #1: ____________________________________
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__________________________________________________________.
Explanation (Why? How?):
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Proof/Evidence/Example #2: ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________.
Explanation (Why? How?):
__________________________________________________________
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Working Topic Sentence Body 2:
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Proof/Evidence/Example #1: ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________.
Explanation (Why? How?):
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________.
Proof/Evidence/Example #2: ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________.
Explanation (Why? How?):
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________.
Working Topic Sentence Body #3:
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_______________________________________________________________.
Proof/Evidence/Example #1:
____________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________.
Explanation (Why? How?):
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
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Proof/Evidence/Example #2: ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________.
Explanation (Why? How?):
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________.
Working Topic Sentence Body #4:
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_______________________________________________________________.
Proof/Evidence/Example #1:
____________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________.
Explanation (Why? How?):
__________________________________________________________
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Proof/Evidence/Example #2:
____________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________.
Explanation (Why? How?):
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________.
Handout courtesy of City College of San Francisco, online at http://fog.ccsf.org/~ckleinma/SLOTH2000/SLOTH.html