Writing an Outline
Your Guide to Creating an Outline to Guide Your
Rough Draft
Collect All Souls books
Creating your Thesis
 Claim of Fact: Describes a condition that existed in the past, exists
now, or will exist in the future
 Example: Students who listen to rap music are more likely to commit
violent acts.
 Claim of Policy: Describes how an organization or society should
work
 Example: High school graduates should be required to take a year off
to pursue community service projects before entering college in order
to increase their maturity and global awareness.
 Claim of Value: Makes a judgment about something
 Example: Cheating in sports is wrong because it provides unfair
advantage to athletes who cheat.
Thesis: Helpful questions to Ask
 Do I want to argue a fact about my topic?
 If yes: Claim of fact
 Do I want to describe how my topic should be treated?
 If yes: Claim of policy
 Do I want to make a judgment call about my topic?
 If yes: Claim of value
Outline Pre Write
 Step One: What is my issue?
 Your issue is the topic of the individual bullet point that you
chose
 Step Two: Assessing both sides
 Why would someone take my side?
 Why would someone take an opposing side?
 Step Three: Writing my thesis:
 Claim of fact
 Claim of value
 Claim of policy
Outline Pre Write
 Based on my research, what proof can I use to
form an argument?
 Did I find evidence for all five of my proposal
reasons?
 Which reasons have enough evidence to discuss
in more than two paragraphs?
 Write a topic sentence for each main point
Step One: Gather Your Resources
 Credible Sources
 Newspaper/Journal articles
 Books
 Reliable websites
 Close Reading
 Analysis
 WWWDOT
 Note Sheets
Step Two: Organize Your Information
 Number each reason from your pre write 1, 2, 3, 4,
5, etc.
 Look through your five source sheets and answer the
following questions about each quote, paraphrase, or
summary:
 Which of my reasons does this research deal with?
 Can I use this point to make a strong claim?
 Write the number next to each piece of research
that corresponds to the correct reason
Step Three: Fill In Your Final Outline
 Topic
 Catchy Opening: How can I capture my reader’s interest
to keep reading?
 Thesis
 What claim am I making?
 What are my major reasons behind this claim?
 Topic Sentences to Support My Thesis
 What reasons (research-based) show that my claim is
true?
Step Three: Fill in Your Final Outline
 Supporting evidence for topic sentences:
 Which research did I highlight for this topic?
 Conclusion
 How can I summarize my findings to prove that my
claim is true to my reader?