*
Some guidelines for your thesis statement
and outline
* Should be an answer to your research question
* Should be rooted in your research
* Should be argumentative
* Should begin with a transition (because it will
appear near or at the end of your intro. paragraph)
* Thus, To be sure, Quite notably, Above all, Indeed,
Therefore, As a result, etc.
* Does NOT have to be three-prong
* Does NOT have to re-state your research question or
even answer it word-for-word
*
* Question:
For what should Jacqueline Kennedy be
remembered?
* Above all, Jacqueline Kennedy should be remembered for
her unparalleled efforts to preserve America’s cultural
heritage, both during and after her years in the White
House.
* Question:
What was the key character trait that made
Jacqueline Kennedy unique among other first ladies?
* Indeed, Jacqueline Kennedy stands out among other
American first ladies due to two key character traits: her
remarkable poise in the midst of tragedy and her farreaching altruism during and after her White House years.
*
* Research Question:
What was the key
character trait that made Jacqueline Kennedy
unique among other first ladies?
* To be sure, Jacqueline Kennedy redefined the
role of a First Lady, acting as an icon of American
womanhood to be esteemed for her poise and
altruism.
*
* Instructions: The outline must contain the following:
*  Thesis statement written out in full sentence(s)
(needn’t be 3-point)
*  A “Roman numeral” for each paragraph of the paper
with a topical title for that paragraph (to make the
purpose of each paragraph clear; these won’t appear in
the paper—e.g., Mao’s Social Policies, Jacqueline
Kennedy’s post-White House years)
*  MLA citations for info from notecards. No need to
copy entire note cards; use a few key words and provide
the connected citation
*  Brief acknowledgment of counterarguments (isolated
or recurring). Please label these as counterarguments.
*  A current version of your Works Cited (updated if
need be)
*
* Does NOT need to be five-paragraph
* Choose a pattern of development/method of
organization that best fits your topic.
* Remember: You are proving a point, making an
argument, leading to a conclusion!
* One technique that has helped me in the past
is to actually spread out my note cards on a
table or the floor, organize them in piles based
on topics, and shift them around in an attempt
to visualize the organization of the paper.
*
* Keep your argument in mind as you organize your
outline.
* What should you address first? Last?
* Does the reader need to know certain information before
reading other information?
* Do you want to make your most powerful point first, last,
or throughout?
* What is a logical approach to this information?
* Remember:
You may actually need to do a bit more
research at this point in order to fill in holes. Please
do so before you turn in your outline. Your outline
needs to be complete and thorough, offering me (your
teacher) an accurate glimpse of your plan for your
paper.
*
* Please follow along in CARP packet to see
which research questions might work for these
POD’s
* Compare/Contrast:
* Paragraph by paragraph OR broken into halves
(first half addresses one aspect, second half
addresses the other)
* Must still reach a conclusion/make an argument!
*
* Chronological:
* Works well for historical papers
* Offering information in order of occurrence
* Might also work well for papers addressing a
change over time
* Again, don’t forget to make an argument!
*
* Thematic:
* Works well if you are honing in on a personality trait or a
specific aspect of a person, place, or thing
* May take two forms:
* All about one theme and each paragraph addresses different
aspects of that theme
* All about different themes and each paragraph addresses a
unique theme
* For example, you may discuss, paragraph by paragraph,
Jacqueline Kennedy’s many contributions as First Lady,
culminating in two or three paragraphs delineating what her
most important contributions were and why.
* Don’t forget a rebuttal!
*
* Set ’em Up, Knock ’em Down!
* Writer explores/thinks through one aspect of topic for
first part of paper and then…
* Pulls rug out, revealing that first half is completely
wrong and it is actually something else that deserves
the focus
* Set up as “Let’s suppose X is true” and then ends up
“X is actually false because Y is actually true.”
* Difficult to achieve but show sophistication and
ownership.
* In a way, the rebuttal and argument are sort of “built
in”.
*
* General Outline Format
I.
Intro. ideas
II.
A. Thesis
Body I: Topic
A. Claim
III.
i. Support
ii. Support
Body II: Topic
A. Claim
IV.
V.
i. Support
ii. Support
More body paragraphs following above example
Rebuttal
A. Statement of opposition
B. Refute opposition
VI.
i. Support
ii. Support
Concluding ideas
*
I.
Intro.
A. Thesis
II.
The way things were before _____
A. Support
B. Support
III.
Important aspects of _____ and how they affected things
A. Support
B. Support
IV.
Other important aspects of ______
A. Support
B. Support
V.
The way things were after ______
A. Support
B. Support
VI.
What else besides ______ might be the cause?
A. Support
B. Support
VII.
Conclusion
A. Argument: Why ______ matters
*
I.
Intro. ideas
A. Thesis
II.
Body I: Character trait or aspect
A. Explanation
i. Support
ii. Support
III.
Body II: Character trait or aspect
A. Explanation
i. Support
ii. Support
IV.
V.
More body paragraphs following above example
Body Paragraph: Most important/significant character trait or aspect
A. Explanation: Why?
i. Support
ii. Support
VI.
Rebuttal
A. Statement of opposition
B. Refute opposition
i. Support
ii. Support
VII.
Concluding ideas
*
I.
II.
Intro & Thesis
Traditional misconceptions of ______
A. Explanation
III.
i. Support
ii. Support
The real deal on _____ (may be several
paragraphs)
A. Explanation
IV.
i. Support
ii. Support
Conclusion: Why this matters
*
* No matter how you choose to organize your
outline, please be sure you include:
* Your argumentative thesis statement
* Numerous pieces of cited research information
* Topics/Claims for each paragraph
* A counter-argument/rebuttal paragraph!
* AN ARGUMENT!!!
* Updated Works Cited Page
*