PRELIMINARY OUTLINING
DIRECTIONS: Now it is time to start working on organizing your research and argument. Make sure you have read the handout on “paper skeletons.” Your preliminary outline is in a sense a “skeleton” of your paper mentioning the major argument points/sections in order. your goal is to have at least two major sections that can be broken down into at least 2 sub-sections. At some point in your paper you will need to address how/why this topic is a problem and (2) what you propose to do about it.
Here are two samples of “preliminary outline” for you to use a guideline for your own.. Remember,
SAMPLE 1 – USING A WEB
SAMPLE 2 – TRADITIONAL OUTLINE
I. 1st general claim explaining WHY is this issue of concern OR how to solve the issue?
- Sub-Topic 1
- Sub-Topic 2
II. 2nd general claim explaining WHY is this issue of concern OR how to solve the issue?
- Sub-Topic 1
- Sub-Topic 2
III. 3rd general claim explaining WHY is this issue of concern OR how to solve the issue?
- Sub-Topic 1
- Sub-Topic 2
*WARNING: Keep in mind these examples illustrate a minimum requirement. You may need to add another section or two depending on your topic. This is simply a starting point that addresses major sections/sub-topics of your paper.
DETAILED / FINAL OUTLINING
A final outline is a detailed outline of your entire final paper. This must be done in traditional outline format, unlike the prelim outline that could be done using a web. This is the hardest, but most important step to organizing a solid final product. It involves organizing and adding the notes/facts from your research into appropriate sections of your prelim outline. Since you will be jumbling all of the notes together now, it is important that you keep the in-text citation at the end of each note so you can easily tell which article each particular fact comes from.
NOTE: You do not have to use all of your notes. If it doesn’t fit under a section in your outline, get rid of it. On the other hand, if you have a lot of notes left over that can be organized into a new, separate section, simply add it to the outline.
SAMPLE PRELIMINARY OUTLINE
I. iNTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH
II. Body PARAGRAPHS
A. Hemp is historically useful.
i. Ancient uses
ii. US Government promoted it during WWII
B. Hemp is economically friendly.
i. Textiles,
ii. Paper, Biofuels,
iii. Food,
iv. Body care,
v. Automobile Industry
C. The government/big business slander hemp, so we need to amend the laws.
i. Distinguish Hemp/Marijuana
ii. Laws/Legislations passed wrongly against it
iii. Will not affect drug testing
D. It is hindering to the economy not to use hemp – We should allow the USA to take part in this market.
i. Farmers excluded from profitable market the rest of the world uses
ii. Hypocritical to allow imports of hemp products but not production/exports
III. CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH
SAMPLE OF ONE SECTION OF A
DETAILED / FINAL OUTLINE
I. HEMP IS Historically Useful
a. Ancient Uses
1. “The Columbia History of the World states that the oldest relic of human industry is a bit of hemp fabric dating back to approximately 8,000 B.C. (Encyclopedia Britannica).
2. “From the first plantings in Jamestown when it was illegal not to grow hemp, to our founding fathers’ hemp plantations, to the hemp sails and riggings of the clipper ships that sailed the 19th century seas, to the hemp canvas-covered wagons of the pioneers headed west, to the sturdy hemp Levi’s pants of the original 49ers seeking their fortunes in the California hills, to the massive “Hemp for Victory” government programs of WWII, hemp has developed a long and illustrious history in America” (VoteHemp 5).
3. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper and the finest bibles still printed on hemp-based paper (Hip, Hot 2)
b. US Government Promoted Hemp during WWII
2. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the government actually promoted and subsidized the growth of over 1 million acres of hemp to help in the war effort (Hemp for Victory).
3. The USDA produced a film called Hemp for Victory to encourage US farmers to grow hemp for the war effort…Final line in video: “American hemp will go on duty again: hemp for mooring ships; hemp for tow lines; hemp for tackle and gear; hemp for countless naval uses both on ship and shore. Just as in the days when Old Ironsides sailed the sea victorious with her hempen shrouds and hempen sails. Hemp for victory” (Smith, 14).
A PAPER SKELETON
I. INTRODUCTION: Hook & Argument
a. Get us hooked and interested.
b. Present your basic argument & thesis.
*Look at the “Introduction handout” for specific strategies to start your paper.
II. BODY PARAGRAPHS: The Evidence
This part of the paper is much more of a “free-form” than the five-paragraph essay. No two papers will be alike. It may have many different subsections, but it has only one purpose:
to convince the examiners that you answered the question or
solved the problem that you set for yourself (a.k.a. thesis!).
Show what you did/found that is relevant to answering the question or solving the problem. If there were blind alleys and dead ends, do not include these. Only use information that is beneficial and relevant to proving your point. You may include information on these two questions:
i. Describe WHY this is a problem / WHY you took your stance.
1. You should have specific reasons to explain why this is a problem or an issue of concern.
ii. Describe HOW you propose we solve this problem.
1. You must have valid reasons why your suggestion will work or should be considered. You might want to consider why the opposition to your argument is wrong or will not work.
III. CONCLUSIONS: Drive it home!
a. Remind us about your basic argument & thesis.
b. Emphasize the importance of your basic argument & thesis.
*Look at the “Conclusion handout” for specific ways to end your paper.
c. Promoted during WWII – “Hemp for Victory” Video
ii. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the government actually promoted and subsidized the growth of hemp to help in the war effort (Hemp for Victory).
iii. “The USDA produced a film called Hemp for Victory to encourage US farmers to grow hemp for the war effort. The US government formed War Hemp Industries and subsidized hemp cultivation” (Smith, 14).
iv. They subsidized over 1million acres! (Hemp for Victory).
v. Final phrase of video: “American hemp will go on duty again: hemp for mooring ships; hemp for tow lines; hemp for tackle and gear; hemp for countless naval uses both on ship and shore. Just as in the days when Old Ironsides sailed the sea victorious with her hempen shrouds and hempen sails. Hemp for victory” (Hemp for Victory).
Practice Organizing
Below is a list of facts about dark chocolate. Try to organize the facts into subgroups.
“The Darker Side of Chocolate”
1. The Aztecs first made chocolate from the cocoa bean.
2. Aztecs made a drink called Xocoatl, which means “bitter water,” by mixing crushed cocoa beans with spices and chili.
3. Xocoatl was usually reserved for nobility.
4. The Aztecs served their foamy brew to Cortez and the conquistadors.
5. These Spanish explorers brought the bitter bean back to Europe in 1519.
6. Europeans learned to grow it in their equatorial South American colonies.
7. Europeans learned to mix chocolate with sugar rather than spices, which was an instant success.
8. By the mid-eighteenth century chocolate was as popular as coffee.
9. Chemists learned to add cocoa butter back to the mix to produce solid chocolate.
10. Solid chocolate bars could melt in your mouth and in your hand.
11. Chocolate bars became popular in WWI because the armies provided it to their troops for both energy and morale.
12. Chocolate eventually became the most popular candy of all time and populated the Western world.
13. In African nations, former European colonies like the Ivory Coast, cocoa farming enslaved workers.
14. Cocoa farming forced workers to work for pennies a day and made anywhere from $13-$160 a year!
The Writer’s Options Book