Honors Language Arts 10
Research Paper
Outline Instruction and Format
Definition:
An outline is a guide for your readers (and for you while drafting your essay) that shows, up-front the working of your paper. It begins with the thesis statement (your claim about what makes your hero a hero) and lists out your main points, including all supporting evidence by parenthetical citing each fact.
Directions:
You are responsible for typing a complete outline (use the example below as a guideline). You will turn in a draft of your outline before your paper, but a final outline will also serve as a cover page for your final paper. You can find a sample on the class wiki.
OUTLINE FORMAT:
MLA Heading Information:
You will need to look at the MLA format hand-out on the wiki to remind yourself how to organize your heading information in the correct order and format.
Thesis Statement: Today’s heroes are not defeating monsters or rescuing damsels, in fact they could very well be women—instead they are rising above the conventional norms of a damaged society to regain what is true about life. Efren Penaflorida is a modern day hero because of his work with Philippino youth to keep them safe from the harm of gang membership by educating children right on the streets.
I. A hero values education as a tool to better the quality of life.
a. “Since 1997, an estimated 10,000 members have helped teach more than 1,500 children living in the slums” (“Pushcart Classes”).
b. Today, children ranging from ages 2 to 14 flock to the pushcart every Saturday to learn reading, writing, arithmetic and English from Penaflorida and his trained teen volunteers (Ruiz 5).
c. “I will always tell my volunteers that you are the change that you dream and I am the change that I dream. And collectively we are the change that this world needs to be” (Panaflorida).
II. Main point #2 with support….
III. Main point #3 with support….
IV. Main point #4 with support…..
Conclusion: Efren Penaflorida knows the adversity faced by children on the streets of the Philippines and refuses to let the damaging conventions of that life continue on into the future. He is working for a change and this work, against all odds of making a difference, is what defines him as a modern day hero.