OUTLINING
TWO SYSTEMS OF OUTLINING
CLASSIFICATION OF OUTLINES
CARDINAL RULES
TODAY’S AGENDA:
Outlining
Academic Texts
Outlining
• Organization of ideas
• A condensed version of an academic text in a linear,
structured format
• outlining involves listing down important ideas related
to the topic. It may be done alone or with others in
the classroom or in the library.
Outlining
• A good writer, whether technical or not, uses an outline to
serve as a skeletal framework for his composition.
• Materials are well organized when an outline is made prior
to collecting information or writing the draft.
• The outline is like a blueprint that provides the design at
how something should be built.
Why out line?
• It helps you to ensure that…
❑ your main points are on-topic and directly support your thesis.
❑Your main points are logically organized.
❑Your most important ideas are emphasized, and your less
important ideas are subordinated.
❑Your main points have enough and relevant supporting evidences.
Two Systems of Outlining
ALPHANUMERIC (number-letter) system which
makes use of Roman and Hindu-Arabic numbers as well
as uppercase and lowercase.
DECIMAL SYSTEM- makes use of symbols that
look like decimal numbers.
Sample Alphanumeric
Sample Decimal Outline
outline
Sample Alphanumeric outline
Title: Perks of Being a 21st Century Career Woman
Thesis Statement: Despite the freedom and opportunities given to modern day career women, they are caught in challenging situations that comprise their newfound freedom.
I. Shifting context for career women
A. historical perspective
B. contemporary viewpoint
II. The challenges of being a career women
A. Common struggles of women
1. dealing with preconceived notions about women
2. being at par with the more dominant males
3. deciding between destructive or beneficial coping/ competitive strategies
B. The price of wanting to conform
1. social pressure
a. the pressure to succeed in a male-dominated society
b. the need to conform to a certain mold.
III. The perks of being a 21st century career women
a. Personal gains
Sample Decimal Outline
Title: Bicol on My Mind
Thesis Statement: Bicol’s unique culture and topography could rival any much-hyped-about tourist destination.
1.0 Interesting trivia about Bicol
1.1 Topography
1.2 Bicol folklore
1.2.1 The legend of Daragang Magayon
1.2.2 The Legend of Ibalon
2.0 Tourist Destinations
2.1 Mayon Volcano
2.2 Tiwi Hot Spring
2.2.1 Local Culture
2.2.2 Native Cuisine
Classification of Outlines
1. TOPIC OUTLINE – a topic outline is characterized by a systematic list of topics and subtopics written in words or fragments.
Example:
Title; Another Look at Global Warming
Thesis Statement: Global Warming is a phenomenon whose causes have a human dimension.
I. Causes of global warming
A. The harmful effects of greenhouse gas emission
1. The hazards of burning of coal and fossil fuels
2. Human activities that contributes to global warming
Classification of Outlines
2. Sentence Outline – a sentence outline is structured in such a way that both the heading and the subheadings are written in complete sentence.
Example:
Title: Learning the Constructivist Way
Thesis Statement: Because students learn in different ways, educator’s should respond to student’s varied needs using the constructivists learning theory
I. The constructivist learning theory argues that students are not empty receptacle to the stuffed with information.
A. Students learn in different ways.
1. Alternative assessment methods should be considered to meet student’s need.
2. Different avenues for tapping student’s potential should be made available to them.
Classification of Outlines
POINTS OF TOPIC SENTENCE PARAGRAPH
CONTRAST OUTLINE OUTLINE OUTLINE
Entries Words, sentences Topic
phrases, sentences
clauses
Classification of Outlines
POINTS OF TOPIC SENTENCE PARAGRAPH
CONTRAST OUTLINE OUTLINE OUTLINE
Mechanics No periods at Periods mark Periods mark
the end of the end of the end of
entries entries entries
Application Used for long Used for Used for
or short short short
compositions compositions compositions
Classification of Outlines
POINTS OF TOPIC SENTENCE PARAGRAPH
CONTRAST OUTLINE OUTLINE OUTLINE
Parallelism Parallelism of Parallelism of Parallelism
words, coordinate not essential
phrases, or sentences
clauses of
coordinate
heads
TOPIC OUTLINE SAMPLE
SENTENCE OUTLINE SAMPLE
Cardinal Rules in Outlining
1. Observe Parallelism – make your ideas in your heading and
subheading consistent. If you used the verb in the first
heading, the second subheading should also be a verb.
Example: (NOUN used as heading)
I. Causes of Anorexia Nervosa
II. Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa
Example: (GERUND/VERB used as heading):
I. Tracing the cause of Anorexia Nervosa
II. Finding a cure for Anorexia Nervosa
Cardinal Rules in Outlining
2. Include general ideas to your heading. For your subheading
use specific ideas.
Example:
I. Tracing the Extent of Facebook’s Popularity in the
Philippines
a. Among Digital Natives
b. Among Digital Immigrants
Cardinal Rules in Outlining
3. Expand your heading into more than one idea.
Example:
I. The many uses of Facebook
a. As an educational tool
b. As a means of expanding social network
c. As a business strategy
WHY DO WE OUTLINE?
It gives an overview of the topic and enables us to
see how various subtopics relate to one another.
Recording the information in our own words tests our
understanding of what we read.
It is an effective way to record needed information
from reference books you do not own.
ACTIVITY:
Read the text titled “Teen Pregnancy in the Philippines:
Rising and Alarming” found in the link below:
http://philrights.org/teen-pregnancy-in-ph-rising-and-
alarming/
Write a thesis statement and sentence outline based on it.
References:
Menoy, Jesus Z. (2016). English for Academic and
Professional Purposes: A Multidisciplinary Approach. 707
Tiaga Corner Kasipagan Streets Barangka Drive,
Mandaluyong City: BOOKS ATBP. PUBLISHING CORP.
https://bid4papers.com/blog/essay-outline/
https://www.slideshare.net/aliciamargaretjavelosa/outlinin
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