|
There are several ways to plan the essay. We will focus on creating a topic web and a sentence outline. |
Step
5: Plan the Essay
|
|
|
You may think we're spending too much time planning the essay, but believe me, it's worth it. The more time you spend in the prewriting and planning stages, the easier it will be to construct the paragraphs for your essay.
In this section we will be focusing on the three body paragraphs. We will look at two different types of plans: the topic web and the sentence outline. Sometimes just doing one of them is sufficient; however, if you want to do a really thorough job, you should do both plans.
Let's go back to the "favorite pet" prompt. We have a lot of good ideas ready to go, now we just need to organize them.
TOPIC WEB
The topic web is a graphic organizer that helps to get your ideas in the right place. I doesn't include a lot of detail; it contains words and phrases. It's like a map, guiding you towards an organized essay.
Click
here to see a blank copy of a topic web.
- Read over your thesis statement and your expanded prewrite to review your three major points.
- Make a topic web for each body paragraph of your essay: one for each major point.
- Choose two to four examples, reasons, or facts to support your major points. These will become the supporting details of body paragraphs.
- Next, expand and develop each supporting detail as necessary.
Click
here to see an example of a completed topic web for the
"favorite pet" essay.
SENTENCE OUTLINE
The sentence outline is a more developed version of a topic web. It can work as a first draft for your essay, since you will be writing complete sentences.
A sentence outline allows you to see the structure of each body paragraph to make sure your ideas are developed clearly and logically.
Click
here to see a blank sentence outline.
Make
a sentence outline for your three body
paragraphs.
Click
here to see a completed sentence outline for the "favorite
pet" essay.
As you work on your outlines, remember that you can always change and refine the ideas you generated during your prewriting. Consider the best order for presenting your examples, reasons, and facts. Remain flexible as you look for support for your major points. You may also find that you need to rework your major points. Always be looking for ways to improve what you've written as you work through the writing process.
 Related
Links |
|
Essay
Outline Essay
Outlines Semantic
Maps Sample
Argument Essay Outlines The
Structure of the Essay
Outline Essay
Outline Outline
of Traditional Essay Form |
