Writing Homework Help

Outlining an essay before you formally write the essay helps you to organize your ideas for unity and coherence.

Directions

1. Review your Comparison/Contrast chart and select two key points you want to compare/contrast from the two article read earlier in this unit.
2. Choose the type of outline you would like to write: block method or point by point method:
   Comparison Contrast Block Method Outline Template Download Comparison Contrast Block Method Outline Template
   Comparison Contrast Point by Point Outline Template Download Comparison Contrast Point by Point Outline Template
3. Start by outlining some general background information for the introduction.
4. Develop a thesis sentence at the end of the introduction. The thesis sentence should include the topic, your claim and the main ideas. (For this essay, you only need two main ideas.)
   • Example thesis: Despite the differences between the news articles regarding President Obama’s State of the Union Address, the similarities are (main idea one) and (main idea two).
5. Write two topic sentences based on the main ideas in your thesis.
6. Add supporting details for each main idea topic sentence, following the outline template you have chosen.
7. Develop a conclusion that restates the thesis (in different words), sums up the body of the essay and provides final thoughts about the importance of recognizing different writing styles.
8. Add a Works Cited with the citations for both articles at the end of the outline. (Note: You can find MLA 8 citations at the end of each article.)