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2.10: Outlining

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  • Page ID
    316869
    • Rosie Banks
    • City Colleges of Chicago

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    If you’ve completed the sourcing worksheet and a sample quotation sandwich, you are now ready to begin outlining your summary-response essay.


    Text on a brown background reads: "Essay Writing Strategies - Outlining."

     

    Text explaining the definition of an outline from the Oxford English Dictionary, with two definitions listed.

     

    A checklist titled "When Should You Create an Outliner?" with four bullet points for writing and composition tips.

     

    Text outlining key parts of an essay outline, including questions for the introduction, thesis statement, and conclusion.

     

    Text on a slide titled "Parts of an Outline" with guidance for topic sentences and examples of supporting details.

     

    Text on a brown background: "LET'S TRY IT! OUTLINING THE SUMMARY-RESPONSE ESSAY."

     

    Summary-Response Essay Outline Template

    Summary

    (Include the final draft of your summary as a whole here.)

    Response

    • Include the quotation sandwich that you created if that indicates your focus.
    • State your focus as a question

    Thesis Statement: Answer your question.

    Development of the Thesis in Body Paragraphs

    (Check with your instructor to see if they would like you to write sentences or if they are okay with your using phrases and words.)

    1. Body Paragraph #1
      1. Topic Sentence
        1. Supporting Detail #1
        2. Supporting Detail #2
    2. Body Paragraph #2
      1. Topic Sentence
        1. Supporting Detail #1
        2. Supporting Detail #2
    3. Body Paragraph #3
      1. Topic Sentence
        1. Supporting Detail #1
        2. Supporting Detail #2

    You can create as many body paragraphs as you need. Each body paragraph should be related to the thesis statement.

    Conclusion

    This is the resolution of your response. What should your readers do or think as a result of the response? You might also offer questions for your readers to consider.

     

     

     

    This page titled 2.10: Outlining was last modified on Wed, 02 Sep 2026 05:41:30 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Rosie Banks.

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