How to Turn Your Stacks of Notecards into an Outline

Ive finished all my notecards. Now what? 1. Lay all the notecards out on the ground. (Done in class) 2. Classify (sort/categorize) the notecards by similar information (NOT by resource). (Done in class) 3. Label each stack by how it was classified. (Done in class) 4. There are three required main sections in the research paper: history, science, and data for two graphs (the math application). Sort the stacks you created into the proper section and find a way to keep the cards organized that way (a baggie for the history stacks, one for the science stacks, etc.) (To be done at home) 5. Now its on to the outline! My notecards are now organized. How do I use these stacks to plan a paper? 1. Its time to use the stacks to plan the paper. We use a system of symbols and colors (used in the school-wide Step Up to Writing curriculum) in an organized fashion to create a plan; this is called an outline. Every part of the final paper will be mapped out in this outline. 2. Keep the stack of notecards handy; these will determine each of the parts of your outline (and eventually your paper). 3. Below are all the parts and pieces of your outline: Introduction/Overview (Include this heading in your outline, as well as your paper. This is the preview of all that is to come.) Hook/Attention Grabber (Can use questions[s], a short anecdote, an applicable quote [MUST identify the speaker], or a shocking fact or statistic) Thesis Statement (State your topic. Do NOT say, I will be talking to you about or My topic is Instead, start with (Butterflies) are (Pandas) can be (Photography) is) History Title of the stack of cards in your History Section Title of the stack of cards in your History Section Title of the stack of cards in your History Section Science Title of the stack of cards in your Science Section Title of the stack of cards in your Science Section Math Graphs (NOTE: The number of red Title of the stack of cards in yourSection will vary, depending on the student. Likewise, the number of yellow star sections may vary if the student has extra categories other than the main three required.)

History (If you decided that the history section should go first, and you identified as much in your introduction, then this would be first. If you said science, then this would be science, etc.) (Hook/Attention Grabber) - This is now optional, but some like to put another zippy tidbit at the beginning of each section to draw the reader in. Thesis Statement (State what the overall topic of this section will be and list off the main ideas that will be covered [these are the stack titles]. Again, do NOT say I am going to discuss a, b, and c. Instead, simply introduce the ideas naturally. Ice cream as we know it now developed gradually through three major periods: the ancient Egyptians, Pre-Civil War, and the Space Age of the 1960s. NOTE: I made all that up for examples sake. Do NOT make your facts up. J ) Main Idea (Title of the stack of cards in your History Section) Main Idea (Title of the stack of cards in your History Section) Main Idea (Title of the stack of cards in your History Section) Introduction Paragraph (NOTE: The number of main idea yellow stars listed in the introduction paragraph will vary depending on the number of stacks of cards you have in your history section. These yellow stars here are the same as the red arrows/dashes mentioned in your Introduction/Overview.) Main Idea (Title of the stack of cards in your History Section) Supporting Detail (Fact from cards) Supporting Detail (Fact from cards) Supporting Detail (Fact from cards) Body Paragraph 1 (NOTE: The number of supporting details may vary depending on the number of fact notecards gathered in the stack. In the instance of several notecards in the stack, look for ways to condense and combine the facts into subgroups for the sake of ease.) Main Idea (Title of the stack of cards in your History Section) Supporting Detail (Fact from cards) Supporting Detail (Fact from cards) Supporting Detail (Fact from cards) Body Paragraph 2 (NOTE: The number of supporting details may vary depending on the number of fact notecards gathered in the stack. In the instance of several notecards in the stack, look for ways to condense and combine the facts into subgroups for the sake of ease.) Main Idea (Title of the stack of cards in your History Section) Supporting Detail (Fact from cards) Supporting Detail (Fact from cards) Supporting Detail (Fact from cards) Body Paragraph 3 (Etc.)

Science (If you decided that the science section should go second, and you identified as much in your introduction, then this would be second. If you said history, then this would be history, etc.) (Hook/Attention Grabber) - This is now optional, but some like to put another zippy tidbit at the beginning of each section to draw the reader in. Thesis Statement (State what the overall topic of this section will be and list off the main ideas that will be covered [these are the stack titles]. Again, do NOT say I am going to discuss a, b, and c. Instead, simply introduce the ideas naturally. Ice cream changes chemically when you swallow it, the calories from ice cream convert to energy, and ice cream consumed after a hard workout actually builds muscle. NOTE: I made all that up for examples sake. Do NOT make your facts up. J ) Main Idea (Title of the stack of cards in your Science Section) Main Idea (Title of the stack of cards in your Science Section) Main Idea (Title of the stack of cards in your Science Section) Introduction Paragraph (NOTE: The number of main idea yellow stars listed in the introduction paragraph will vary depending on the number of stacks of cards you have in your science section. These yellow stars here are the same as the red arrows/dashes mentioned in your Introduction/Overview.) Main Idea (Title of the stack of cards in your Science Section) Supporting Detail (Fact from cards) Supporting Detail (Fact from cards) Supporting Detail (Fact from cards) Body Paragraph 1 (NOTE: The number of supporting details may vary depending on the number of fact notecards gathered in the stack. In the instance of several notecards in the stack, look for ways to condense and combine the facts into subgroups for the sake of ease.) Main Idea (Title of the stack of cards in your Science Section) Supporting Detail (Fact from cards) Supporting Detail (Fact from cards) Supporting Detail (Fact from cards) Body Paragraph 2 (NOTE: The number of supporting details may vary depending on the number of fact notecards gathered in the stack. In the instance of several notecards in the stack, look for ways to condense and combine the facts into subgroups for the sake of ease.) Main Idea (Title of the stack of cards in your Science Section) Supporting Detail (Fact from cards) Supporting Detail (Fact from cards) Supporting Detail (Fact from cards) Body Paragraph 3 (Etc.)

Math Graphs (If you decided that the math graphs section should go third, and you identified as much in your introduction, then this would be third. If you said history, then this would be history, etc.) Graph 1 Title (also a good idea to identify what kind of graph it will be, i.e. bar graph, line graph, pie chart, etc.) Graph 2 Title (also a good idea to identify what kind of graph it will be, i.e. bar graph, line graph, pie chart, etc.) (NOTE: Some of you have additional categories other than the three main ones of history, science, and data for the graphs. If this is the case, continue with the same kind of intro paragraph/body paragraph[s] that you did for the history and science sections. Make sure you have mentioned them in the Introduction/Overview, as well.) (NOTE #2: The use of color highlighting was not instructed in class. I simply used it here because I cant figure out how to draw the grouping brackets to show something belongs to a single paragraph. The only colors we talked about [and only if available] are the green, yellow, and red dots, stars, and dashes.) Conclusion (Hook/Attention Grabber) Again, this is optional, but some like to revisit their original hook (the one from the Introduction/Overview) to bring a sense of completion. Thesis Statement Restate the grand thesis statement (the one originally mentioned in the Introduction/Overview), with its main ideas, to remind the reader of the journey he/she has just taken through the paper and to bring a sense of closure to the whole work. YOU MADE IT!!! Congratulations! You have now completed a research paper outline in the style of the Step Up to Writing curriculum. Some have asked how long the actual paper will be. Think of each section as its own mini-paper. Including the graphs, Introduction/Overview, and all the other sections, the paper will probably end up being around 4-6 pages, depending on the amount of information you have to report.