4. Outlining

Outliningis a method of organizing ideas during the prewriting stage of the writing process. Generally, outlining comes after you have generated ideas through brainstorming, freewriting, or another technique. An outline lists information in the order you plan to present it in your paragraph or essay. It is important to show the difference between major headings and subheadings, which designate major and secondary topics and details. The most common way to make this designation is to use capital roman numerals (I, II, III) for major headings, indented capital letters (A, B, C) for subheadings, and then Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) for the narrowest headings. Following is an example of an outline:

Example of a Student Outline

Benefits of Ballet Classes

I.

Introduction

Topic Sentence: Ballet classes can greatly benefit a person's physical and mental health.

II.

Ballet dancing helps the body in several ways.

A.

Regular training tones muscles.

1.	High leg extensions develop hamstrings and quadriceps.
2.	Pointing toes and rising on toes engage calf muscles.

B.

Ballet dancing helps maintain a healthy body weight.

1.	A 68-kilogram person will burn approximately 405 calories dancing ballet for one hour.

C.

Ballet dancing helps improve posture.

III.

Ballet dancing also exercises the mind.

A.	Making patterns with the body requires concentration.
B.	Ballet dancers must coordinate their bodies to music.
C.	Dance step combinations involve logic and memorization.

Sources: "The Benefits of Ballet Lessons for Adults." Hubpages.com. HubPages, Inc. n.d. Web. 18 January 2012; Fisk, Judy. "What Muscles Does Dancing Ballet Strengthen?" Livestrong. Demand Media, Inc. 8 November 2011. Web. 5 October 2012; Nunley, Kimberley. "Calories Burned in Ballet Class." Livestrong. Demand Media, Inc. 14 June 2011. Web. 5 October 2012.

Directions: Complete the following simplified outline by clicking on the blank spaces and choosing from the dropdown menus.

I.

Introduction

Topic sentence:To become a good ballet dancer, a person must develop two important traits.

II.

A.	A ballet dancer has to practise regularly.
B.
C.	A ballet dancer has to concentrate for long periods of time.

III.

A.

A ballet dancer has to convey feelings to the audience.

B.

1.	Moves such as the plie may be easy to learn but must be felt inside to master.