Maria Delacruz

11/13/17
English 5M

Research Paper Outline

Intro:
I: According to author Lucille P. McCarthy students make writing within their different courses
more difficult than it needs to be.
I: McCarthy states that learning how to integrate the skills they already possess in order to
implement them within the writing for each class will make the transition between classes easier.
E: This explains a way in which students can use their different skills within various different
discourse communities.
I: Although each class has different writing styles, all styles share similarities such as using
P.I.E within each writing assignment.
Thesis: P.I.E elements are the most important skills to master in this class for incoming
Multilingual writers.

P: Multilingual writers are individuals that fluently speak another language besides English at
home.
I: According to Professor Ferris, because ML writers learned English at a later age and have had
fewer chances to express themselves academically in English many aspects at a college level can
be harder for them.
I: English is considered a writer-responsible language and Ferris supports this in her paper as
she says that, it is the writers job to think about the knowledge and expectations of his/her
audience and to communicate in ways that make sense and are clear to the audience.
E: As a Multilingual writer, being aware of the challenges that each individual faces and learning
to implement P.I.E elements will make it easier for them to become familiar with the
expectations held within writing at an American college-level. Using these elements will allow
the paper to flow smoothly and will assist with the reader's understanding of the argument that is
being made. At times, Multilingual writers are not sure how to organize an essay, as they may be
used to organizing it in a different way, so P.I.E gives them an outline of a structure to organize
their ideas.

P: P.I.E elements are a helpful tool that can be used as a structure for many writing assignments.
I: Writer Lucille McCarthy believes that students have difficulty writing for their different classes
because they believed the writing had to be done differently; however, all shared similarities.
I: McCarthy assures students that they are not the only ones that feel lost within their writing as
she says that, writing in college is viewed as a process of assessing and adapting to the
requirements in unfamiliar academic settings.
E: One way in which students can make the transition of writing for their different classes easier
is to use the P.I.E elements. The elements are a great tool to have to help ease some stress as the
formatting is easy to follow because it holds the information that almost every writing
assignment requires. Using the elements also helps you to keep all the ideas that you have
organized.

P: In this class, one way in which P.I.E elements are present and serve as the biggest tool are
within the reading responses.
I: Reading responses consist of reading a passage and then writing about a one page response
that illustrates the understanding on the main ideas found within the passage.
I: The way the reading responses are formatted are exactly how the P.I.E elements are and this
format is meant to make writing the reading response easier for students.
E: By organizing the reading responses in this way, it ensures that the claims made are being
supported with the evidence that is found within each reading. It also helps the reader understand
the argument of the author as the format allows the paper to flow smoothly. Although it does
follow a specific order, it does not constrain the writer from sharing their ideas freely and voice
their own opinion on the reading.

P: P.I.E elements are the structural base that can be used within each major writing assignments
that have been completed in this course.
I: The most obvious paper that has actively incorporated the P.I.E elements is the research paper.
In order for the research paper to be successful, students have to be willing to put in the time
needed to find sources with good information that will help to support their thesis.
I: Without even knowing it, P.I.E elements were used to write the rhetorical analysis as well.
E: Because a few essays were written before the elements were introduced to the class, the
papers may be lacking organization and is missing some components. It is however evident that
as students get more familiar with how to integrate each aspect of P.I.E that their writing skills
will also improve. Becoming familiarized with this method will not only be helpful to know in
this class, but in every class where an essay is required.

Conclusion: Though this class has many skills that could be learned and used throughout the
course of the semester, P.I.E elements are the essential skills that benefits Multilingual writers.
By becoming aware of the skills that one already posses and making them stronger,
implementing all the components that an essay must have will become gradually easier for
students that are unfamiliar with how essays are written within the American college-level
writing.
 Works cited
McCarthy, Lucille P. A Stranger in Strange Lands: A College Student Writing across the
Curriculum. Research in the Teaching of English 21.3 (1987): 233-65. Print.
Ferris, Dana. Multilingual Students and College Writing. Student Writing Handbook, 1st ed.,
Sacramento State University, 2009, pp. 2327.