Outlining

Introduction

In this day and age where students are expected to be “globally competitive”, excellent
communication skills in English for academic and professional purposes in now an imperative.Putting
your thoughts and arguments into writing is a necessary skill you must possess for whatever field and
industry you might be in.
However, before writing your own academic papers, you need to equip yourselves with the
necessary knowledge on how to read academic texts. Learning appropriate reading strategies would
facilitate a better understanding of academic texts, which in turn would allow you to construct well-
informed, well-argued, and well-written academic texts.
Another way of organizing information is through an outline and that is what you will learn today.
After going through this module, you are expected to:
• Outline reading texts in various disciplines.
TASK 1 LET’S WARM UP

Before we start with the lesson, let us determine first if you know how to categorize and organize
the items below. Read the list of words or phrases. Decide which two name aregeneral categories, and
then put the rest of the words and phrases in the correct category.

read a book swim build a model play baseball

outdoor activities ride a bike bake cookies play cards
indoor activities climb a tree

(category) (category)

Development

You might be wondering why you need to learn the skill of outlining reading materials. After all,
aren’t these reading assignment already organized? You may be surprised that outlining your reading
assignments can be beneficial. Outlines help you better understand thematerial you are reading, and
allow you to better remember the things that you have read. Youcan even use them as study guides.

Hence, this lesson will help you understand the importance of outlining as one of the strategies
to help you better understand a reading text. Furthermore, there are provided activities, which aim to
improve your critical reading and writing.

Outlining
Dadufalza (2008) says that “an outline provides a rapid grasp of the fundamental aspects or
parts of an entire expository piece. It shows, through its standard format, how theseparts relate to each
other as sections of equal importance or units of subordinate rank which merely support, clarify, or
illustrate the main headings under which they are classified” (pg. 303).
 When making an outline of an academic text, the most important thing you need to remember
is understanding the source material. You need to thoroughly understand what thewriter is trying to
argue or point out. Hence, correct identification of a text’s thesis statement is crucial.
Once you identify the thesis statement, the next thing you need to do is to determine the main
ideas. You usually need to ask yourself any of these three questions:
• Does the thesis statement have logical divisions?
• Does the thesis statement follow a certain order?
• What are the reasons the thesis statement is true?

Now if any of those questions make vis-à-vis your thesis statement, you need to find out the
answers to those questions. Those are your main ideas. In a similar fashion, you need to identify the
point that support the main ideas. They may take the form of: (1) illustrations, (2) descriptions or
explanations, (3) definitions, (4) analogies, (5) statistics, and/or (6) opinions. However, ideas do not
stop at supporting materials. There might be facts that act as support to the supporting materials.
Therefore, you really need to be critical and carefully analyze which ideas are subordinate to specific
ideas.

WHY DO WE OUTLINE?
• It gives an overview of the topic and enables us to see how various subtopics relate toone
another.
• Recording the information in our own words tests our understanding of what we read.
• It is an effective way to record needed information from reference books you do notown.

TWO OUTLINE FORMATS

1. Alphanumeric Outline – It includes prefix at the beginning of each topic as a referenceaid

• PREFIX – is in the form of ‘Roman Numerals’ for the top level. ‘Uppercased letters’ in
the alphabet for the next level, ‘Arabic numerals’ for the next level, and then
‘lowercased letters’ for the next level. Each numeral or letter is followed by a period,
and each item is capitalized.
2. Decimal Outline – It is similar in format to the alphanumeric outline. The added benefitis a
system of decimal notation that clearly shows how every level of the outline relatesto the larger
whole. It uses numbers as labels.

KINDS OF OUTLINE ACCORDING TO STRUCTURE

1. Topic Outline – It makes use of key words and phrasesA
topic outline is divided into three levels:
 • the headings
• the subheadings
• the sub-subheadings
➢ Headings – look for the main ideas in the passage or text. Roman numerals (e.g.,I, II, III…)
are used to identify the headings.
➢ Subheadings – get the supporting ideas that further explain the main ideas. Use capital
letters (e.g., A, B, C…) to present the subheadings.
➢ Sub-subheadings – are the specific details or concrete examples of the supporting ideas.
Arabic numbers (e.g., 1, 2, 3…) are used for sub-subheadings. However, sub-subheadings
are only given when necessary.
2. Sentence Outline – It uses complete sentences as its entries. It is also known as
expanded outline.
TASK 2: LET’S PRACTICE

Now that you are familiar with the kinds of outline, let us read and study the sentenceoutline
from the following story, then make a topic outline.

SPARROWS, ROBINS, AND YOU

Early one summer, city workers in Hamilton, Ontario, were trimming limbs from trees
along the streets. In one tree marker for cutting, they found nest of baby robins. The workers
decided not to touch the limb until the young birds flew.

Later, when the nest was abandoned, they examined it and discovered in the bottoma little
scrap of paper. The robins had used it, along with the dried twigs, to build their nest. On the paper
were these three words: “We trust in the Lord God.” Now, we don’t know if theworkers saw the
remarkable significance of these words, but their concern for sparing thosetiny robins was God’s way
of caring for his creatures.

Likewise, our heavenly Father takes special care to protect us from dangers we cannot
foresee. Sometimes, we are not even aware of His guarding hand, and at other times,His care is
evident in unusual ways. Therefore, we can “trust in the Lord”. The hymn writer John Sammis wrote,
“He daily spreads a bounteous feast and at His table dine the whole creation, man and beast, and
He’s a friend of mine.” Our loving God, Who takes care of sparrows and robins will most surely
protect and provide for His own children. NO wonderJesus said, “Do not fear.” The trust in God is the
perfect cure for fear.

Sentence Outline Topic Outline

I. City workers were trimming limbs of trees.

A. They found a nest of baby robins.
B. The workers did not touch the limbs untilthe
young birds flew.
II. When the nest was abandoned, they
examined it.
A. They discovered a scrap paper.
B. Birds used the scrap paper along with the
dried twigs for nest.
C. The paper contained three words, “We
must trust in the Lord our God.”
1. The words are significant for them to
spare robins.
2. They spared the tiny robins.
III. Our Heavenly Father protects us from
danger.
A. We are not aware of His guarding hand.
B. His care is sometimes evident in
unusual ways.
IV. John Sammis wrote a song.
A. He spreads a feast.
B. The whole creation dines.
C. Man and beast are God’s friends.
D. He takes care of sparrows and robins.
E. He protects and provides for us.
F. “Do not fear.”
 Engagement

You’ve done a good job! Now that you know how to make an outline, you are nowready
for the following tasks. Get ready to learn more as you work on the following activities.
TASK 3: LET’S DO THIS
Read the selection below and make a sentence outline.

The Coconut Tree

The coconut tree (Cocos nucifera) is a member of the family Arecaceae (palm family) andthe only
species of the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit,
which, botanically, is a drupe, not a nut. The spelling coconut is an archaic formof the word. The term is
derived from the 16th century Portuguese and Spanish word coco meaning “head” or “skull”, from the
three indentations on the coconut shell that resemble facial features.

Coconuts are known for their great versatility, as evidenced by many traditional uses, ranging
from food to cosmetics. They form a regular part of the diets of many people in the tropicsand subtropics.
Coconuts are distinct from other fruits for their large quantity of “water”, and when immature, they are
known as tender-nuts or jelly nuts and may be harvested for their potable coconut water. When mature,
they still contain some water and can be used as seed nuts or processed to give oil from the kernel,
charcoal from the hard shell, and coir from the fibrous husk. The endosperm is initially in its nuclear
phase suspended within the coconut water. As development continues, cellular layers of endosperm
deposit along the walls of the coconut, becoming the edible coconut “flesh”. When dried, the coconut flesh
is called copra. The oil and milk derived from it are commonly used for cooking and frying, as well as in
soaps and cosmetics. The husks and leaves can be used as material to make variety of products for
furnishing and decorating. The coconut also has cultural and religious significance in certain societies,
particularly in India, where it is used in Hindu rituals.

Reflection

TASK 4: Reflection

How do you think outlining as discussed in this lesson helps young writersbetter understand reading
texts? Write a short reflection.