Outlining: Step 3

Table of Contents

Step 3: Break the three reasons—from your thesis—into the sections for your argument body paragraphs.

For the outline, you can easily translate the thesis to a more fleshed out outline by converting each of your reasons into one body paragraph for each of the ‘reasons’.  See the body paragraph outlined sections below.

REASON 1 = BODY PARAGRAPH 1 I. Implementation of prevention presentations in middle schools can help young teenagers develop awareness of human trafficking.                a. These presentations could provide youth with methods of self-defense to keep them safe.                b. Problems cannot be solved if people are unaware of the issue.

REASON 2 = BODY PARAGRAPH 2 II. Awareness programs for parents can provide tools parents can use in their daily lives to keep their children safe. a.      Parents might not be aware of the dangers human trafficking poses to their children in their area of the world. b.      By bringing awareness to parents, the parents can then share the information with their children, which will help provide further insight for the children.

REASON 3 = BODY PARAGRAPH 3 III. Greater punishments for people involved in human trafficking could potentially lessen the number of people involved in this crime. a.      Having a more intense consequence could keep potential criminals from getting involved with human trafficking because the risk will be greater if they are caught.                b. The level of punishment can also help people realize the gravity of the crime.

Using your own thoughts to defend your ideas is critical for developing a good outline, and even more so for creating a strong essay.

If you rely too heavily on source material, your argument will no longer be your argument. You want the readers to know what you think, not what other people think. That is not to say that you shouldn't use sources. On the contrary, you should use sources, but ONLY WHEN THEY defend your own ideas by helping bolster your argument! 70%-80% of the writing should be your argument and ideas, and in your words—using 3^rd person voice.  20%-30% will be source materials that are used to DEFEND your argument.  Do not use sources to MAKE the argument. For help understanding the 80/20 Rule, visit https://learnessaystrategies.blogspot.com/2019/02/8020-and-eliminating-direct-quotes.html