Outlining 2

Since there are many reasons to learn to outline, I have decided to give you the opportunity to practice and develop these important skills. Many of my classes begin with a simple outlining assignment: "Outline one of the chapters in the reading assignment." That brings up an interesting point because everyone knows that in today's world you can find most of these outlines, often even those produced by the publishers of the books, online. You could copy and paste them as the assignment, but you don't learn anything that way and that is cheating. It is cheating that is very easy to detect as well. But mostly you don't learn anything. The reason for the assignment - all assignments - is to help you learn. So do the outline yourself.

How?
First read the material carefully.
Then think about and define the thesis of the material.
All good writing begins with a thesis which the major point of the writing. The thesis is at best a one sentence statement of the major point the work is attempting to make.

eg. Chapter One in World History - "Civilization begins when people settle down along the banks of the great river (Tigris, Nile and others), learn to grow crops and create a series of cities, kingdom and empires from Mesopotamia to Egypt to the Hittites and the Jews to the Assyrians the Babylonians and the Persians."

It is important to identify the thesis before you get too far because it is the backbone of the entire work and holds everything together.