• Informative Essay


    Essay Outline Worksheet                                                         Name:__________________

                                                                                                              Date:___________________

    Topic: (the title or the topic of your essay):_____________________________

    I. Introductory Paragraph

                A. Opening Statement: How will you first bring the reader into your essay?  What will you say to introduce what your essay is about?  Think of this as a handshake with the reader. 

    ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    What else will you say to introduce your ideas? 

    B.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

                C. _________________________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

                Thesis Statement: What is the main idea of your essay?  THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SENTENCE OF YOUR ENTIRE ESSAY, SO WORD IT CAREFULLY!!!!!!!!

    ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________________________

    II. Body Paragraph #1

                A. Topic Sentence:  What will this paragraph be about?

    ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________________________

                B.  Evidence: What specific facts or ideas are you bringing into play here?  Be sure to include your full quotes and page numbers for each quote like this: (pg. #).

    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________________________

                C.  Concluding Sentence: How will you connect this paragraph back to your thesis?  Write a sentence which explains how the evidence above proves your thesis statement. 

    ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________________________

    III.  Body Paragraph #2

                A. Topic Sentence:  What will this paragraph be about?

    ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________________________

                B.  Evidence: What specific facts or ideas are you bringing into play here?  Be sure to include your full quotes and page numbers for each quote like this: (pg. #).

    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________________________

                C.  Concluding Sentence: How will you connect this paragraph back to your thesis?  Write a sentence which explains how the evidence above proves your thesis statement. 

    ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________________________

    IV.  Body Paragraph #3

                A. Topic Sentence:  What will this paragraph be about?

    ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________________________

                B.  Evidence: What specific facts or ideas are you bringing into play here?  Be sure to include your full quotes and page numbers for each quote like this: (pg. #).

    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________________________

                C.  Concluding Sentence: How will you connect this paragraph back to your thesis?  Write a sentence which explains how the evidence above proves your thesis statement. 

    ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________________________

    IV.  Body Paragraph #4?  (optional)

                A. Topic Sentence:  What will this paragraph be about?

    ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________________________

                B.  Evidence: What specific facts or ideas are you bringing into play here?  Be sure to include your full quotes and page numbers for each quote like this: (pg. #).

    __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________________________

                C.  Concluding Sentence: How will you connect this paragraph back to your thesis?  Write a sentence which explains how the evidence above proves your thesis statement. 

    ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________________________

    V.  Concluding Paragraph

                A. Summative OR  “So-What?” Statement: (reconnection to Thesis Statement):

    So-What version: If everything I’ve said is true, so what?  What’s the point of all this? 

    Summative version: How can I sum it all up?  Restate thesis in light of what you have proven. 

    THIS SHOULD BE THE MIRROR IMAGE OF YOUR THESIS STATEMENT.  WORD IT CAREFULLY! 

    ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________________________

    Supporting Sentences:

    If this is a Summative paragraph, recap the points of your essay. 

    If this is a So-What paragraphs, add the appropriate sentences that further your statement. 

    B. _________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________________________

                C.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________________________

                D.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________________________

    __________________________________________________________________________________________

    Closing Sentence: This is the final sentence of your essay, which naturally ends your discussion of the topic.

    ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________