Organizational Paradigms

Huh? Okay, “systems” for organizing your outline. (Better?)

All-Purpose ModelI. Intro: Identify the subject.

A. Explain the problem.B. Provide background information.C. Provide a thesis statement.

II. Body: Analyze the subject.A. Examine first major issue.B. Examine second major issue.C. Examine third major issue.

III. Conclusion: Discuss your findings.A. Go beyond restating the thesis.B. Interpret findingsC. Provide answer, solutions, or a final opinion.

Cause and EffectI. Thesis: Television can have positive

effects on a child’s language development.

II. Body:A. Consequence 1: Television introduces new

words.B. Consequence 2: Television reinforces word

usage and proper syntax.C. Consequence 3: Literary classics come alive

verbally on televisionD. Consequence 4: Television provides the subtle

rhythms and musical effects of accomplished speakers.

Advancing Your Ideas and TheoriesI. Introduction

A. Establish the problemB. Discuss its significanceC. Provide needed

background infoD. Intro experts (may use

in body)E. Thesis

II. BodyA. Evaluate the issuesB. Develop a past-to-

present examinationC. Compare and analyze

the details and minor issues

D. Cite experts who have addressed the same problem.

III. ConclusionA. Advance/defend your

theory based on evidence.

B. Offer a plan of action.C. Suggest additional work

or research.

Argument and PersuasionI. Intro

A. In one statement, establish the problem the paper will examine.

B. Summarize the issuesC. Provide background informationD. Provide thesis that establishes author’s position.

II. BodyA. Define the key terminologyB. Analyze the issue both pro and con.C. Make concessions on certain points of the argument.D. Develop arguments to support author’s side of subject.

1. Use quotations and paraphrases to clarify the author’s position.III. Conclusion

A. Clarify position.B. Try “look to the future” or “call to action” closing.

Comparative StudyI. Intro

A. Provide background information.

B. Establish A.C. Establish B.D. Introduce central issues.E. Present thesis.

II. BodyA. Choice #1

1. Examine A2. Examine B3. Compare and contrast A

and B.B. Choice #2

1. Compare A and B2. Contrast A and B.3. Discuss the central

issues.

A. Choice #31. Issue #1

a. Discuss Ab. Discuss B

2. Issue #2a. Discuss Ab. Discuss B

3. Issue #3a. Discuss Ab. Discuss B

III. ConclusionA. Summarize significant issuesB. Choose one side over the

other and write a conclusion that ranks it such.

Historical Study Intro

Identify event Provide historical background Present thesis

Body Analyze the background leading up to the event.

Trace events from one historic episode to another.

Offer chronological sequence Conclusion

Reaffirm thesis Discuss consequences of event/how it changed

history.

Point, Illustration, Explanation-- PIE

Easier to identify while composing, not after it’s written.

1. Make a Point.2. Illustrate the point with something from the text.3. Explain how the illustration proves the point.

Made-up example:POINT: Arizona is a great place to live.ILLUSTRATION: We can wear shorts in the winter.ILLUSTRATION: We can also go outside almost any day of the year

without being chilled.EXPLANATION: Those are two examples of weather-related reasons

why Arizona is a great place.

PIE-I-EThe homeless person taking shelter in the boxes is

the first symbol of separating the rich from poor. In the picture a person rests within a dirty makeshift cardboard home that is tied to a bench with string and plastic tape. Inside the box lies a new pillow with no pillow case along with a pink towel and a green sheet. The bench is next to a fence that seems to divide the rich and poor. There is garbage on the ground underneath the bench, where it seems to be that the fence represents the separation “trash” from the “wealthy.”

Quotation Sandwich

Bread—Say where a quotation comes from or who said itFilling—Quotation, summary, or paraphraseBread—Say what this adds to your paper without repeating the

quote

Made-up example:BREAD: Plato was speaking to a group of young students one

day at his school.

FILLING: He said, “Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools talk because they have to say something.”

BREAD: He wanted speakers to think before they spoke.

Quotation SandwichExample from an actual student paper:

BREAD: When they were settling into the mansion, she was made to stay in a room that was obviously designed to house small children.

FILLING: "It was a nursery first, and then a playroom and gymnasium, I should judge, for the windows are barred for little children, and there are rings and things in the walls" (256).

BREAD: The nursery was an unusual choice since the couple had a baby who most logically should have stayed there.

Balance evidence with your own thinking: Quotation

Sandwich

My thinking: Kate Chopin crafts her story so that a reader can’t tell for sure how Mrs. Mallard feels. The story is full of conflicts that show Mrs. Mallard’s mixed feelings for her husband. Evidence: On the one hand, she is a sad widow who “went away to her room alone” and sinks into a chair feeling exhausted. On the other hand, as she sits there, she looks out the window and sees treetops “all aquiver with the new spring life” (320). Evidence: The “sparrows twittering in the eaves” and the blue sky my thinking: are both happy images. The busy, lively view seems out of place in this room where a new widow is supposed to be mourning (320). My thinking: Mrs. Mallard must be happy to some degree, or she wouldn’t be noticing the happy images. The contrasts help build suspense for the reader, who asks, does she or doesn’t she love this man?

Reminders Always organize within the essay or

paper (remember LATCH). The supporting ideas are what make

the paper worth reading. Expert opinions from research Real world examples (use a fictional

character) Statistics and numbers

Use the PIE or Quotation Sandwhich within paragraphs!