Unit 5 WK 8 Revision Strategy - Reverse Outlining

Reverse Outlining

  1. Copy and paste your thesis onto a separate document.
  2. Copy and paste the first two sentences of each body paragraph onto this separate document, maintaining the same order as your original essay.  You should now have a reverse outline of your essay.

Ask yourself the following questions to check for topic sentence quality:

  1. Do the first two sentences of every paragraph (what I pasted into the separate document) contain an arguable assertion (an argument that requires support)? Instead, have I stated a mere fact such as summary or quotation?  A topic sentence should state a point.
  2. Do the first two sentences of every paragraph relate to my thesis and thus, assert a supporting argument?  A topic sentence must advance and support the thesis.

Ask yourself the following questions to test the sequencing of your topic sentences.

  1. Would moving up any points make my overall argument clearer to my readers?  Help readers follow your argument by carefully determining what information they need to know first to appreciate your argument.
  2. Am I having difficulty transitioning from one point to the next?  This experience is often an indication that a point is out of sequence.