Chapter 5: Planning and Organizing the Essay

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Chapter 5 Planning and Organizing the Essay

• Dr. Alan Haffa

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Prewriting

• All the steps that a writer takes to prepare to
  write.
• Brainstorming
• Research Gathering information and supporting
  facts
• Outlining the essay structure.

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Evaluating Controlling Ideas and Theses

• Does it
• Predict the content of your essay as specifically
  as possible without wasting words
• Clear and Coherent
• Stated in one complete sentence
• Free from figures of speech
• A statement, not a question
• Moves toward a single point and does not diverge
  into two or more ideas.

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Outlining

• An outline does not need to be a formal plan
• It should present a list of sub-topics, designed
  to support the controlling idea.
• Each of the paper sections should have a unifying
  topic and a couple of supporting details.
• Ideally, before you complete the paper each
  paragraph will have a controlling idea of its own
  that organizes the paragraph, but you dont need
  to worry about that at this point.

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Example of an outline Controlling idea My two
closest friends, John and Mark, are nearly exact
opposites in their handling of money.

• Attitude toward money
• Willingness to spend money
• Items to be bought

• 1) John has contempt for it 2) Mark reveres it.
• 1) John spends freely 2) Marks comparison shops
• 1) John buys what he wants 2) Mark buys what he
  can afford.

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Formal Outline

• The formal outline organizes the paper by
  subdividing the controlling idea into smaller
  ideas, which are then developed in separate
  paragraphs.
• Roman numerals are used to indicate the main idea
  of each paragraph
• Capital letters are used to indicate the seconary
  subideas
• Arabic numerals are used to indicate tertiary
  subideas.

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Modified Formal Outline

• For each paragraph, indicate the paragraph topic
  sentence, that is the main idea of the paragraph,
  with a Roman numeral.
• Below each roman numeral indicate at least three
  supporting details or subideas with capital
  letters. These ideas should all be upholding or
  developing the main idea.

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Example of an outline

• Controlling Idea Because of its practical uses
  as well as its psychological effects, my backpack
  is my most valuable possession.

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First paragraph

• My backpack is sturdy and wellmade.
• The bag part of it is made of nylon polyester
• The frame is lightweight aluminum
• It is designed to be light but strong and is
  large enough to hold all the things that I need.

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Second paragraph

• II. My backpack came from my father.
• A. It was a surprise birthday present
• B. Backpacking is a family tradition.

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Third paragraph

• III. My backpack has practical uses.
• A. It serves as a portable restaurant.
• B. I can use it as folding motel.

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Fourth paragraph

• IV. My backpack has important psychological
  effects.
• A. It gives me a feeling of strength and
  self-reliance.
• B. It gives me a feeling of independence.

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Proposition 13 is an unfair tax that hurts
California citizens by under-funding needed
services

• I. What Prop 13 is
• II. How it is unfair
• III. What services are being under-funded in CA

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I. Prop 13 is a law affecting property taxes,
that moves the taxing authority from local
jurisdictions to the state government.

• A. How it establishes a base line for property
  taxes
• B. How it creates a statewide property tax system
  that funds local government like school
  districts, cities, and counties
• Exceptions and provisions which benefit the
  wealthy at the expense of the poor and those
  without land

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II. Prop 13 is unfair

• A. Disparity in property taxes give examples
• B. How this disparity will only get worse in time
  and create an aristocratic class
• C. How this law punishes new immigrants to the
  state whose families do not own property here
• D. How this law hurts young, upwardly mobile
  professionals who have to move about due to their
  careers

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Services are being under-funded because of Prop 13

• A. Local Schools have difficulty raising money
  because tax payers no longer feel connected to
  the school district
• B. Cities are cutting services like libraries and
  parks and recreation
• C. Counties are cutting services like libraries
  and highway and road building and maintenance and
  Parks and

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Evaluation

• Is the controlling idea a complete sentence? Is
  it clear? Is it neither too narrow nor too
  broad? Does it include padding?
• Do each of the supporting paragraphs contribute
  toward proving the controlling idea or toward
  establishing the dominant impression?
• Does each of the sub-ideas contribute toward
  establishing the main idea or controlling idea of
  the its paragraph?