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English
Quarter 4 – Module 3:
Developing an Outline

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 What I know
Check your background knowledge regarding the lesson by answering the
following activity.

Activity: True or False

Directions: Write T if the statement is true and write F if it is false.
____1. An outline is made after writing.
____2. An outline is a plan.
____3. Outlining helps organize your ideas when you write.
____4. An alphanumeric outline is an outline that uses decimals.
____5. A full sentence outline present parts in sentence form.

What’s In
Before you proceed with a new lesson, have a review on the topic
that you had in the last module.
Directions: Identify whether the following are primary or
secondary sources. Write P if it is an example of a primary source and write S if is a
secondary source.
_______1. Diary
_______2. Textbooks
_______3. Dictionary
_______4. Research findings
_______5. Encyclopedia

What’s New
Writing has never been an easy task, but, the good thing is we are taught
varied strategies to help us in enhancing our writing skills, one of which is outlining.
Whether you plan to write a research paper, a story or simply an essay due the next
day, it may be helpful to create an outline when you want to have effectively written
output.

What is It
What is an outline?

Outline is a preliminary account of a project, in short, a plan.

When an engineer builds a house, he or she does not right away start building
it, he or she draft plans first, making sure that each part is integral to the whole
structure. When you write a literary text—for example, an essay—jumping right away
into starting your work may leave you with a poor constructed essay, or even longer
time in developing and editing it.

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Why create an outline?

There are many reasons, but in general, it may be helpful to create an outline
when you want to show the hierarchical relationship or logical ordering of
information.

Below are the primary reasons for creating an outline.

 Aids in the process of writing

 Helps you organize your ideas
 Presents your material in a logical form
 Shows the relationships among ideas in your writing
 Constructs an ordered overview of your writing
 Defines boundaries and groups
How do I create an outline?

 Determine the purpose of your paper.

 Determine the audience you are writing for.
After determining the purpose of your paper and the audience you are writing for,
follow these steps:

Steps in Outlining

1. Brainstorm all of the ideas you want to include in your paper.

2. Group related ideas.
3. Sequence the ideas in a logical order.
4. Label your ideas with headings and subheadings. The labels should be
precise enough that they help you develop a topic sentence for each section
of the outline. An effective outline is not a list of topics, but rather a
framework for a set of ideas.
5. Write a draft of your outline.

Remember: Creating an outline before writing your paper will make organizing
your thoughts a lot easier. Whether you follow the suggested guidelines is up to
you, but making any kind of outline will be beneficial to your writing process.

What are the types of outline?

1. Alphanumeric

This is the most common type of outline and usually instantly recognizable to
most people. The formatting follows these characters, in this order:

 Roman Numerals (I, II, III, IV…)

 Capitalized Letters (A, B, C, D…)
 Arabic Numerals (1, 2, 3, 4…)

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  Lowercase Letters (a, b, c, d…)
I. Heading 1
A. Subheading 1
B. Subheading 2
II. Heading 2
A. Subheading 1
B. Subheading 2

Example:
Topic: COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS
I. CHOOSE DESIRED COLLEGES
A. Visit and evaluate college campuses and/or websites
1. Look for interesting classes
2. Note important statistics (ex: percentage of successful graduates)

II. PREPARE APPLICATION

A. Write personal statement
1. Choose interesting topic
2. Include important details

Note the use of the alphabet and numbers (alphanumeric) in presenting the process.

2. Decimal Outline
This outline uses a series of numbers with decimals to organize each detail.

1. Heading 1
1.1. Subheading 1
1.2. Subheading 2
2. Heading 2
2.1. Subheading 1
2.2. Subheading 2

Example:
Topic: COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS
1. CHOOSE DESIRED COLLEGES
1.1. Visit and evaluate college campuses and/or websites
1.1.1. Look for interesting classes
1.1.2. Note important statistics (ex: percentage of successful
graduates).

2. PREPARE APPLICATION
2.1. Write personal statement
2.1.1. Choose interesting topic
2.1.2. Include important details

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3. Full sentence
The full sentence outline format is essentially the same as the Alphanumeric
outline. The main difference that full sentences are required at each level of the
outline
I. Topic sentence 1
A. Supporting detail 1
B. Supporting detail 2
II. Topic sentence 2
A. Supporting detail 1
B. Supporting detail 2

Example:
Topic: PRIMARY CAUSE OF GLOBAL WARMING
I. Manmade pollution is the primary cause of global warming.
A. Greenhouse and gas emissions are widely identified by the scientific
community to be harmful.
1. The burning of coals and fossil fuels are the primary releasers of
hazardous greenhouse gasses.

Four Main Components for Effective Outlines

Crafting your outline with these four characteristics will help you write more
clearly.

Parallelism: That is, the headings should match in form.

Each heading and subheading should preserve parallel structure. If the first
heading is a verb, the second heading should be a verb. Example:

I. CHOOSE DESIRED COLLEGES

II. PREPARE APPLICATION

"Choose" and "Prepare" are both verbs. The present tense of the verb is usually
the preferred form for an outline.

 Coordination: The headings at one level should all have the same level of
significance.

All the information contained in Heading 1 should have the same significance as
the information contained in Heading 2. The same goes for the subheadings (which
should be less significant than the headings).
Sample Heading 1: VISIT AND EVALUATE COLLEGE CAMPUSES
Sample Heading 2:VISIT AND EVALUATE COLLEGE WEBSITES

Sample subheading 1: Note important statistics

Sample subheading 2: Look for interesting classes

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 Campus and websites visits are equally significant. They are part of the main
tasks you would need to do. Finding statistics and classes found on college websites
are parts of the process involved in carrying out the main heading topics.

 Subordination: The headings should be more general than the subheadings.

The information in the headings should be more general, while the information in
the subheadings should be more specific. Example:

1. DESCRIBE AN INFLUENTIAL PERSON IN YOUR LIFE

1. Favorite high school teacher
2. Grandparent

A favorite teacher and grandparent are specific examples from the generalized
category of influential people in your life.

 Division: Each heading should be subdivided into at least two subheadings.

Each heading should be divided into 2 or more parts. Example:

1. COMPILE RÉSUMÉ

1. List relevant coursework

2. List work experience
3. List volunteer experience

The heading "Compile Résumé" is divided into 3 parts.

Technically, there is no limit to the number of subdivisions for your headings;

however, if you seem to have a lot, it may be useful to see if some of the parts can be
combined.

What I Have Learned

Directions: Fill the diagram with the things you have understood about the
lesson.

The three reasons

why I should use and
outline are...
Things I have learned:
The three types of
outline that I can use
when planning to
write are...

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 What I Can Do
Directions: Choose one from the given topics and create an outline. You may use
any of the types of outline that you read about earlier (Alphanumeric, decimal or full
sentence). Write your outline on a separate sheet of paper.

• Advantages and Disadvantage of using Facebook

• Effects of the Pandemic to your Personal Life
• Differentiate the process of learning before (face to face learning) and
during the Pandemic (modular and/or online learning)

Assessment
Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your answer on a
separate sheet of paper.
1. What is a preliminary account of a project?
a. output b. outline c. process
2. Which of the following is NOT a reason why you need to use outline?
a. Outline aids in the process of writing.
b. Outline helps you finish your output right away.
c. Outline helps you organize your ideas .
3. What is the first step in making an outline?
a. brainstorm ideas
b. group related ideas
c. sequence your ideas logically
4. What type of outline uses both the alphabet and numbers in presenting project
parts?
a. alphanumeric b. decimal c. full sentence
5. What type of outline uses a series of numbers with decimals to organize each
detail?
a. alphanumeric b. decimal c. full sentence

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Answer Key

(1) What I know

1. F
2. T
3. T
4. F
5. T

(2) What’s in
1. P
2. S
3. S
4. P
5. P

(4) What I can do

Answers vary

(5) Assessment
1. a
2. b
3. a
4. a
5. b