Create Short Reading and Pre-Writing Exercises - Step 5

Your goal is to enable your students to develop a logical structure for their essay.

Possible methods:

First

• Distribute two clear examples of disciplinary writing; outline at least part of them as a class to show their different but equally logical structures. One could be organized thematically, for example, while the other could be structured chronologically or work-by-work.

Then either:

• In Class: in small groups, ask students to create a thematic and work-by-work outline for a designated thesis; discuss the significance of the two approaches as a class and have students submit group outlines

Or

• As Homework: ask students to outline their own papers in complete sentences; then discuss these with them in individual conferences emphasizing their projected essay’s argument, coherence and persuasiveness