Reverse Outline Writing Strategy

1. Reverse Outline Writing Strategy By Colleen Maggitti

2. Where the Strategy was found • I found this strategy first on the Perdue Owl website, and then I found that it was included on many other university websites.

3. This strategy is supported by the following research • University websites, such as Perdue, Duke, & Penn State University list and explain this strategy to help students recognize organizational problems in their writing. • All of the university websites support that reverse outlining helps students to revise their papers and become more concise, organized writers.

4. Description of the strategy • After writing a draft of a paper, students should number each paragraph. • Then, on a separate sheet of paper, students should write # 1 and then briefly list the important points of the paragraph, using as little words as possible. Then students would write # 2, and list the main points, etc. Students will do this for all paragraphs in their paper. They will then have an outline of what their paper is about. • Students will then analyze their outline to see if their ideas are concise and flow nicely. • Students may use the following questions as a guide: • Are my paragraphs properly focused or are there multiple ideas in a paragraph? • Are there extraneous ideas in a paragraph that could be deleted or moved to another paragraph? • Does the paper as a whole flow logically and follow the order of your thesis statement?

5. Will this Strategy work best for one type of student over another • This strategy would work best for secondary education students writing a formal essay. • Reverse outlining may help both struggling and proficient writers make their writing more concise.

6. Why did you select this strategy • I selected this strategy because I wanted to include something to help secondary educators teach students how to revise their writing without using traditional methods. • It is a good way to force students to read over their writing.