Friday, December 4, 2015

Merge Magic: Outline into Essay

The Problem
Students skip the outlining step in written tasks because they see outlining as redundant. ("Why outline when I can just write?")

The Result
The essay is unorganized.
The essay takes longer because students are trying to organize while writing.
Missed opportunities: Students don't see gaps in their arguments ahead of time and realize, too late, that they don't have enough information.

The Solution
Make the outline meaningful: make it match the structure of the essay and make it copy-paste-able 

#1
Set up the outline to mirror the structure of effective paragraphs.

Two structures our teachers use...
S.E.E.C - State, Explain, Example, Connect (sample)
M.E.A.L - Main Idea, Evidence, Analysis, Link (sample)

#2
Use a table in google docs to complete the outline

#3
When the table is complete, MERGE the cells to create a paragraph. (BAM! Essay is nearing completion without having to look at a blank page!)

Here's part of the outline filled in (from grade 8 Science)


Now we MERGE some cells so we can view the information as a paragraph. (Highlight cells to merge > choose Table > merge cells > copy/paste into essay document)
Merged text looks like a paragraph! 
One step further...grab the source number and put it with the example. This makes in-text citations easier to do later on.
When kids first see this, it's like a load off of their minds. They see the value of the organizing ahead of time and see how they can use it directly in the essay.

As always, thoughts welcome!


No comments:

Post a Comment