A paragraph outline should provide organizational structure for the paragraph. The type of outline depends on the purpose of the paragraph. If the paragraph is a story with a beginning, middle and end, the outline might have boxes connected by arrows to remind students that the sentences should tell a sequential story. If the paragraph is descriptive, one outline example is the hamburger organizer, which illustrates the introduction and conclusion as buns and the details as sandwich filling in between.
The topic sentence is the first or top section of a paragraph outline. The topic sentence serves the dual purposes of introducing the subject of the paragraph and drawing the reader in. Because each paragraph should revolve around one idea, the topic sentence dictates the rest of the information that goes into the outline. Some writers might find it easier to outline the details of the paragraph first and then craft a topic sentence that connects them.
The supporting details of the paragraph form the bulk of its length. The paragraph outline should contain space for a phrase about each of the details in the sentence. To reinforce the idea that all details should connect to the topic sentence, a paragraph could be outlined on a web-shaped organizer, with the details in boxes radiating from the main idea. In a sequential paragraph, the supporting details will describe the action of the story and could be visualized as the cars of a train following the engine.
The final portion of a paragraph outline is the concluding sentence. Like the topic sentence, it should connect the supporting details. Options for a concluding sentence include offering an opinion about the topic, telling the final event in a sequential story or summing up the argument offered in the paragraph. On a paragraph outline, the concluding sentence can be represented by the caboose on a train, the bottom bun of the hamburger or a circle surrounding a web of supporting details.