EmpoWord: A Student-Centered Anthology & Handbook for College Writers

Appendix A: Strategies and Concepts for Revision 454 Now, wade back through your essay, identifying what each paragraph is saying and what each paragraph is doing. Choose a few key words or phrases for each column to record on your sheet of paper. • Try to use consistent language throughout the reverse outline so you can see where your paragraphs are saying or doing similar things. • A paragraph might have too many different ideas or too many different functions for you to concisely identify. This could be a sign that you need to divide that paragraph up. Here’s a student’s model reverse outlin e: 1 ¶ Idea (What is the ¶ saying?) Purpose (What is the ¶ doing?) 1 Theatre is an important part of education and childhood development Setting up and providing thesis statement 2 There have been many changes in recent history to public education in the United States Providing context for thesis 3 Theatre programs in public schools have been on the decline over the past two decades Providing context and giving urgency to the topic 4 a) Theatre has social/emotional benefits b) Theatre has academic benefits Supporting and explaining thesis 5 a) Acknowledge argument in favor of standardized testing b) STEAM curriculum incorporates arts education into other academic subjects Disarming audience, proposing a solution to underfunded arts programs 6 Socioeconomic inequality is also an obstacle to theatre education Acknowledging broader scope of topic 7 Looking forward at public education reform, we should incorporate theatre into public education Call to action, backing up and restating thesis But wait—there’s more!