Hannum's Reading and 
Study Skills Tips and Strategies
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How to Outline

·  Open your book to the reading selection your teacher has assigned to you.  Survey by skimming the pages to get an idea of what the reading passage is about.  This idea is the subject or topic of the reading.

·  Next, pay attention to the use of headings and subheadings.  These are important clues to the main points that the author is making about the subject.  Some headings will appear in larger or darker type than others.  These are headings; ideas in smaller type are subheadings.

·  Now look under one of the subheadings.  There will be a lot of paragraphs that explain or discuss the subheading.  Each paragraph usually will give information about a separate idea in the subheading.

·  The author has a way of organizing information for the reader.  Use this arrangement of information to outline the main points of the reading:   

1. The subject of the reading becomes the title of your outline

2. The headings can become the Roman numerals of your outline I, II, III, IV,V,

3. The subheadings can become the supporting details of your Roman numerals A. B. C. D

4. The main ideas of the paragraphs can become the supporting details of your  subheadings   1.  2.  3.  4....

The result would be something like this:

 I. _______________

            A. ________________

                        1. _______________

                        2. _______________

            B. _______________

II. _______________