PLANNING ESSAYS AND

PRESENTATIONS
COMPONENTS TO CONSIDER:

Thesis statement
Outline
Thesis statement

- It is the overall idea or argument of your work.

Thesis statement

- It is a general statement that presents essential points. It leads

the reader to the right direction.
Thesis statement

- It makes all parts of your work stick together.

Thesis statement

- It must be a declarative sentence with at least three ideas that

will be developed in succeeding sections of the work.
Thesis statement

- Has several paragraphs; covers the main idea of the essay.

Thesis statement

- Contains at least two supporting points which are developed in

succeeding paragraphs.
SEVERAL QUALITIES OF THESIS
STATEMENT:

Always formed as a declarative sentence.

Poor example : What is plagiarism?
Improved version: Plagiarism can be explained from cultural
and socio-political perspective.
 SEVERAL QUALITIES OF THESIS
STATEMENT:

Focused. It provides supporting points that strengthen the

main claim.
Poor example: An effective local government unit should have
good communication facilities and efficient resource
management programs since these initiatives will be
beneficial for its citizens.
 SEVERAL QUALITIES OF THESIS
STATEMENT:

Focused. It provides supporting points that strengthen the

main claim.
Improved version: Effective dissemination of information and
efficient resource management are indicators
of effective local governance.
 SEVERAL QUALITIES OF THESIS
STATEMENT:

Has clear boundaries. It sets limits as to what the essay intends

to explore.
Poor example: Guitar playing skills can be improved if the
player is dedicated and there are sessions devoted to
technique and investments on good equipment must
be considered since these will be influential in
performing in front of an audience .
 SEVERAL QUALITIES OF THESIS
STATEMENT:

Has clear boundaries. It sets limits as to what the essay intends

to explore.
Improved version: Excellent guitar playing requires countless
hours of practice, strategic decisions in
purchasing equipment, and tireless dedication.
OUTLINE

 A helpful tool for organizing your work.

 It shows the logical arrangement of ideas to be included in

your essay.
OUTLINE

 Format
Principles
OUTLINE

 TYPES OF FORMAT
 Traditional – uses roman numerals, letters, and numbers
Standard system– uses numbers
FORMAT

Traditional Format Standard Format

Title of Work: Units of a Research University Title of Work: Units of a Research University
I. College of Medicine 1. 0 College of Medicine
A. Community Medicine 1. 1 Community Medicine
B. Pathology 1.2 Pathology
II. College of Engineering 2.0 College of Engineering
A. Industrial Engineering 2.1 Industrial Engineering
B. Chemical Engineering 2.2 Chemical Engineering
C. Mechanical Engineering 2.3 Mechanical Engineering
FORMAT

Traditional Format Standard Format

Title of Work: Units of a Research University Title of Work: Units of a Research University
III. College of Fine Arts 3.0 College of Fine Arts
A. Painting 3.1 Painting
B. Sculpture 3.2 Sculpture
IV. College of Liberal Arts 4.0 College of Liberal Arts
A. Political Science 4.1 Political Science
B. History 4.2 History
C. Literature 4.3 Literature
PRINCIPLES IN WRITING AN OUTLINE:

Parallelism
Entries should observe the same language structure (e.g.,
words, phrases, sentences)
PRINCIPLES IN WRITING AN OUTLINE:

Coordination
Entries should observe levels of importance.
In the example in the previous slide, note that colleges are
labeled as major ideas because they carry the same level of
significance in the research university.
PRINCIPLES IN WRITING AN OUTLINE:

Subordination
Entries should observe differences of importance (which
ideas should be classified as minor or major ideas?).
In the same example in the previous slide, the different units
under colleges are labeled as minor ideas since they differ in
scope from the colleges.
PRINCIPLES IN WRITING AN OUTLINE:

Division
Entries should at least be two to be sure that supporting
points of a major idea are adequate.
STEPS FOR PLANNING AN ESSAY

Determining the topic, purpose, role, and audience for the work.

What am I writing about? How long will the piece be?

Why am I doing this piece? It is to inform? To persuade? Or to argue a
position?
Who am I writing this for? Is there a specific type of knowledge my readers
need to understand the piece?
What role am I taking in writing this piece? As an expert? As a friend? A
member of the community?
STEPS FOR PLANNING AN ESSAY

Expanding subjects.

This requires determining the scope of the work.

STEPS FOR PLANNING AN ESSAY

Collecting sources and making notes.

In this part of the process, selection of source materials and

identification of important excerpts are crucial.
STEPS FOR PLANNING AN ESSAY

Brainstorming, forming the thesis statement, and outlining.

In this part of the process, you need to create a plan. This means
jotting down important ideas and organizing them into an outline and
thesis statement.
STEPS FOR PLANNING AN ESSAY

Drafting.

In this step, parts of the outline are written. With the use of notes,
ideas in your thesis statement are elaborated on.
STEPS FOR PLANNING AN ESSAY

Peer evaluation and revision.

In keeping with the notion that writing is a social process, seeking

another reader’s feedback is essential .
 SOME QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER IN WRITING YOUR OUTLINE

1.0 Introduction
1.1 What is the topic about?
1.2 What is the purpose of the essay?
1.3 What is covered in the essay?
1.4 What is the thesis statement?
 SOME QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER IN WRITING YOUR OUTLINE

2.0 Body
2.1 What is the first major topic?
2.1.1 What is the first supporting idea?
2.1.2 What is the second supporting idea?
2.2 What is the second major topic?
2.2.1 What is the first supporting idea?
2.2.2 What is the second supporting idea?
2.3 What is the third major topic?
2.3.1 What is the first supporting idea?
2.3.2 What is the second supporting idea?
 SOME QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER IN WRITING YOUR OUTLINE

3.0 Conclusion
3.1 What are the main points of my essay?
3.2 What course of action would I like my readers to take?
 GUIDELINES FOR ORGANIZING YOUR REFERENCE LIST

 Entries should be arranged alphabetically with the surname of the authors as

points of reference. In cases where there is no author, the title of the work
becomes the first part of the entry.

 The hanging indent format should be observed when writing entries. This
means that the first line of the first entry is not indented while the succeeding
lines are indented.
 BOOKS

 General format
Author’s surname, Initials (year of publication). Title of work (set in italics). Place
of publication: Publisher
 Single authored books
 Books with two authors
 Books with an editor
 Books with no author
PERIODICALS (JOURNALS, NEWSPAPERS, AND MAGAZINES)

 General format
Surname of author/s, Initilas (year of publication). Title of the article. Title of the
periodical, volume (issue number), page numbers.
 Journal articles
 Magazines
 Newspapers
ONLINE SOURCES
Author, Initials or Institution. (date of retrieval). Title of work. Retrieved from Web
site.
ASPECTS OF PLANNING AN ESSAY

 TOPIC
TITLE OF YOUR ESSAY
PURPOSE
AUDIENCE
ROLE
PREPARING FOR THE PRESENTATION

Before the Presentation

Familiarize yourself with the mechanics.
1. Time limit
2. Equipment needed
3. Attendance
PREPARING FOR THE PRESENTATION

Before the Presentation

Prepare.
1. Outline
2. Power Point or other media
3. Salient points to include
4. Slides to use
5. Font size and font style/ text readable not crammed…
PREPARING FOR THE PRESENTATION

Before the Presentation

Rehearse your presentation.
1. Notice time limit .
2. Express points clearly.
PREPARING FOR THE PRESENTATION

Before the Presentation

Select appropriate attire for your presentation.
1. Fits the formality of the event.
PREPARING FOR THE PRESENTATION

During the Presentation

Relax.
1. Focus on the points you rehearsed referring to your notes/outline
from time to time
2. Once you start talking, the tension will begin to lessen.
Elaborate.
Add interesting ideas to your presentation that you came across while
writing the paper.
PREPARING FOR THE PRESENTATION

During the Presentation

 Establish eye contact.
It is good to look at the audience from time to time.
 Start and finish strong.
1. Good presentations start with the central theme or idea.
2. Make sure to conclude with a restatement of the central idea.
3. Remember that the beginning and the end are powerful sections of
your presentation.
PREPARING FOR THE PRESENTATION

After the Presentation

Thank the audience. Remember that the audience took time to attend
your presentation. Showing gratitude is a good way of connecting with
them.
Refer to your work. Questions are likely to be asked and therefore
referring to your work would be a good way to keep the discussions
focused. If there are ideas beyond the scope of your work, be open to
welcome them.