© 2016. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Name: EXAMPLE OUTLINE Persuasive Essay Outline Introductory Paragraph: Hook: Many nutritional experts blame the obesity crisis in the United States on the development of and rise in popularity of fast food. Additional lead-in Information (2-4 sentences on background or contextual information): However, over last the fifty years the country changed much of the way that farms are operated in the United States. Traditionally, farms were rotated crop farms which grew certain vegetables depending in the season. However, those days are nothing more than a memory and the toll is felt by all Americans as it has greatly impacted the health of American society. Americans never questioned this shift as food costs were low and the food was inspected by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA). Americans had no idea how even just the beef that the country eats could impact the health of the nation. Thesis Sentence: : Grass fed beef is a better option than corn fed beef because it has a high nutritional value, can provide the body with much needed Omega 3 fatty acids, and contains the health benefits of conjugated linoleic acid. Support for Thesis 1 Topic Sentence: Grass-fed is a healthier option than corn fed beef because it has a high nutritional value. Commented [RZ1]: There are several different ways to grab the attention of your reader: 1. A definition. 2. A quotation or paraphrase. 3. A little known or striking fact. 4. A statement of opinion 5. An interesting incident or anecdote related to your subject 6. An explanation of why the topic is worth writing/reading about 7. A question that will be answered by your thesis, or will catch the reader’s attention and lead toward your thesis. Commented [RZ2]: Red = Your Position Blue = Subtopic 1 Purple = Subtopic 2 Green = Subtopic 3 If your thesis statement was perfect on your Thesis Statement and Gathering Resources worksheet; USE THE SAME ONE! If you were given any feedback directed in making changes, please make sure you make the suggested adjustments. Commented [RZ3]: Each topic sentence should state your position plus the subtopic for that paragraph. This will ensure a persuasive tone throughout. © 2016. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Detail A: The changing of the feeding practices by factory farms that produce beef in the United States may have been worse than feeding the cow’s junk food and destroying the nutritional content of the beef. Robinson (2011) discussed how many factory farms feed the cattle things like soy or corn which completely transform the meat from healthy to an absolute health hazard. To the contrast, grass-fed beef is beneficial to one’s health as the cows are raised in a natural way. Detail B: According to Robinson (2011), much of the research is clear in showing that there is a much higher calo.

1. © 2016. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.
Name: EXAMPLE OUTLINE
Persuasive Essay Outline
Introductory Paragraph:
Hook: Many nutritional experts blame the obesity crisis in the
United States on the development
of and rise in popularity of fast food.
Additional lead-in Information (2-4 sentences on background or
contextual information):
However, over last the fifty years the country changed much of
the way that farms are operated
in the United States. Traditionally, farms were rotated crop
farms which grew certain vegetables
depending in the season. However, those days are nothing more
than a memory and the toll is
felt by all Americans as it has greatly impacted the health of
American society. Americans never

2. questioned this shift as food costs were low and the food was
inspected by the United States
Food and Drug Administration (USFDA). Americans had no
idea how even just the beef that the
country eats could impact the health of the nation.
Thesis Sentence: : Grass fed beef is a better option than corn
fed beef because it has a high
nutritional value, can provide the body with much needed
Omega 3 fatty acids, and contains the
health benefits of conjugated linoleic acid.
Support for Thesis 1
Topic Sentence: Grass-fed is a healthier option than corn fed
beef because it has a high
nutritional value.
Commented [RZ1]: There are several different ways to grab
the attention of your reader:
1. A definition.
2. A quotation or paraphrase.
3. A little known or striking fact.
4. A statement of opinion
5. An interesting incident or anecdote related to your subject
6. An explanation of why the topic is worth writing/reading

3. about
7. A question that will be answered by your thesis, or will catch
the reader’s attention and lead toward your thesis.
Commented [RZ2]: Red = Your Position
Blue = Subtopic 1
Purple = Subtopic 2
Green = Subtopic 3
If your thesis statement was perfect on your Thesis Statement
and
Gathering Resources worksheet; USE THE SAME ONE!
If you were given any feedback directed in making changes,
please
make sure you make the suggested adjustments.
Commented [RZ3]: Each topic sentence should state your
position plus the subtopic for that paragraph.
This will ensure a persuasive tone throughout.
© 2016. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.
Detail A: The changing of the feeding practices by factory
farms that produce beef in the United
States may have been worse than feeding the cow’s junk food
and destroying the nutritional
content of the beef. Robinson (2011) discussed how many
factory farms feed the cattle things

4. like soy or corn which completely transform the meat from
healthy to an absolute health hazard.
To the contrast, grass-fed beef is beneficial to one’s health as
the cows are raised in a natural
way.
Detail B: According to Robinson (2011), much of the research
is clear in showing that there is a
much higher calories content and hazardous types of fats from
corn-fed beef that are responsible
for many of the fatal cardiovascular diseases. Another key
concern regarding the nutritional
value has to do with a significantly lower amount of nourishing
components such as vitamins,
anti-oxidants, and good fats (Robinson, 2011).
Detail C: Grass-fed actually has a high nutritional content but
gets a bad name from grain-fed
beef.
Transitional Sentence: Another benefit that makes grass fed
beef nutritionally superior is that

5. contains Omega 3s.
Support for Thesis 2
Topic Sentence: Grass fed beef a better choice over corn fed
beef because Omega 3 fatty acids
are very important to many functions of the body.
Detail A: Grogan (2012) argues that grass fed beef may have
several heart-healthy benefits that
corn fed beef does not. The difference lies in the diet of the
cattle, as there are major differences
in the nutrients between the two (Grogan, 2012). Grass fed beef
is usually much lower in the
total fat content, contains more heart-healthy omega-3 fatty
acids, antioxidants, and vitamins
(Grogan, 2012).
Detail B: Grass fed beef can have from two to five times more
Omega 3 fatty acids than corn or grain
fed beef (Robinson, 2011). The reasoning behind the push for a
diet rich with omega-3 fatty

6. acids is that they are responsible for blood flow (Robinson,
2011).
Commented [RZ4]: An example of a beginning of a sentence
citation for a paraphrased statement.
Commented [RZ5]: Please note that to earn full points for how
you present your argument on the first draft rubric, you’ll need
to
paraphrase your evidence as opposed to quoting.
If you do directly quote from a source; it must be under 40
words,
surrounded by quotation marks, and the in-text citation is
(Author’s
Last Name(s), Year, p. #).
EX: “Word for word excerpt taken from source” (Jackson,
Adams &
Smith, 2015, p. 27).
Commented [RZ6]: An example of an end of a sentence in-text
citation for a paraphrased statement.
Commented [RZ7]: End punctuation should only go after the
in-text citation, not before.
Commented [RZ8]: When writing a transition sentence you will
want to refer to the current subtopic of that paragraph and the
subtopic you will be addressing next.
Each transitional sentence should follow this format.

7. © 2016. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.
Detail C: Consequently, corn or grain fed beef is much higher in
Omega-6 fatty acids, which are
responsible for blood clotting.
Transitional Sentence: Eating more grass fed beef can bring
one’s body towards the equilibrium
it needs of a balance between the two while also providing the
body with conjugated linoleic acid.
Support for Thesis 3
Topic Sentence: Grass fed beef diets are nutritionally better
than corn fed beef diets because
contains the health benefits of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).
Detail A: Grass fed beef has shown to have the capability to
dramatically enrich one’s diet with
conjugated linoleic acid (Daley, Abbott, Doyle, Nader, &
Larson, 2010). CLA has been linked to

8. early trials against cancer and other cardiovascular diseases
(Robinson, 2011). Robinson (2011)
also discussed how rats that ingested tiny amounts of CLA were
able to shrink mammary tumors.
Detail B: Another study noted by Onakpoya, Posadzki, Watson,
Davies and Ernst (2012), found
that a diet rich in CLA promoted long-term weight loss lowering
the risk of other weight related
diseases such as obesity.
Detail C: Preliminary evidence shows that it could also fight
breast cancer, help prevent clogged
arteries, lower cholesterol, and lower the risks of a heart attack
(Robinson, 2011).
Transitional Sentence: There are many benefits to eating grass-
fed beef, rather than corn fed beef,
which could improve one’s overall health.
Conclusion

9. Paraphrase thesis statement (restated in different words): Grass
fed beef has many benefits that
corn and grain fed lack including less total fat, more Omega 3
fatty acids, and disease reducing
Commented [RZ9]: In the last transitional sentence, you can
“sum up” the overall tone/intent of your argument.
In this case, the benefits of grass-fed beef to a person’s overall
health.
© 2016. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.
CLA
Summarize main points: If people were to switch to grass fed
and organic meats it would reap
great benefits for American society by making people healthier.
Grass fed beef also may show to
fight many of the diseases that impact the lives of so many in
today’s society. Grass-fed beef
could become the new chicken.
Final remarks: Take up a grass fed beef diet now; it can lead to
longevity in order to help fulfill

10. one’s life goals.
Commented [RZ10]: Re-state your thesis with all 3 subtopic in
different words as the first sentence to your conclusion.
Commented [RZ11]: Summarizing your main points should be
2-3 sentences.
Commented [RZ12]: Be sure this final remark within the essay
is a call to action statement:
http://www.essaywritingcompany.com/How-to-write-a-good-
call-
to-action-statement.html

11. http://www.essaywritingcompany.com/How-to-write-a-good-
call-to-action-statement.html
http://www.essaywritingcompany.com/How-to-write-a-good-
call-to-action-statement.html
© 2016. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.
References
In the space below, list all resources cited in your essay in
alphabetical order by author’s last
name, double spaced, and with a hanging indent. Any source
with “Retrieved from url (web
address); the url will need to be activated.
Daley, C. A., Abbott, A., Doyle, P. S., Nader, G. A., & Larson,
S. (2010). A review of fatty acid
profiles and antioxidant content in grass-fed and grain-fed beef.
Nutrition Journal, 910-
21. doi:10.1186/1475-2891
Grogan, M. (2012). Heart Disease. Retrieved from
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/grass-fed-
beef/AN02053
Onakpoya, I., Posadzki, P., Watson, L., Davies, L., & Ernst, E.

12. (2012). The efficacy of long-term
conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) supplementation on body
composition in overweight and
obese individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis of
randomized clinical trials.
European Journal Of Nutrition, 51(2), 127-134.
doi:10.1007/s00394-011-0253-9
Robinson, J. (2011). Pasture Perfect. Vashon Island Publishing:
Vashon, Washington.
An APA Reference citation for a peer-reviewed journal article
looks like this:
Krassel, K. F., & Heinesen, E. (2014). Class-size effects in
secondary school. Education
Economics, 22(4), 412-426. doi:10.1080/09645292.2014.902428
Please see the information below, it is color-coded to align to
the citation above:
1. An APA citation begins with the author(s) last name(s),
followed by their first and
middle name initials.
2. Then the publication year is in parenthesis.
Commented [RZ13]: To set hanging indents>
1. Select area to have hanging indents (entire reference list).
2. Right click
3. Select “paragraph” from the drop down menu

13. 4. Under “Indentation and Special,” Select “Hanging”
Commented [RZ14]: Remember, you need 3 peer reviewed
journal articles as your sources. Websites like .com are not
considered scholarly sources.
Please make sure any sources have been published within the
last
10 years.
ANY SOURCE LISTED ON A REFERENCE PAGE MUST
HAVE AN IN-
TEXT CITATION IN YOUR ESSAY.
Commented [RZ15]: This is the APA formatting for a book;
again, you should only be using peer-reviewed journal articles.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/grass-fed-beef/AN02053
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/grass-fed-beef/AN02053
© 2016. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.
3. Next is the article title. Please note that only the first word of
the article title begins with
a capital letter. Otherwise, only the first letter after a colon,
proper nouns, initials, or
acronyms.
4. Then the name of the journal is placed after the article title
followed by the volume
number, these are both in italics.
5. The issue number is in parenthesis.

14. 6. Then the page numbers are placed after the issue number.
7. Sometimes there is a doi number, if there is not, you should
copy and paste the permalink
(Retrieved from activated url).
Name:
Persuasive Essay: Brainstorming Worksheet
Review “How Should I Brainstorm?” in the media piece “The
Writing Process.” The media piece explores six ways to
brainstorm:
© 2011. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.
1) Free Writing
2) Breaking Down a Topic
3) Listing
4) Mapping/Webbing
5) Three Perspectives
6) Journalistic Questions
Assignment Directions:
1. Choose three ways to brainstorm from the list above.
2. Brainstorm about the topic of your Persuasive Essay using
each of your chosen three methods. Each brainstorming session
should last at least 10 minutes in length.
3. Document the information from your brainstorming sessions
in the space provided below. The information for each
brainstorm should be substantive in nature, providing further

15. insight into your current knowledge on your topic.
4. If you choose to brainstorm by mapping/webbing, document
your brainstorm, please use the Smart Art feature within Word
to create the map.
Documentation of Brainstorm:
Record and identify your brainstorm strategies below, using as
much space as needed for each entry. Make sure your
information is substantive and is on your essay topic. Please do
not write about the brainstorming strategies in general.
Brainstorm One:
Brainstorm Two:
Brainstorm Three: