A Guide To Creating
Chapter Outlines

Return to Mr. Lazaroff's Biology
Indenting    Defining     Using Examples    Making Connections

Staples High School Mission Statement
We are a community of learners engaged in a quest for academic excellence and committed to civic and social responsibility.  We are unwavering in our belief that we must act with integrity and treat each other with respect.
Indenting    Indenting    Defining    Using Examples     Making Connections    Top
I. Chapters Are Divided into Sections
      A. Sections each have specific information
      B. Indenting the descriptions of each section makes it easier to read
            1. When you don't indent it is harder to find the information
            2.  When you don't indent it is harder to study from your outline
      C. Outlines should have enough information to help on a test.  You
      should D.E.C. the information by providing each of the following:
            1. Definition of the term,
            2. Example of the term
            3. Connections to other areas of Biology, or other classes
2. In case you didn't notice, this area was indented the way I want your outline indented . . . but to drive the point home further, see below . . .

I. Section 1 Heading
      A. Main Point
            1. Definition
            2. Example
            3. Connection
       B. Main Point
            1. Definition
            2. Example
            3. Connection
II. Section 2 Heading
      A. Main Point
            1. Definition
            2. Example
            3. Connection
      B. Main Point
            1. Definition
            2. Example
            3. Connection
Defining   Indenting     Using Examples    Making Connections    Top
     There is a great deal of vocabulary in Biology.  A year of Biology has more new vocabulary terms than a year of a foreign language. 

     Unless you make an attempt to learn and use the terms, you will not do well in this course.  Never simply list the words.  Without a definition, you haven't shown me you learned anything.

     Never use the glossary; the glossary is a crutch for the mind and should not be used unless you want to be known as mentally crippled.  The glossary uses no examples; the glossary makes no connections.  I can always tell when people lean on the glossary because they only write one sentence.  No concept in Biology is simple enough to be completely explained in a single sentence!  People use the glossary "the way a drunk uses a lamppost . . . for support rather than illumination!"

     Always use the index; the index will provide you page numbers that will, in turn, provide you with examples and put the term into context (showing connections to other ideas).
Using Examples   Indenting    Defining   Making Connections    Top
     Tests are never simply definitions.  You will be asked to apply the information to specific examples.  As such, you should be familiar with them.  The examples I use on exams may or may not be the same ones in the book, but familiarity with one example will always help you apply the information to new examples.
Making Connections   Indenting    Defining     Using Examples    Top
     Biology is a subject that constantly builds upon prior knowledge.  Without an understanding of previous ideas, any new material will be a mystery to you.

The more connections you make to prior knowledge, the more connections you make to your own life, and the more connections you make to things you have learned in other classes, the better you will learn, enjoy, and remember the material.

If you want to be an A student, this is the key not only to getting a higher grade, but to becoming a more well rounded human being.

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Indenting    Defining     Using Examples    Making Connections