Age group:
Elementary School
Middle School
High School

Type of outliner:
Alternative Outliner

How do you use this outlining system?
The idea is for your child to build the outline of his paper, using a model kit (e.g., a molecular chemistry model set) or a set of colored Legos. First, have your child go through a traditional outlining process, writing each paragraph, topic sentence, and main points on a sheet of paper. He should use either extreme mapping or a traditional outlining structure, such as the Roman numeral or modified Cornell two column models. Then, have him assign each main point (topic sentence), supporting detail, and transition sentence a different color ball. He will then literally build his paper while talking it out.

Other important information:
This one comes straight from my good friends at Landmark College. Model building is the most alternative and time consuming of the outlining structures, but by outlining the paper traditionally, building it, and talking it out, it's truly the most thorough of all the methods. It's designed for kids who think tactically/kinesthetically.

The above information was written by Jonathan Mooney.