Verified Master Outline (Mushroom Farmers)
20/20 Points
Mushroom Farmers
I. Where are mushroom farms found?
A. In little rooms called cellars
B. In ant cities
1. Five or six yards underground
2. May be half a block long
II. How do ant farmers work aboveground?
A. Largest ones are police who guard entrances
B. Middle-sized ants
1. Gather fresh leaves
2. Carry pieces larger than ant's body
3. Sometimes strip a whole tree
III. What do ant farmers do underground?
A. Make paste by chewing leaves
1. Stick paste on tops and bottoms of rooms
2. Mushrooms grow on paste
B. Prune the growths
1. Keep stems short by cutting them off
2. Large tops form and make more food
C. Act as servants to the queen
The Mental Proof & Sentence Synthesis Method (Textbook Page 17)
As demonstrated on textbook page 17, students prove the logical integrity of this outline by converting each branch into a complete, fluent expository sentence:
Proof Sentence 1 (Main Topic I + Subtopics A & B):
"Mushroom farms are found in little rooms called cellars in ant cities."
Proof Sentence 2 (Subtopic I. B + Details 1 & 2):
"Ant cities are five or six yards underground and may be half a block long."
Proof Sentence 3 (Main Topic II + Subtopics A & B + Details 1, 2, 3):
"Ant farmers work aboveground with the largest ones policing entrances, while middle-sized ants gather leaves, carry pieces larger than their bodies, and sometimes strip whole trees."
Proof Sentence 4 (Main Topic III + Subtopics A, B, C):
"Underground, ant farmers make paste by chewing leaves for mushrooms to grow on, prune growths so large food tops form, and act as personal servants to the queen."