1. Why do you want to make chocolate milk?
   
   1. Who are you making it for?
   2. When will you make the chocolate milk?
2. Ingredients needed
   
   1. Milk
      
      1. Type of milk needed
      2. Where to buy
   2. Chocolate in powder form
      
      1. Brands of chocolate powder
         
         1. Nestle Quick
         2. Hershey's Coco
         3. Cheap store brand
      2. Where to buy
3. Equipment needed
   
   1. Measuring spoon for chocolate powder
   2. Glass
   3. Spoon to stir powder into milk
   4. Measuring cup to measure milk
4. Methodology
   
   1. Using measuring cup, measure out appropriate amount of milk and then pour milk into glass
   2. Using measuring spoon, measure appropriate amount of chocolate powder into glass
   3. Using spoon, stir milk and powder mixture until powder has mixed completely with milk and there are no lumps of powder
5. Serve the chocolate milk
6. Conclusion/Results
   
   1. Was the chocolate milk made successfully?
   2. Did the consumer enjoy the chocolate milk?

Other elements that might be added to this outline:

1. Where will you store the milk to keep it cold?
2. Will you return the unused milk to the refrigerator?
3. Will you wash the glass, measuring spoon/cup, and spoon used to stir the milk?
4. Where did you get the glass?
5. Where will you store the unused coco?

As you can see from the outline, there are a number of steps involved in making chocolate milk. A well written outline really organizes your thoughts. If you had to write a paper on making chocolate milk, could you get all of the above information into the paper without doing an outline first? If you can’t adequately write a paper on making chocolate milk without an outline, how are you going to write a paper on “the development of the classical orchestra”, or “Counterpoint in the works of Palestrina” without doing an outline first?