Opinion Writing Part 2

First, go check out this website. It has some great ideas for the opinions writing segment of this six weeks.

http://poewar.com/having-your-say-writing-personal-essays/

Then answer the following questions in a new blog post titled Personal Essays:

1. What was one idea that the writer gave in the Wide Range of Topics section that you can use as you start deciding on a topic?

2. What was one idea the writer gave in the Opinions Pieces section that you should remember as you are writing your piece?

3. List three suggestions the writer makes in the Personal Essays and Crafts section that you will use as you write.

If you finish - please move on to this assignment:

Our next writing assignment will be for the commentary/opinions section of the newspaper.


Let's give this style of writing a shot. Pick a topic, YES you get to decide and write a commentary piece about it - below are some tips, followed by the instructions with length requirements.

Here are some tips to writing this type of story:

1. Start with a good introduction that gives us, in very short fashion, the basics about your topic. Make sure you state your DIRECT opinion on the topic you have chosen.

2. Write in 1st person if you want. This means you can use the word "I".

3. There are no quotes needed, BUT you will need facts to base your opinion on.

4. State your opinion early and support it fully.

5. Address the other side, this means you need to directly say what the other side might feel about your opinion. Not only do you need to acknowledge their side, you need to refute their opinion, that means you need to prove them wrong somehow.

6. Come up with some solutions to your problem and try to convince the other side that your ideas might work.

7. To close, you can restate your opinion.

So pick your topic, do some research about your topic on google (make sure its facts!! Google is not always factual!!)

And start writing!!! Don't worry, you can't be wrong, this is your opinion. Know your subject, take a side and stick with it (don't be wishy-washy!!) and go for it.

This piece will need to be 400-500 words and should be about 10-15 paragraphs long. You will have one and a half classes to complete this story and have it posted on your blog. Today you have the entire period, next class you will have the entire period to turn in the commentary piece.  I highly recommend that you write in word, save the word document in your folder on the server and wait until you are completely done to post it on your blog. Please write in Times or Times New Roman, size 12 or 14. Make sure you that put an extra space between paragraphs so I can easily see where the paragraph breaks are. No one should finish this today.