H5 Writing an article of Opinion

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 4

Period 1 Article of Opinion

The assignment (p. 30 - 32)

Write a 4 or 5-paragraph article of opinion of about 300 words (450 words in the test) on one of the following 3 topics. Choose one topic. Read the text first and write your reaction. It should be clear what your opinion is.

    

Do not use words or phrases from the text itself but do refer to the content of the text.

You are allowed to use a paper dictionary and the spelling check in Exam.net.

The three topics: 

- Class sizes

- Should schools teach students how to be happy?

- Should we think twice about buying online?

Step 1: Choose a topic

Read the texts and choose the topic that you have the strongest opinion about.

Choosing a topic

Scan the three texts. 

- What is the main topic of each text?

- On which topic do you have the strongest opinion?

Read the text you chose carefully.

Step 2: Your outline

Writing an outline

Parts of the outline of an article of opinion:

• Hook
• Statement
• 2 or 3 arguments that support your statement
• Examples for every argument
• Concluding statement

Where in an article of opinion do you write the statement?

1. At the start of the introduction
2. In the middle of the introduction
3. At the end of the introduction
4. In the first line of the body

The statement

You always start with the statement (your opinion).

The statement should be debatable: people should be able to disagree with you.

Tip: start with the word 'Therefore,' and use the verb 'should'.

Which of these is a good / the best statement?

1. The question is whether teenagers younger than 18 are responsible enough to vote.
2. People younger than 18 should not be allowed to vote.
3. Should teenagers younger than 18 be allowed to vote?
4. People younger than 18 are not responsible enough to vote.

Example

If you have to write about whether citizens in the U.S. should be allowed to own assault weapons, you could write the following statement:

(Therefore, the) The production, sale, and possession of assault weapons for private citizens should be banned in the U.S. 

Your arguments

For your opinion article, you have to come up with 2 or 3 arguments that SUPPORT your opinion.

You could also say: your arguments are the reasons why you believe the statement to be true.

Example

Now you have to develop your arguments. Why do you believe private citizens should not own assault weapons?

Argument 1: Keeping assault weapons out of private citizens’ hands can lower the increasing occurrences of barbaric public slayings. 

Argument 2: The ban on assault weapons is backed heavily by public opinion, major organizations, and even law enforcement.

Argument 3: The monetary and human costs incurred by crimes committed with assault weapons are too great to ignore. 

Your arguments

On your opinion organizer, state at least two arguments that support the statement that you have chosen.

Remember, arguments are REASONS why your statement is true.

Use a linking word (Choose from: Firstly, / Secondly, / Moreover, / In addition, / Finally, ) at the start of your argument.

Supporting Details

Now you have found your arguments, you will have to back them up. This is where you need the information from the lessons about media literacy.

The first sentence (the topic sentence) in a body paragraph is the argument. The rest of the paragraph consists of the explanation, examples and facts.

Example

The first body paragraph:

Argument (topic sentence)

Firstly, keeping assault weapons out of private citizens’ hands can lower the increasing occurrences of barbaric public slayings. 

Supporting details

Sandy Hook / Columbine School Shootings / University of Virginia incident

- How did these individuals gain access to weapons? 

Your supporting details

On your opinion organizer, state at least two supporting details per argument.

Use key words (you don't need entire sentences yet)!

The hook

How can you grab the reader's attention? You will have to make the first sentence(s) interesting enough.

An intriguing rhetorical question

A surprising fact or statistic

An interesting anecdote

An evocative image or description

A common misconception

Example

If this is your statement:

The production, sale, and possession of assault weapons for private citizens should be banned in the U.S. 

Your hook could be:

Semi-automatic rifles such as the AR-15 have become the weapon of choice for mass shooters. They have been banned before, yet countless gun owners are determined it will never happen again.

Your hook

On your opinion organizer, write down what your hook will be. How do you grab the reader's attention?

Choose from:

An intriguing rhetorical question

A surprising fact or statistic

An interesting anecdote

An evocative image or description

A common misconception

The concluding statement

An ending or concluding statement should give a sense of closure to your readers. Your last statement should be catchy and prove the importance of your ideas/opinions.

Your last sentence could also be a call to action, if you believe something has to change.

Example

If this is your statement:

The production, sale, and possession of assault weapons for private citizens should be banned in the U.S. 

This could be your concluding statement:

By banning the production, sale, and possession of assault weapons for private citizens the world will become a much safer place.

Your concluding statement

On your opinion organizer, write down what your concluding statement will be. Just like the hook, this needs to grab the reader's attention and leave them with something to think about.

Your final outline

What you have now created is the outline for your article of opinion. Creating the outline takes up most time in the writing process. If you have created a good outline, you will have a much easier time writing the rest of your article.

Tip: start the test by creating this outline!

Step 3: From Outline to Article

Using the outline

This is the outline for the article about banning assault weapons:

Hook: Semi-automatic rifles such as the AR-15 have become the weapon of choice for mass shooters. They have been banned before, yet countless gun owners are determined it will never happen again.

Statement: The production, sale, and possession of assault weapons for private citizens should be banned in the U.S. 

Argument 1: Keeping assault weapons out of private citizens’ hands can lower the increasing occurrences of barbaric public slayings. 

Argument 2: The ban on assault weapons is backed heavily by public opinion, major organizations, and even law enforcement.

Argument 3: The monetary and human costs incurred by crimes committed with assault weapons are too great to ignore. 

Concluding statement: By banning the production, sale, and possession of assault weapons for private citizens the world will become a much safer place.

From outline to article

What you have to do now is connect the ideas on your outline with complete sentences.

In the introduction, you have to get from the hook to the statement. How do you link those two?

In the body paragraphs, you have to use complete sentences to give examples and facts.

In the conclusion, you have to summarise your arguments and restate your statement. You have to use different sentences than in the rest of the article.

Example: Introduction

The first sentence in your introduction is your hook:

Semi-automatic rifles such as the AR-15 have become the weapon of choice for mass shooters. They have been banned before, yet countless gun owners are determined it will never happen again.

The last sentence in your introduction is your statement:

Therefore, the production, sale, and possession of assault weapons for private citizens should be banned in the U.S. 

What can you write to connect these two?

-> Give some background information about the problem.

-> Use linking words to connect your ideas and sentences

Example: Introduction

Semi-automatic rifles such as the AR-15 have become the weapon of choice for mass shooters. They have been banned before, yet countless gun owners are determined it will never happen again. There are, for instance, people who maintain that their AR-15 is just a hunting rifle. According to researchers from Georgetown University, 24.6 million Americans own AR-15 type weapons. However, when studying mass shootings it also becomes clear that AR-15s have been used in 10 out of the 17 deadliest mass shootings. Therefore, the production, sale, and possession of assault weapons for private citizens should be banned in the U.S.

Your introduction

Which topic did you choose?

What is your hook?

What is your statement?

What can you write to connect the two?

Body Paragraphs

You start a body paragraph with a linking word (Choose from: Firstly, / Secondly, / Moreover, / In addition, / Finally, ).

The first sentence is the topic sentence: your argument.

The rest of the paragraph consists of the explanation, examples and facts. In addition, you have to link your argument back to the statement.

Example: Body paragraphs

Statement: The production, sale, and possession of assault weapons for private citizens should be banned in the U.S. 

Argument 1: Keeping assault weapons out of private citizens’ hands can lower the increasing occurrences of barbaric public slayings. 

Argument 2: The ban on assault weapons is backed heavily by public opinion, major organizations, and even law enforcement.

Argument 3: The monetary and human costs incurred by crimes committed with assault weapons are too great to ignore. 

Body paragraph

Firstly, keeping assault weapons out of private citizens’ hands can lower the increasing occurrences of barbaric public slayings. 

 -> Supporting details: Explanation, examples, facts (show what you've learned)

-> Link back to the statement

Example: First body paragraph

Firstly, keeping assault weapons out of private citizens’ hands can lower the increasing occurrences of barbaric public slayings. 

It is clear that it is necessary to ban 

Your body paragraphs

What is your first argument?

And your second? 

(and third?)

Write your (two or three) body paragraphs in which you develop your arguments.

Pay attention to linking words and linking your argument back to your statement.

Conclusion

In the conclusion, you summarise your arguments with different words than you've used in the body paragraphs. In addition, you restate your statement. Finally, you end with a catchy sentence, or a call to action.

Example: Conclusion

In conclusion, playing video games as a teenager can be a beneficial and enriching experience. The cognitive skills developed through problem-solving and critical thinking, along with the social interactions and teamwork fostered in the gaming environment, contribute positively to a teenager's overall growth. By embracing and guiding the gaming experience, parents and educators can help middle schoolers navigate this digital landscape, so that teenagers will benefit from the educational and social rewards it offers.

Your conclusion

How do you start the concluding paragraph?

Summarize your arguments in different words.

Link them to the statement.

End with a catchy sentence, or a call to action.

Title

The final part of your article that you have to come up with is the title. The title is always last, because it has to reflect the opinion as you have stated it in your article.

A title should follow four rules :

1. It should be catchy. If a title is not interesting, people are not going to read an essay.

2. It should be between one and eight words long.

3. It should not be a complete sentence, so leave out the main verb.

4. It should give readers an idea of what is to come.

Example: Title

If this is the topic, what could be the title?

Semi-automatic rifles such as the AR-15 have become the weapon of choice for mass shooters. They have been banned before, yet countless gun owners are determined it will never happen again. There are, for instance, people who maintain that their AR-15 is just a hunting rifle. According to researchers from Georgetown University, 24.6 million Americans own AR-15 type weapons. However, when studying mass shootings it also becomes clear that AR-15s have been used in 10 out of the 17 deadliest mass shootings. Therefore, the production, sale, and possession of assault weapons for private citizens should be banned in the U.S.

Your title

What could be a good title for your own practice article?

Remember - A title should follow four rules :

1. It should be catchy. If a title is not interesting, people are not going to read an essay.

2. It should be between one and eight words long.

3. It should not be a complete sentence, so leave out the main verb.

4. It should give readers an idea of what is to come.