Teaching learners about opinion writing can feel overwhelming for both the learners and teachers. Many students struggle to choose a side, remain concentrated on an opinion or put forth their ideas clearly. The problem is mainly faced while teaching the students in primary classes. However, a lack of the right structure and support results in confusion and frustration among the students.
Thankfully, the right approach can allow you to make opinion writing exciting, engaging, and effective. In this article, we will be discussing about how to write opinion, some simple steps to help students and a checklist.
What is Opinion Writing?
In simple terms, opinion writing is about including your nuanced and crucial opinion to the topic which is already of interest to a specific audience. In comparison to the popular belief, good opinion writing is beyond provocative hook and some anecdotes.
5 Easy Steps to Teach Opinion Writing
Here are some of the simple steps through which you can engage the learners in opinion writing:
Step 1: Fun Hook
The first step is to make the students excited about opinion writing. For this, you must start with a light activity. You can use simple terms like “would you rather” or “this or that” game to initiate and encourage the students to break the ice.
For example, you might ask the students whether they will “fly or be invisible,” or whether they want to skip their childhood era or live it twice.
Such questions will encourage students to express their perspectives without any pressure. Teachers can use this moment to discuss the different between opinions and facts. You should provide real examples from news articles to showcase the facts and opinion segments to take their views. This sets the base for what they will be writing about.
You can also conduct daily opinion polls. These do not consume much time and allow the students to be decisive and develop an opinion easily. You can ask the students to simply share their opinions by using paper ballots, electronic voting, or just standing up or raising their hands.
These activities will not only allow the learners to acquire valuable knowledge and skills in opinion writing but also encourage participation and engage the learners.
Step 2: Give Examples
Before the learners note anything, show them some samples or examples where opinion writing is beautifully implemented. You can use mentor texts and samples of good opinion writing to show the structure and tone of the piece. This will create an idea about how to start writing among the students.
You can try the following group activity:
- Ask the learners to write five different opinion paragraphs on the same question
- Ask the students to prioritize the samples from best to worst
- Discuss why the best are ‘best’ and the worst are ‘worst’.
This activity will surely help learners to find out the main features of successful opinion writing. They can develop clear arguments, supporting facts and logical structure.
Step 3: Choose Relevant Topics
Opinion writing seems more straightforward when learners actually care about the subject. Hence, teachers should focus on those topics that are relevant to the lives of learners. An effective topic would fuel the debate and divided the groups in two clear sides.
Some of the topics that may spark the debate are:
- Should celebrities be considered role models?
- Should co-curricular activities be compulsory at schools?
You must use a Think-Pair-Share approach to encourage the learners reflect and discuss their perspectives before writing. This will not only instill confidence among the learners but will also help in strengthening their sides.
Step 4: Model the Writing Process
Once the students are ready with their opinions, it is time to teach them how to note them down. You can encourage the students to write by creating a T-chart on the board. You can write down some reasons supporting or refuting the topic for opinion writing.
Now, you can pick a side and lead students through writing a sample opinion paragraph. You can present a guideline to the students with some simple steps, like:
- Select a side and stick with it
- Write a suitable topic sentence
- Include 2-3 supporting sentences
- Conclude with a concluding sentence
You can also use color coding or labels so that learners can observe the structure of a paragraph properly. You must explain the choices between the discussions and encourage the learners to give feedback.
Step 5: Let Students Do Their Part
After teaching the structure to the learners, you should allow them to start their writing. You can use the same T-chart approach to brainstorm. Then ask them to choose one side and develop a draft.
You may ask them to include these points in their opinion writing:
- Introductory statement
- 2-3 body paragraphs
- Conclusion statement
Once they complete their first draft, learners should revise and edit their work with the help of the checklist that has been mentioned in step 2. Now, you should conduct a peer review and ask the learners to exchange their writing and give feedback on it. You should also explain their writing process through an in-person discussion.
Tips for Making a Debate Engaging
Here are some tips and tricks that you can use:
- Establish Rules and Expectations– Before starting the debate, it is vital to set clear rules and expectations for the learners. This may include rules regarding taking initiatives, communicating respectfully and listening to others.
- Choose a Relevant Topic– You must select a topic that excites the learners. This will assist the learners to be engaged and motivated to participate.
- Give Time– You must share your plans with students’ families so that they can communicate about their topic at their place. This will allow the students to discuss their opinions with their parents and identify strong reasons to support their opinions
- Practice Listening Skills– Prior to the debate, teachers should practice listening skills with the learners. This includes activities like listening to a narrative and summarising it, or playing a telephone conversation to demonstrate the significance of active listening.
- End with Reflection– Finally, the students should be asked to reflect on what they have learned and how these skills would be used in their future opinion writing.
Checklist for Learners
You can ask the students to meet the requirements by ticking out the checklist, which includes:
- A proper understanding of different expertise areas
- A list of topics that can be covered, and ideas can be developed from them
- A comprehensive idea that supports a strong argument
- A completed piece of opinion writing, which is around 400-500 words
- Get feedback from your peers
- Make improvements
- Finally, submit them to the teachers
Summary
Opinion writing is not limited to a particular topic, but explores related topics and takes a side. Now that you have the idea of how to engage and encourage students with opinion writing, you should start today. This guide will help you make learning more engaging and effective. Make it more interesting with the given instructions and allow students to explore and express more.
Also Read:
www.digitalnewsalerts.com: Best Technological News Found Here
