WRITING AN OPINION

Written by Rina Akotonas and Dr. Smadar Messer

THE STRUCTURE OF THE WRITING TASK / 1
Base your teaching of writing an opinion on the rhetorical structure of this style. / A.
Begin with stating or summarizing the point or the issue under discussion / B.
Add the opinion section
Use the following opening words:
I think that… because of the following reasons.
First, … [A STATEMENT + EXAMPLE]
Second… [A STATEMENT + EXAMPLE]
Finally I think that…[A STATEMENT + EXAMPLE]
I think that starting a school-day at 7 am is a good idea because of the following two reasons.
First, morning hours are the most productive hours. For example, you can do much more in two hours in the morning than in two hours in the afternoon. You have much more energy.
Second, starting early will make the children more organized. I think that they will go to bed earlier the night before and maybe have a more restful sleep. Finally, I think that we should at least try it and see how it works. Some new (beginning of an example) ideas such as the division in high-school seemed good ideas until they were tried and the lessons learned. / C.
TOPIC SELECTION / 2
Notice that the principles at the base of this type of writing evolve around moral issues or dilemmas regarding policy or values.
Hence, the introductory word "Should."
  • Should children go to work?
  • Should schools be allowed to advertise themselves?
  • Should school days begin at 7 am?
  • Should Arabic be compulsory on the Bagrut as a third language?
  • Should 12th grade pupils volunteer to mentor pupils from the lower division?
  • What is your opinion on the question of …?
  • Write a short composition expressing your opinion on …?

VOCABULARY FOR THE GENRE / 3
Use vocabulary from the Reading Passage.
Introduce and teach vocabulary items directly related to the topic and the genre.
Topic-related vocabulary:
Find in the text and make the necessary adaptations (derivatives, word-family) and addition (of vocabulary items you have elicited or given in class discussions).
Genre-related vocabulary:
  • Advantages/disadvantages:
One of the more important advantages of study groups is that you learn something from each member in the group.
  • The pros and cons:
In my opinion, the pros are greater than the cons in this case.
  • Right/wrong:
It is the right thing to do.
  • Difficult/easy:
This is, in my opinion, the easy solution but maybe not the right one.
  • Convenient / inconvenient
It is convenient for some parents to leave the responsibility of the education of their children to the schools.
  • Economically, socially, morally, psychologically
Making a child go to work and providing for his family is morally wrong.
It is psychologically difficult for an Arab girl to accept the more liberal behavior of her Jewish peer.
In all cases, note the different sentence structures the pupil may use.
It is a good idea to demonstrate the variety of sentence structures and the different places the vocabulary item can occupy – with or without changing the meaning.

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