Writing an Opinion Piece You will need to follow a few steps to create your own opinion piece including: • Find your inspiration • Pose a question/make a stamement Writing an Opinion Piece • Become an expert • Find your purpose and audience • Make and plan • Find resources to support your claims (quotes, interviews ,research, theories, stories, facts, etc) • Write a draft Finding inspiration • Use mind mapping to come up with an essay idea • Pose a question to help you think of your ideas. Eg. Why do I admire this indiviudal? Becoming an Expert You will need to complete research about your idea. Search online for information about your idea. Who might be experts in the subject or who have personal experience of the subject that is the focus of your piece. When you research a subject, you should consult a range of reliable sources. You should read and view texts about the subject. Locate information that has been published by government departments, non-government organisations and media outlets. Use the thinking strategy 5Ws and 1H to scaffold your research. A data chart is another way to keep your research organised. Make sure that you copy down the bibliographic details of everything you read and view. Who What Where When Why How Purpose and Audience How might your approach change if you were addressing your opinion piece to... • A teenager living in the inner-West • A member of Parliament • A 50 year old farmer What is your purpose? Every text is created for a purpose. To write effectively, you must construct your essay in a way that suits your purpose. The type of essay that you choose to write, the content that you choose to include and the choices you make about the ways you use language must reflect your purpose. Who is your audience? Your intended audience will significantly influence the way you write and the language you use. You need to have a clear idea of who you are writing for so that you can engage and communicate with them effectively. Form Subject Purpose Audience Contention Supporting argument 1 Making a Plan Key evidence Supporting argument 2 Key evidence Supporting argument 3 Key evidence Resolution Writing your Opinion Piece • There is no single correct way to organise your writing. Remember good writing is about more than following a formula. • Your text type, purpose, audience, and the specifics of your idea will determine how you order the content of your essay. • No matter what type of essay you are writing, you must organise your content in paragraphs and place these paragraphs in a logical sequence. What makes an opinion piece effective? 1. Use facts to support your claims – shows your knowledge of the subject – makes you a reliable source 2. Be reasonable in your claims and expectations 3. Be personal and conversational – make your audience feel like you have a connection with them – use inclusive language – “we, us” 4. Use clear, powerful, direct language – don’t go off topic, stay focused on what you are trying to persuade your audience to believe What makes an opinion piece effective? 5. Avoid clichés and jargon – it takes away from your authority on the subject 6. State your point clearly. Take a stance on the issue you are diskussing 7. Keep your target audience in mind 8. Use humor – it’s an equalizer and helps the audience feel comfortable with you as well as engaged in your piece 9. Use multiple persuasive techniques Remember!!!!!!!!!!!!! • Generally an opinion piece has no set structure but to avoid errors its best if you follow one • Intro (should be a creative intro to your issue – anecdote, confronting statistic, appeal etc) • P1- explain issue a little (you can do this with/without argument) • P2-4 each paragraph should have a point with some form of evidence/support to back you up • Conclusion (call to action, sum up main contention, leave the audience something to either think, feel or do something) What does an opinion piece contain? • A purpose • Literary techniques (can be persuasive) • A target audience • Logical argument • Supportive evidence • Can be first person – don’t overdo it though • Formal writing • An intro, development of ideas/argument and conclusion Brainstorm Who is a hero and why? What values do you admire in these heroes? Think of Zimbardo’s factors of heroism – do they show any of these values? What do you want to discuss about heroism? Who isn’t a hero? Is it easy to be a hero?
