Opinion Writing
What is Opinion Writing?
Opinion writing states a claim and gives the writer's views on a topic. It persuades readers to think or feel a certain way or calls them to take some action. In 5th grade you are expected to be able to produce 5 well written paragraphs that use evidence to back up a claim as asked for in the prompt.
STATE WHAT YOU LEARNED OR HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THE TOPIC!
Read For Understanding, and Organize the Text
Before you read the text, think about what your opinion might be on the topic you were given. Keep reading and look for sentences that state your opinion. Underline these sentences. When you are done reading the text, re-read it. You can highlight sentences that support your opinion in green. That way they will be easy to find, and you can easily cite them in your essay. You can highlight statements that do not support your opinion in yellow. If you find things that you need to research more, or don't understand, make sure you annotate so you can follow up on those things.
Opinion/Argument Language Frames
State your position:
• In my opinion….
• I believe that….
• It seems obvious
to me that….
• Although not everybody would agree, my
position is….
Consider the counterargument:
• Some argue that….
• They say (claim, hold, maintain) that….
• On the other hand, there are many who disagree with the idea that….
• They also argue that….
• A further point they make is….
• Yet some argue vehemently that….
Support your position:
• I have several reasons for arguing this point of view.
• My first reason is…. Another reason is….
• There are several points I want to make to support my point of view.
• Research shows………
• It has been found that ……………..
Restate your position:
• However, there are several reasons to oppose this point of view.
• After looking closely at both sides of the issue and the evidence, I believe it is best to….because…
• Despite the fact that….it is also vital to consider….
• Well, that is only partly the case. The other side of the story is….
• The advantages of ... outweigh the disadvantages of….
• The issue is not so much a question of…, but a question of….
• What it seems to come down to is... versus….
• Even though the issue has two sides, I think I have shown that….
• Even though both sides have merits, the greater good will come from….
• If we look closely at…, we will see that it is better to….
• Based on the evidence so far, we should…because ….
• When you take a close look at this part, you see that….
INTRODUCTORY PHRASES
In my opinion
I believe
It is my belief that
There is no doubt that
From my point of view
It seems to me that
I question whether
I (dis) agree with
I maintain that
CONCLUDING PHRASES
For the reasons above
As you can see
As I have noted
In other words
On the whole
In short
To be sure
Without a doubt
Obviously
Unquestionably
In brief
Undoubtedly
In any case
Summarizing
In any event
Besides
Further
Next
Again
Moreover
Similarly
Likewise
SUPPORTING OPINIONS
First
Furthermore
Second
In addition
Third
Also
Finally Last
Equally important
In the first place
INTRODUCING DETAILS
For example
In fact
For instance
As evidence
In support of this
Accordingly
As a result of
Leads to
In effect
Brought about
Made possible
As might be expected
Give rise to
Was responsible for
CAUSE AND EFFECT
Since
Because of
Due to
For this reason
Therefore
If…then
Caused by
This results in
Consequently
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
Similarly
Compared to
In like manner
On the other hand
Although
Even though
Likewise
In the same way
Contrasting
On the contrary
As opposed to
Rather than
Nevertheless
As well as
Have in common
All are
The same as
Conversely
Whether or not
In spite of
COUNTERING
I realize others
I understand you
Even though you
Although you
Some people
It may be that you
Your idea to ____
deserves some merit
Believe
Feel
Maintain
Want
Support
Argue
State
But
Yet
However
I doubt
I question
Let me explain
On the other hand
Nevertheless