lunes, 21 de octubre de 2013

Group Project: Writing Opinion Paragraphs

Dear students,

You are about to finish unit 2 and as a final task you are going to work with some of your classmates to write a set of opinion paragraphs.

Discussion

Before you get started, have a look at the following picture.


  • What do you think about what Malala declares?
  • Do you agree or disagree with her?
  • What are your main reasons of why you agree or disagree with her?
  • What would be your final thought regarding this topic?

Project

Education has always been a controversial topic to write about, but it is not the only one. Below, there is a list of questions. Choose the one that most calls your attention.

  • Should students have part-time jobs?
  • Should education be free?
  • Should marihuana be legalized?
  • Should homosexuals have the right to adopt children?
  • Should books be tax free?
  • Should fast-food restaurants be banned from operating in Chile?
  • Should parents teach children about sexuality?
  • Should the show biz be banned from Chilean TV?
  • Should people be banned from smoking in public areas?
For this project you will need to work in groups of 3-4. Then, follow the next steps to write your opinion paragraphs. You'll find some useful expression to write your paragraphs at the end of this entry.


  1. Read the title of the composition and think about what your opinion is.
  2. Brainstorm: think about what you want to say and write down all your ideas.
  3. Choose the most interesting or relevant ideas to support your opinion.
  4. Organize the ideas into paragraphs and put the paragraphs in order: 
    • Opening paragraph: state the topic and give your opinion. Introduce 3 ideas that support your opinion.
    • Body paragraphs (3 paragraphs): each paragraph develops one idea that supports your opinion
    • Conclusion paragraph: summarize your opinion and give a final recommendation
  5. Write a draft.
  6. Edit your draft: check spelling, grammar and punctuation.
  7. Have your draft edited by the whole group.
  8. Share your final composition with your teacher.

Useful expressions you can use in your text to…

Introduce your opinion:
In my opinion…                                                     
I(personally) think/I believe/                               
I feel/I don’t feel that…                                         
In my view/ In my point of view ….                     
As I see it…                                                            
As far as I’m concerned …                                    
It’s clear to me that…                                           
I agree/I don’t agree that…

Sequence ideas:
To begin with…                                                      
The first point is…                                                
First of all …/First/Firstly,...                               
Secondly/ Thirdly…                                               
Finally…/Lastly…                                                 

Add information

Furthermore,  …                                                    
Moreover,  ….                                                         
In addition, …                                                        
Besides, …                                                              
What is more, …                                                    
Also…/...too                                                            
As well as…                                                            
Apart from (that)…            

Give a reason

Due to(+noun)/Due to the fact that(+sentence)     
Owing to(+noun)/Owing to the fact that(+sentence)   
Because……(+sentence)                                       
Because of………(+noun e.g.: the rain)               
Since…/As……(+sentence e.g.: he is the boss)  
That’s why ...                                                          
For this/that reason                                                          
                                  

Express a consequence

Cosequently…                                                        
Therefore…                                                            
So…                                                                         
As a result of…                                                      
This means that…                                                             

Introduce the conclusion

In short…                                                                
In brief…                                                                 
In summary…                                                        
To sum up                                                                           
In conclusion…                                                      
To conclude…                                                         


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