These writing tools are linked to various assignments and lessons in the course.

Writing an Opinion Essay

3 Pre-Writing Steps

1. You need to understand the prompt.

2. You need to make a personal connection to the prompt.

3. If the essay you are being asked to write is happening in during a unit, ask yourself if there is a connection between a character you studied and yourself. Can you see the connections between the prompt, yourself and the character?

Notes

1. Decide wether you agree or disagree with the prompt.

2. Do not argue both sides.

3. You can use personal pronouns.

4. Use phrases like: I believe, in my opinion, I think, I feel

5. Use transitions to link the paragraphs together

6. The planner only provides the basic structure. You still need to fill it with good ideas, support and strong writing! Please look at the last two essays in the Opinion Essay Samples. How do they compare to the opinion planner?

Opinion Essay Structure

Paragraph 1

Introductory statement

• Use keywords from the prompt to focus your reader

Thesis Statement

• indicate if you agree or disagree with the prompt

• link you thesis to 2 reasons. Let's call them A and B

Paragraph 2

Topic Sentence

• Introduce reason A

Supporting statement 1

• Give an example of reason A

Supporting statement 2

• Give another example of reason A

Paragraph 2

Topic Sentence

• Introduce reason B

Supporting statement 1

• Give an example of reason B

Supporting statement 2

• Give another example of reason B

Paragraph 4

Restate thesis statement

Summarize supporting reasons (A and B)

The planner only provides the basic structure. You still need to fill it with good ideas, support and strong writing! Please look at the last two essays in the Opinion Essay Samples. How do they compare to the opinion planner?

Writing a Report

What is a report?

A report is a form of writing that provides information. There are different types of reports, and they can be organized in different ways depending on the purpose and audience. However, a report is usually based on researched facts or on accurate details of a situation or event, not just on the writer’s own knowledge.

You might write a report for Health class on the effects of second-hand cigarette smoke, or you might write a report for Science class on the increasing uses of lasers as tools in industry and medicine. You might also write a report detailing the organization, costs, participation, and success of a certain event such as a concert or banquet.

In business situations, or in science or medical journals, reports are organized with a summary (or abstract) at the beginning. The purpose of this summary is to give the person reading the report a sense of the main content. The rest of the report fills in the back- ground information, the process by which the information was obtained, and makes recommendations.

Please follow the Information Report Template as your planning guide.

How do you write a report?

1. Research your information, finding it in several different sources - e.g., books, magazines, the Internet.

2. Take notes from your sources of the key details that you need. Be sure to record which information comes from which source so that you can give credit to your sources.

3. Use an organizer such as a chart, web, or sub-topic boxes to sort and classify your information into different areas for sub-topics.

4. When writing your introduction, think of who your audience might be. If your report is to be made orally to your classmates, you will want to catch their interest somehow, perhaps by referring to some personal experiences. If your report is for the teacher or for an “expert” on your topic, you should be more formal and to the point, avoiding the use of “I” and being more objective.

5. Develop each sub-topic paragraph with an appropriate topic sentence that shows how the sub-topic links to the topic.

6. Make sure that your sub-topic paragraphs have a logical order and that they flow smoothly. Use sub-headings to guide your reader through a lengthy report with many sub-topics.

7. Write a conclusion that summarizes two or three of the main points you wish to make about your topic. Depending on the type of report, write several recommendations.

8. Give credit to your sources by acknowledging them. List the sources alphabetically by the author’s surname.