Opinion Paragraph Assignment

Opinion Paragraph Assignment (12%) Instructions: Choose 1 of the readings we studied this session and write a well-developed and well-organized Opinion Paragraph of at least 10 sentences to show your ability to think critically about the text. You may choose: “How to Make a Strong First Impression”

OR “Small Talk: A Big Deal” *Choose the reading that you enjoyed the most and that you think you could respond to in the most interesting way (consider the practice exercise you just completed). In your paragraph, you must include ALL of the following: 1. What is the title of the article you read? What is the article about (main idea)? (topic

sentence) 2. What is your general feeling about the article? For example, do you like it? Is it interesting

and/or useful? Give reasons for your answers. 3. Comment on 1-2 points that you agree with. Give one or more reasons. 4. Comment on 1-2 points that you disagree with. Give one or more reasons.

• *If you do not disagree with anything, comment on what you think is problematic, under-developed, or missing from the article, and explain your viewpoint.

5. Would you recommend this article to other people? Why? Give one or more reasons. (concluding sentence)

A couple more specifications: *Include at least one personal experience or example that relates to the topic of the article. This can be your own experience or example, or one that relates to someone you know. *Because you will write about a number of different points in your paragraph, transitions are very important so that the reader can follow the organization of your ideas. Use transitions strategically (key words are useful) to show which prompt you are referring to in the paragraph. For Example:

• One point in the reading that I agree with is.....because….. • One point in the reading that I disagree with is…..because…..

*Finally, as you communicate ideas from the reading, be sure to PARAPHRASE. Avoid copying directly from the reading.

Opinion Paragraph Template: If you like, you may use the template provided for this assignment (it is optional). If you use the template, you may:

• use the sentence transitions as given OR

• you may change the sentence transitions to suit your own individual paragraph and approach.

Evaluation Rubric Before you start your paragraph, please see the evaluation rubric for this assignment to give you further insight into what you should include. *Revision Policy: You are welcome to revise and re-submit your opinion paragraph based on feedback. Your new grade will reflect your revision proficiency.

Good luck and enjoy!