Week 13: Opinion Paragraphs, Part 1

Today, we’re taking the dive into Unit 8, which deals with Opinion Paragraphs.

In the lecture in Part 1, I’ll be discussing three things:

• What is an “Opinion” in an academic context?
• Three Kinds of Supporting Material 
• Analyzing the Structure of an Opinion Paragraph 

We also brainstormed ideas in partners, narrowing down your ideas to one policy and three reasons why you think that policy is a good idea. 

You can skip the Non-Textbook Related Videos for Week 13 if you were in class: they’re optional, since they deal with the same topics I discussed in class. Proceed to the Textbook-Related Videos and Exercises, below. 

If you missed class, then please go watch the Non-Textbook Videos Then come back to this folder to continue your work for Week 13. Then proceed to the Textbook-Related Materials and Paragraph Blog post below.

Handouts

Textbook-Related Videos and Materials

Unit 8 is the most challenging unit in the Academic English IV course. 

After watching the video above, please do the following in Great Writing 2:  

• Read What is an Opinion Paragraph? (pg. 138)
• Complete Activity 1 (pg. 138–129)
• Complete Activities 2–3 (pg. 139) but instead of discussing with classmates, you’ll need to discuss with a family member or friend. 
• Go back and really closely analyze Example Paragraphs 8.1 and 8.2 (pgs. 139–140)
  • Look at the Topic and Concluding Sentences, and find the Primary Supporting Sentences
  • Extract Template Sentences from these three example paragraphs
  • Consider the “supporting arguments.” When I use the term “supporting arguments” I’m referring to the “argument” made in each Primary Supporting Sentence, along with the evidence, explanation, or examples provided in the Secondary Supporting Sentences that follow it. (In other words, in the “chunk” of the paragraph that presents and supports each “argument” made in the paragraph.)
  • Are there any sentences in either paragraph that don’t fit into this structure as we’ve studied it so far? By “this structure” I mean the paragraph structure we’ve been studying until now:
    • Topic Sentence
      • Primary Supporting Sentence 1
        • Secondary Supporting Sentences
      •  Primary Supporting Sentence 2
        • Secondary Supporting Sentences
      • Primary Supporting Sentence 2
        • Secondary Supporting Sentences
    • Concluding Sentence
    If you see any sentence that doesn’t fit this pattern, take a note and try to figure why that sentence is there: it is an unnecessary sentence? Is it there for some purpose we haven’t discussed yet? If you can’t figure it out, feel free to ask in class or on the Q&A Forum. 

There is no textbook work for Video 28, but instead, try this supporting exercise. 

Choose a topic that you feel you have an opinion about, but which you haven’t really thought much about. This can be tricky: so focus on finding some topic about which your opinion isn’t really based on logic or reason, but probably just based on popular opinion, on the influence of others, or something similar. (This is how most of us get most of our unexamined opinions about most subjects, after all!)

It’s easiest to choose “policies” or “laws” as the basis for this exercise, since that forces us to be logical. 

Possible examples:

• Universities should completely stop using “grading” systems to evaluate students. 
• Religious institutions should, like most other institutions in society, pay taxes on the charitable donations they receive. 
• Jochiwon needs to zone a lot more paid parking lots throughout the city.  

These are just examples. You can choose something else. 

Make a list of reasons why this policy is a good idea, and why it’s a bad idea. Try really hard to think of good reasons for and against the policy, regardless of how you feel about each side of the question. 

Then, try to look at your reasons for and against, and figure out if any of them have problems. Are they logical? Do they depend on hidden assumptions? Do they fall apart when someone looks closely at whether they’re actually true or logical?

Again, you don’t need to submit anything for this, but hang onto your notes. You will be able to use them next week when you’re writing your Paragraph Blog. 

In Great Writing 2, please do the following: 

• Complete Activity 4 (pg. 141)
• Analyze Paragraph 8.3 (part of Activity 4) in the same way I asked you to analyze Paragraph 8.1 and 8.2 above. You should be able to find a Counterargument and Refutation in this paragraph. 

Paragraph Practice

For this week’s Paragraph Practice, you’re going to write a paragraph based on the policy (Topic Sentences) and Reasons (Primary Supporting Sentences) you and your partner created in class today. 

Please following the writing process we’ve used in the past. Yes, in fact you brainstormed with your partner in class, but try out the brainstorming steps anyway, to see if you get any interesting ideas. Follow the complete writing process I’ve already taught you.  

That’s it for today!

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Non-Textbook Videos and Materials

Just to be extra clear, here are the main points I made in this video:

According to the “implicit contract” in Opinion Paragraph Writing, when you write about the solution to a topic, you have already done the following:

• You have considered the fundamental disagreement that the Opinion Paragraph is about. (Why people might disagree about the solution you propose.) 
• You have considered the standard arguments on both (all) sides, discarding bad arguments. (Most popular arguments are bad arguments on both sides, so list them, find what’s wrong with them, and then make better arguments.) 
• You have sought good and reliable information about the issue. (Do research.) 
• You have formulated a position that you can defend with evidence and reason that others will find convincing.