Opinion Writing – Week 3

Disclaimer: No need to print this entire packet. Students may take notes, answer the research questions, and

write their drafts on paper or in their notebooks. Final drafts should be on loose paper or typed.

Your school board is trying to decide whether to buy educational video games and

devices that play them to use in classrooms. The school board has asked some

students, including you, to share their opinions about whether this is a good idea.

You will write an essay to present to members of the school board that states your

opinion. Here are some ideas about what to include in your essay:

State your opinion about whether the school board should spend money for

educational video games and devices to play them.

Support your opinion with information from the sources you have read.

Student Directions

To develop your opinion, you will read a blog, an interview, and a letter to the

editor of a newspaper. A blog is a website on which people share opinions,

thoughts, and information. In the blog, our teachers write about the reasons for

and against using educational video games in the classroom. In the interview, a

fifth grade teacher describes her experience with using educational video games

in her classroom on a radio program called Education Today Radio. In the letter

to the editor, Bob Gebhart, wrote the letter to express his opinions about using

educational video games in the classroom. Take notes about what you learn and

use information from the sources and your notes to answer research questions

and write your stories. You may handwrite or type your final drafts.

Monday

4/06

Tuesday

4/07

Wednesday

4/08

Thursday

4/09

Friday

4/10

*Read a blog

and interview

and take notes

*Read letter to

the editor and

take notes

*Write

responses to

research

questions

*Write draft of

essay

*Revise,

proofread, edit

essay draft,

and write final

Remember that a well-written essay:

States an opinion

Gives reasons that support the opinion

Explains information clearly

Provides a conclusion

Uses language appropriate to the purpose and task

Follows rules for spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar

Blog Notes