HOW TO WRITE AN OPINION ESSAY

Sở Giáo Dục – Đào tạo tỉnh Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu Trường THPT Nguyễn Du -oooOooo - SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM Cấp tỉnh Năm học 2015 – 2016 HOW TO WRITE AN OPINION ESSAY ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG Tổ tiếng Anh Trường THPT Nguyễn Du SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM Họ tên người viết: Tổ: Đơn vị: Tên sáng kiến kinh nghiệm: ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG Tiếng Anh trường THPT Nguyễn Du HOW TO WRITE AN OPINION ESSAY English 12 A INTRODUCTION I THE REASONS FOR RESEARCH The logical choice Writing is one of the necessary skills to communicate, especially, in a world of mess media in which we are not only good at understanding information but also effective in presenting our thoughts through writing skill My research is just a little part amongst other numerous literary tasks The practical reasons English of High school curriculum is intended as a purposefully spiral ramp, which means students meet the same learning material three times with increasing difficulty during high school time If students master this, it does not matter Otherwise, it would be a big problem for them to continue their studies afterwards especially at university or at future work I have chosen this topic in hope to help students be more confident in writing essays at medium levels and then towards more difficult levels II GOALS AND METHODS OF THIS RESEARCH Goals: My two main goals are to find out the difficulties in writing an essay and how to deal with those difficulties, particularly for the students to fully achieve good results in writing an academic essay which is useful in their school studies and may be in international tests later on SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page Methods: It is based on my teaching experience, which has never been a failure at finishing a lecture without any success from students I have consulted a lot of documents from good English teaching books and from experienced colleagues III PROVINCE OF RESEARCH I have decided on this writing skill due to the Writing Part in the GCSE in 2015 and the writing lessons of English 12 This technique is supposed to be most material to every student who wants to master their writing in higher levels, which are likely to be served useful purposes IV RESEARCH SUPPOSITIONS My studies attempt to ascertain the difficulties that students often meet with: they not know how to make a suitable introduction to each kind of essay or develop the topics to the essay body As a result, students simply follow what to be taught without brainstorming I intentionally supply students with a practical method in order to dispose of a characterized question of English writing V THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL BASIS Theoretical basis: English has become a world language People speaking English fall into one of three groups: those who have learned it as their native language; those who have learned it as a second language in a society that is mainly bilingual; and those who are forced to use it for a practical purpose administrative, professional or educational Vietnamese students are taught English as one of the core subjects besides literature and maths In order for Vietnamese students to be confident in using their English, teachers need not only to supply them with necessary language skills but also to motivate them in daily teaching activities SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page Practical basis: Finding themselves without being able to write a meaningful sentence or a persuasive paragraph, most Vietnamese students tend to lose heart and hide themselves learning science subjects as a way of showing off! We have mislaid a large number of English potential persons We often blame for such poor contents of textbooks In fact, we not often pay special attention to teaching and are not enthusiastic enough to be a mine of information about all forms of teaching VI IMPLEMENTATION PLAN I began this research in school year 2013 – 2014 with 12A and 12A , 2014 – 2015 with 12A5 and 12A8, and I am doing this research with 12A1 and 12A10 in school year 2015 – 2016 Year after year, the deeper the research, the better the results, which enables me to analyze details and essential features in order to conduct a grammatically and stylishly standard writing, which must be very helpful for my students to their writing test in the coming examinations B CONTENT I REALITY AND CONFLICTS For years English has been considered as one of the core subjects in the education syllabus, some of students are beginning to define the role of English in their further studies However, they find it hard to be satisfied with the materials from their English textbooks being used at school We are, the English teachers, not in the same outlook on the way to help students reach their potential language skills because the Vietnamese textbook writers seem to be so over-ambitious that they present most of writing talk in a comparatively short 3-year high school education programme without giving teachers reliable teaching methods There is an unspoken assumption in the present curriculum that is abundantly clear for everyone Therefore, teachers are always under pressure of time in class and of the fulfillment of a class organizer SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page If I chase after the tasks in the textbook, I often finish my lecture on time with a vague feeling that maybe my students can understand and the same task in their real life Consequently, the way my students have done the same task disappoints me Otherwise, I am short of time In order to solve the time problem, I am forced to give this lecture in double periods, which means I have to shorten the next lessons and I am genuinely motivated by the results from the writing test II SOME SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS In order for students to improve their writing, I divide this writing task into two levels The low level reserved for the students who can distinguish the essay part and put the essay part into order For the students with higher level, they themselves can develop the ideas in each essay part based on the outline made out by both students and the teacher However, the first stage is to help students to have careful overview of the opinion essay, which lessens the pressure to face with writing too many words, too many ideas and too many points of view And then I give students the step-by-step instructions to make the directing introduction and situation introduction, to establish the main body and conclude the essay SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page THE OVERVIEW OF A FIVE-PARAGRAGH ESSAY analyze discuss describe - look at - outline - focus on - examine - consider - decide This essay will describe some of the problems In this essay, I will discuss some arguments for and against This essay will look at some of the arguments Parag raph Essay Part INTRODUCT ORY PARAGRAPH MAIN BODY CONCLUSIO N Content CLEARLY: - present the topic - state your opinion - present what to be discussed - topic sentence - develop the first reason or give facts, statistics or examples - transition - topic sentence - develop the second reason or give facts, statistics or examples - transition - present the opposing viewpoint - explain the reason why you think it is an unconvincing viewpoint - include clear transition words - restate the main points using different wording - possibly finish with a call to action In conclusion, - To conclude, Finally, - To sum up, As previously stated, - Finally, In a word, - In brief, In conclusion, - In the final analysis, On the whole, - To summarize, In summary, points into consideration, SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤPTaking TỈNH – these ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page HOW TO MAKE THE INTRODUCTION There are many ways to make a good introduction; however, I have chosen the two possible methods for my students because these can be the root from which students highly develop their writing skill METHOD 1: DIRECTING INTRODUCTION Step 1: to have a clear conception of introductory paragraph How to write Sentence Sentence Sentence State opinion Present the topic Present what to be discussed Topic  Men build the house and women make it home In order to enjoy the happiness of the family, both the husband and the wife have to join hands which means men build the house and women make it home Men and women have different duties but lead to the same purpose Step 2: to ask students to produce SENTENCE How to write Sentence Sentence Sentence State opinion Present the topic Present what to be discussed Topic  A family is a base for the society The prosperity of family contributes to this of society It is in the family that support children’s physical and mental development The sentence expected is “ so people can say a family is a base for the society ” SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page Step 3: to ask students to produce SENTENCES & How to write Topic  The size of a family is becoming smaller and smaller Sentence Sentence Sentence State opinion Present the topic Present what to be discussed People have more interests outside home In addition, financial problems urge people think twice about the number of children in a modern family The sentences expected are “ that is the reason why the size of a family is becoming smaller and smaller This essay will discuss the reasons for this and provide some advantages and disadvantages ” Step 4: to ask students to produce the whole paragraph How to write Topic Sentence Sentence Sentence State opinion Present the topic Present what to be discussed  The better the education in a country is, the more powerful the country is The whole paragraph expected is “The development of a country depends on the advance of education, so the better the education in a country is, the more powerful the country is In this essay, I will discuss the main reasons.” SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page METHOD 2: SITUATION INTRODUCTION Step 1: to have a clear conception of introductory paragraph How to write Sentence Sentence Sentence Present situation Other present situation The thesis Topic  In recent times, there is more and more violence at school What are the causes of this? How to with these problems? In the past years but also in rural areas there has been an increasing violence happening at schools not only in town This essay will discuss the reasons for this and how its disadvantages effect on society Step 2: to ask students to produce SENTENCE How to write Topic  Old parents should live children Sentence Sentence Sentence Present situation Other present situation The thesis Most countries in Asia, old parents live with their children However, the fact that families not live with old parents is increasing SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page The sentence expected is “This essay will examine some of the advantages and disadvantages.” SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page Fast food is a good alternative to cooking for yourself Nowadays, there are a lot of cafes, which offer their visitors different kinds of fast food There are rather contrast opinions of it: positive and negative In the first place, when choose fast food you keep more free time and spend it on other things, which you want or have to This is very important nowadays, because people are always in a hurry On the other hand, fast food has a very bad influence on people's health As for me, I would better spend little more time cooking something, than to damage my health Nevertheless, people continue to buy and eat fast food, there is a very actual problem of obesity, many people suffer from it, but continue to eat fast food So the problem also can be connected with psychics, a big number of scientists prove that bulemy is more a psychological illness than physiological Summing up, I came to conclusion, that all the same it is better to spend time for cooking by yourself and not to buy fast food in order to save your health SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page 122 Nowadays, more and more people decide to have children later in their life What are the reasons? What are the effects on society and family life? =============================================== In modern society, there has been a major concern that many couples have delayed parenthood Some explanations for this social trend will be put forward, before an analysis of its impacts on society and family life is given A few reasons can be given to justify the trend of giving birth at later stages of life First, the labour market is increasingly competitive, and it is a norm that young parents defer having children to devote the whole time in the first years of their employment to lay a sound foundation for their future career Second, it is believed that children are raised better by older parents This seems valid due to the fact that older fathers and mothers are generally wealthier, more experienced, and more willing to take the responsibility of bringing up a child The trend exerts both advantageous and disadvantageous influence on society and families On the one hand, children born to more prosperous and experienced parents can receive better and more comprehensive education, and thus contribute more to society when they grow up In each household, the parents may also reap the benefits of this trend, as their first working years are not interrupted by pregnancy and childcare On the other hand, when an aged couple decide to give birth, there are serious health risks for the woman in the prenatal and postnatal period If any complicated maternal health problem arises, the life whole family would be turned upside down To conclude, the tendency to have children at later ages is caused by a number of factors, such as the competitiveness of the job market for young adults, and both the positive and negative impacts of it can be seen in families and society Introduction In the first paragraph we present the topic and state our opinion clearly SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page 123 Main Body In the second and third paragraphs we present our viewpoints and give reasons/examples We present each viewpoint, with reasons/examples, in a separate paragraph In the fourth paragraph we present the opposing viewpoint and give examples/reasons Conclusion In the last paragraph we restate our opinion using different words Other information We usually use present tenses in this kind of writing and avoid using informal language such as contractions (I've, she's) and colloquialisms (What's up?) etc We can use phrases like In my opinion; I (strongly) believe that; It seems to me that to introduce our opinion We can find opinion essays in newspapers and magazines as articles or letters to the editor, etc SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page 124 Essay body paragraphs After the introduction come the body paragraphs They usually take up most of the essay Paragraphs contain three main sections: • • • • • Main point: the topic sentence, which describes the focus of the paragraph Support: explanations, evidence, and examples that reinforce the main point Transitions: connections between this paragraph and the thesis statement nearby paragraphs Academic paragraphs are usually at least three sentences long, and can be longer still However, don't make those sentences too long As a rough guide, a sentence longer than three lines is too long Main point All paragraphs should be focused: they should discuss only one major point That point should connect with the overall focus of the essay (as described in the thesis statement) The major point of a paragraph is often called the controlling idea Every paragraph should have a different controlling idea, each one discussing one aspect or part of the overall essay Body paragraphs will often begin with a summary of the controlling idea: the topic sentence The topic sentence summarises the paragraph in the same way that the thesis statement summarises the whole essay The rest of the paragraph supports that topic sentence, by explaining it in detail, giving an example, or citing evidence that reinforces it SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page 125 Support The largest part of any body paragraph is the support: explanations, evidence, and examples Explanations use logic to fully explain the point raised in the topic sentence It is not enough to just explain an idea, however: you need to show that outside evidence supports it as well Evidence can include • • • • • Facts Published opinions Research from books, journal articles, websites, etc Published case studies Research data All evidence must be relevant to the topic, and it must be used and credited properly Outside sources can be quoted, summarised, or paraphrased For information on the right and wrong ways to this, see quoting and paraphrasing Crediting outside sources is known as referencing, and is described in detail in the section titledintroduction to referencing Transitions Body paragraphs not exist in isolation They should fit together like a jigsaw puzzle Transitions show the connections between paragraphs themselves, and the connections between the paragraphs and the overall focus of the essay (the thesis statement) They often appear at the end of a paragraph SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page 126 Transitions are essential for maintaining momentum in your essay and showing the reader how all the ideas fit together They are described in detail in the next section,essay flow SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page 127 Sample essay The assignment topic How can schools make the best use of information technology in the classroom? (Word limit: 800 words) Analysing and researching the topic Show all | Hide all Interpreting the question [show] Analysis [show] Research [show] The essay View comments on: Structure Format Referencing Click on the highlighted links in the text for commentary Education means considerably more than just teaching a student to read, write, and manipulate numbers Computers, the Internet, and advanced electronic devices are becoming essential in everyday life and have changed the way information is gathered How this new technology is utilized in the curriculum and managed by teachers will have an important role to play in widening the resource and knowledge base for all students Technology affects the way teachers teach and students learn.To make the best use of information technology (IT), schools need a workable plan to fully integrate it into all aspects of the curriculum so students are SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page 128 taught how, why, and when to use technology to further enhance their learning If a school does not have a clear plan of how and why it wishes to implement IT, then it runs the risk of wasting money In schools today, nearly all classrooms have access to a computer However, many schools mistake this as incorporating information technology into the curriculum School staff need to research what IT is available and what would best serve the school's purpose, not simply purchase the latest equipment There should be a policy stating how IT is going to assist pupils' development and what teachers want pupils to achieve (Reksten, 2000) Staff members need to be clear about what they want IT to for them before they can start incorporating it into their lessons The only way information technology is going to be useful to schools is if all staff members are well-informed and fully supported It is the principal's responsibility, and should be part of the school's plan, to ensure that all staff are consulted about the changes, and that the change is carefully organised Some teachers may be resistant, especially if they have not had much experience with computers, so training teachers is essential in implementing IT into the school curriculum Staff members must feel involved in the process of acquiring technology, and in learning how to operate it, in order for them to increase their confidence in using IT as a curriculum tool Teachers are only going to be able to incorporate IT into their lessons if they are competent users themselves (Reksten, 2000) In addition, teachers need to be aware that IT within the classroom is extremely flexible, but that they need to plan what purpose IT serves in each lesson The skills a child learns are the important part of any lesson, and it is SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page 129 the same with technology IT needs to be used and understood in all subjects in the same way as the ability to read is necessary for all subjects, and “must be used across the curriculum, in the same way that a pen and pencil are used in most subject areas”(Ager, 2000, p 15) The best way to plan the use of IT in the classroom is to approach it as simply a learning tool that is more advanced (and more exciting) than the traditional pen and paper It is vitally important for students to be taught the strategies for using IT Children also need to be fully informed about the capabilities of IT before being asked to use it Pupils should be aware that the contexts in which they use IT will change, and they need to know what the appropriate use of IT is and what is not Whilst it is important that children learn to use IT effectively, teachers must emphasise that IT is not always suitable According to Apter (1968), the danger is that the “computer dehumanizes people and inevitably leads them to act like machines themselves” (p 58) Teachers must make sure they plan to use variety in their lessons Too much IT instruction may be just as harmful to a child as not enough The usefulness of IT in the classroom, as with any learning tool, depends on the innovation and imagination of the teacher It is imperative, though, that the implementation of IT into a school is carefully planned The current information explosion makes it essential that IT be used extensively within the classroom so children know how to use IT appropriately and effectively Teachers must, therefore, be fully informed about what kinds of IT are available and whether or not they are appropriate for classroom use School boards and teachers must therefore ensure that all staff have a clear plan about what they want their students to achieve through IT The appropriate SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page 130 incorporation of IT into the classroom will broaden the minds and skills of students, allowing them to be better prepared for further technological advances SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page 131 In Asian coutries, most old parents live with their children However, the fact that families not look after old parents is increasing This essay will describe some of the problems involved with taking care of old people and the solusions to it As previously stated, the fact that children live together with their grandparents is fairly good Some financial difficulty or different standpoint may come about; however, these drawbacks can be easily overcome by the affection and sympathy from grandparents, parents and children SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page 132 To get the five-paragragh essay understood by students     rephrase the question summarize the main ideas give your opinion, if you haven’t given it already look to the future (say what will happen if the situation continues or changes) Unity, Coherence, A Topic Sentence, and Adequate Development Concluding paragraph: This paragraph should include the following:  an allusion to the pattern used in the introductory paragraph,  a restatement of the thesis statement, using some of the original language or language that "echoes" the original language (The restatement, however, must not be a duplicate thesis statement.) a summary of the three main points from the body of the paper   a final statement that gives the reader signals that the discussion has come to an end (This final statement may be a "call to action" in an persuasive paper.) It often has the same idea as the Introduction, only in different words NOTES  but will NEVER add new information TO THE CONCLUSION  THE Giữa đoạn nên cách dòng Dùng đơn Không viết tắt Nên dùng thứ (people/ they/ one/ some people ) Thay đổi cấu trúc muốn lặp lại ý tưởng Tránh lặp lại môt từ, kiểu lập luận SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page 133 you should be able to summarize each main point in a simple phrase Simply list off the points as a reminder to your audience about what they’ve just read Be sure to avoid the following missteps contractions (I've, she's) and colloquialisms (What's up?):  New Information Personal Opinion Lots of Details  In my opinion, watching TV has advantages but it also includes disadvantages Keep one idea to one paragraph Students who don’t have paragraphs fail! Unity: thing Coherence: đính kết Generally 3-5 sentences are necessary per paragraph Details may include reasons, examples, stories, statistics Indent the first sentence of every paragraph • • • • Key words can be repeated in several sentences Synonymous words can be repeated in several sentences Pronouns can refer to nouns in previous sentences Transition words can be used to link ideas from different sentences Another important thing to note is that But then something else significant happened There are other things to note about Tan as well In the first place In the second place Lastly The first of these benefits An improved appearance, which is a second benefit of regular exercise In addition to the self-confidence engendered by an improved appearance Although easy solutions to the goals of losing weight and achieving an attractive, energetic body saturate the media Body paragraph Main point Support Transitions In the past years there has been an increasing violence to happen at schools not only in town but also in rural areas This essay will discuss the reasons for this and how its disadvantages effect on society SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page 134 One reason for this tendency belongs to a family A child need be passionately cared for by his or her parents in order to grow up in a balanced way Unfortunately it is the increasing divorce that children lack of love and care from their parents In addition to this, the curriculum seems not to focus on helping children gaining cardinal virtues such as love, forgiveness and sense of honour Therefore, hurting a classmate’s feelings is sometimes considered as a means of recreation, which leads to the growing crudeness Last but not least, children both male and female play the computer games with too many fighting sights This is the very reason for spreading aggressiveness or even bloodiness among school children I would argue that violence at school has no positive impacts on society Conversely, violence developing at school causes so many problems to children and society One of the first ways to combat the problem is to cover every student with love and tolerance especially the child whose family is disorder Secondly, there should be more lessons about cardinal virtues rather than science lessons A student needs to become a good civiliant before an intellectual civilian Finally, parents also have to take more responsibility for their children’s actions They not only provide their children with money, food or clothes but also have an eye on their children during their time off school To sum up, there is an expanding trend of violence to school However, the bad effects resulting from school violence on students themselves, on family and on society are possibly satisfactorily tackled if the people involved in pay some more attention to these SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page 135 SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM CẤP TỈNH – ĐINH HỮU PHÚ CƯỜNG – GV THPT NGUYỄN DU/ Page 136 ... the pressure to face with writing too many words, too many ideas and too many points of view And then I give students the step-by-step instructions to make the directing introduction and situation... and smaller This essay will discuss the reasons for this and provide some advantages and disadvantages ” Step 4: to ask students to produce the whole paragraph How to write Topic Sentence Sentence... Step 1: to have a clear conception of conclusion Introductory paragraph How to write In order to enjoy the happiness of the family, both the husband and the wife have to join hands, which means men