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Year 8

Analysing effective opinion articles

I can identify the features of effective opinion writing.

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New
New
Year 8

Analysing effective opinion articles

I can identify the features of effective opinion writing.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The form of a piece is the kind of writing it is.
  2. The form of a piece informs the tone you use.
  3. Opinion writing requires a strong sense of voice and a persuasive tone.
  4. Puns can be used in opinion writing to create wit.
  5. Wit engages the reader, thereby making your piece more persuasive.

Common misconception

Students often think that tone and voice are the same thing.

Voice is the identity of the writer and the beliefs they convey, whereas tone is the way in which these beliefs are conveyed.

Keywords

  • Form - the type of text you are writing

  • Voice - the identity of the writer that comes through the text

  • Tone - the attitude your words imply - the way in which you say something

  • Pun - a small joke (usually a play on words) made to create wit

  • Wit - using words in a quick and inventive way to create humour

You could add a third column into the table on Task B in learning cycle 2 that asks students to consider the effects to the quotations they have selected to stretch and challenge them.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to a copy of the model answer for this lesson, which is provided in the additional materials.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
If you are expressing your opinion, you are expressing your....
experiences and past.
Correct answer: ideas and beliefs.
personality and character.
sense of humour and wit.
Q2.
Which of the following is a kind of form of a text?
Correct answer: poem
Correct answer: letter
word
author
reader
Q3.
Which of the following is not an example of a persuasive device?
rhetorical question
repetition
anecdote
Correct answer: onomatopoeia
Q4.
Who is the audience for an opinion piece?
the person who is writing the piece of writing
Correct answer: the people reading the piece of writing
the people the writer may quote in their writing
the person the writing is about
Q5.
What linguistic method has been used in the following quotation: "This is a problem that has crept up on us stealthily."?
Correct answer: zoomorphism
personification
simile
onomatopoeia
alliteration
Q6.
What is the effect of the following quotation: "We must not rest, we must not become complacent; we must act...now."?
Correct answer: It makes the reader feel part of something important.
Correct answer: It conveys a sense of urgency to the reader.
It sounds more sophisticated.
Correct answer: The repetition emphasises the importance of action.
It puts the responsibility for action on the writer.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
is the identity of the writer of a text and how this is conveyed.
Correct Answer: Voice
Q2.
is the attitude you imply through your use of words.
Correct Answer: Tone
Q3.
What is a pun?
a kind of punctuation used to indicate humour
Correct answer: a small and clever joke
an extended metaphor involving humour
a comparison made between two things that are not the same
Q4.
What kind of tone would you expect to find in an opinion article?
highly formal
Correct answer: persuasive
informative
neutral
Q5.
How does the writer create a sarcastic tone in this quotation: "I have no doubt that his efforts were more than appreciated..."?
through using the word "doubt"
through writing in first person
Correct answer: through using the ellipsis
through using "efforts"
Q6.
Match the linguistic method up to the example.
Correct Answer:rhetorical question,Is seeing it really all that different from reading it?

Is seeing it really all that different from reading it?

Correct Answer:metaphor,Punishing the parents will just add fuel to the fire.

Punishing the parents will just add fuel to the fire.

Correct Answer:repetition,we children are not angels; we are not delicate little flowers

we children are not angels; we are not delicate little flowers

Correct Answer:anecdote,Last week, I read Angela Harold’s article

Last week, I read Angela Harold’s article

Correct Answer:opinion as fact,My answer: it’s not

My answer: it’s not

Additional material

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