Opinion Writing: Supporting Facts and Details

Opinion Writing: Supporting Facts and Details exercise

• Determine which sentences are correct.

  Hints

  As in all writing, when you write about your opinion it is important to state the big idea right at the beginning.

  No one believes an opinion unless they understand the reasons for it. How do you show reasons for an opinion in writing?

  There are three true choices and one false.

  Solution

  TRUE

  • When writing an opinion, you should first state your opinion clearly.
  • When writing an opinion, you should support your opinion with facts and details from a text.
  • Since your opinion is how you feel about something, other people might disagree with you.

  FALSE

  • If you explain your opinion correctly, no one will ever disagree with you.

• Find facts and evidence.

  Hints

  Jane lives in a treehouse. Is this a good, complex habitat for a snake?

  Jane lives in a treehouse. Are treehouses usually warm and humid, especially in the winter?

  Jane lives in a treehouse. Think if there are good places to burrow (dig) and hide there.

  Solution

  Jane has used the following facts as evidence to support her opinion that corn snakes should stay in the wild.

  • Corn snakes require complex habitats.
  • If the air is too cold and dry, it may suffer from shedding or get sick.
  • They prefer to burrow and hide.
  • Corn snakes also get really overwhelmed by open space.

• Provide facts and details to supports reasons.

  Hints

  Search for options on the left and right that both mention temperature and see if these match together.

  Search for options on the left and right that both mention size and see if these match together.

  Search for options on the left and right that both mention variety, or more than one thing and see if these match together.

  Solution

  Jane's treehouse is not a good home for a corn snake because:

  • Corn snakes require complex habitats and Jane's treehouse does not have everything a corn snake needs.
  • If the air is too cold and dry, corn snakes may suffer from shedding or get sick and Jane's house can get cold and drafty.
  • Corn snakes are shy, and prefer to burrow and hide and Jane's treehouse does not have any hiding spaces.
  • Corn snakes get overwhelmed by open space and Jane's treehouse is very big.

• Find evidence in the text.

  Hints

  What does a puppy need? Search for descriptions of food, shelter, health, or entertainment.

  What are any risks someone should consider before getting a puppy?

  What kind of space should someone have when they get a puppy?

  Solution

  Jane considered the following facts, details, and recommendations about puppies when she formed her opinion. The following points should be highlighted in green:

  • Make sure that you’re ready to pay for vet bills, food, bedding, toys, and pet sitters.
  • Dogs need plenty of company, play, and training.
  • Have a safe outdoor space for your puppy.
  • Be able to easily puppy-proof your home.

• Outline the steps of writing an opinion text.

  Hints

  Before you can begin writing an opinion text, it is important to first choose a topic that is not one-sided.
  Example: Pollution is bad for the environment. People may have different opinions on how bad pollution is, but no one argues that pollution is good for the environment. This is not a good topic for an opinion text.

  As in all writing, when you write about your opinion it is important to state the big idea right at the beginning.

  Only begin writing your opinion text after you have prepared facts and details to support your reasoning.

  Solution

  The steps for writing an opinion text are:

  • Choose a topic with different possible points of view.
  • Clearly state your opinion.
  • Provide evidence that supports your opinion using facts and details from a text.
  • Write your own opinion text.

• Complete the text.

  Hints

  Look for descriptions of a puppy's needs for food, shelter, health, or entertainment. Then search for options describing these things to match.

  Puppies can be destructive. Is there a place mentioned that is safer for this behavior?

  What is a responsible way to earn money to pay for a puppy's expenses?

  Solution

  Jane knows setting up for a puppy can be expensive with food, vet bills, and supplies. Luckily, Jane already has many pet supplies, and she also has a good job catching mice at night to pay for the rest.
  Dogs need plenty of company, training, and a LOT of play, and Jane LOVES to play tag!
  Puppies also need a safe outdoor space, and Jane lives in the countryside with a big garden, many forests, and open fields.
  Puppies can be very destructive in a home. Luckily, Jane lives in a simple treehouse, so it's ok for the puppy to chew a little and make some mess.