As children develop their writing skills, it’s important to introduce them to many different styles of writing in order to expand their repertoire. Opinion writing is an especially important type of writing for children to understand, even from an early age, because it helps children learn to voice their opinions and express themselves, in writing and verbally. Opinion writing can be a great outlet for budding writers!
What is opinion writing?
Opinion writing is a type of writing in which the author expresses their thoughts, views, opinions, or feelings on a specific topic of their choosing. Opinion articles can sometimes be in response to other opinion pieces, but they can also stand alone as their own opinion pieces.
Why does opinion writing matter?
Opinion writing is important because it gives writers a space to express their thoughts on any given topic. Remember, opinions are not facts, which means they can’t be proven to be true.
Features of opinion writing
Opinion writing has many different features. It should include the following elements:
- An introduction
- Your opinion
- Reasons
- Supporting details (examples)
- Linking words
- A conclusion
In an opinion piece, your introduction should introduce the readers to the topic you will be providing your opinion on. Then, you should provide your opinion to your reader, followed by the reasons you have that opinion. Next, you need to provide some supporting details, or examples, to support the point you're making. Although you can’t prove your opinion to be true, you can make it very convincing if you have strong supporting details. You should use linking words throughout your piece as well, which are words or phrases that help you transition between ideas. Finally, you should end your piece with a conclusion that should remind your readers of the topic you chose to write about and the opinion you expressed to them.
How to write an opinion article
A simple way to get started writing an opinion piece is to follow the steps we outlined above. The first thing you need to decide is what view you want to take on what topic. There is such a wide range of topics to choose from. To get your child started, here is a list of some questions they could answer in an opinion article:
- Does pineapple belong on pizza?
- Are dogs better than cats?
- Should recess be longer?
- What is the best cartoon and why?
- Should children be allowed to drive?
- Are aliens real?
- Should you have to respect your elders?
- Where is the best place on Earth?
- Should children be required to go to school until they are 18?
- If there could only be one season, which one would you choose and why?
Activity & Resource
We’ve created a resource for your child to reference to remember what they've learned in this article. It will be useful to use when your child writes their next opinion piece!
