COMMENTARY OP-ED ESSAY

purpose of the Op-ed

• For the writer to persuade the audience that his or her standpoint is compelling and ultimately conclusive when compared to other opinions

Persuasive opinions

• are found almost anywhere... such as academia, art, newspapers, especially in the form of editorials or opinion-editorial pieces, magazines, or through broadcast media like television or radio.
• Communicated in the form of online blogs or videos posted on sites such as YouTube.

What is an Op-Ed?

• Section in the news
• Opinion (often explicit) expressed in written form
• Writer tries to persuade readers/audience to have a certain opinion and/or take action

The Commentary Op-ed essay

• You have been invited to be a guest columnist for a local newspaper by contributing an op-ed piece expressing your opinion on a controversial issue.

convince the audience to see it Your way:

• Providing some background information on the issue
• Explaining where you stand on this issue and why, and why your audience should consider it important to address
• Citing at least 5 outside sources

Expectations

• Present ideas clearly & coherently, stay focused, and use effective persuasive strategies & conventions
• Create well constructed paragraphs, use a variety of sentence structures, and display good mechanics
• Use GCU Format/APA style references
• Required Sources: 3 scholarly and 2 popular OR 5 scholarly sources

What constitutes a source?

• Information retrieved from the GCU library databases ONLY
• *****The following are not sources: Wikipedia, Interview w/someone, things found on Google, Yahoo, etc.

Brainstorming methods

• are essential to narrowing down your topic choice for the essay

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Examples of Listing

• If your prompt includes "technology" and "health," you would make list of words or thoughts associated with it.
• For example, "Cell phones, laptops, etc." and "eyesight, posture, etc."

Now Try Listing with Your Topic

• Choose two terms from your group's assigned topic prompt
• Create a T-Chart. Place one term on each side of the T-Chart
• Write down as many words associated with both terms in 3 minutes

Now try mind Mapping

• Add your topic to the middle of your paper
• Add info that supports or is against your topic. Choose one side
• Continue to create bubbles with phrases to narrow down and expand upon your stance
• Feel free to take from your lists