Web Watch:
Only a Matter of Opinion? Helping Students Critically View and Express Opinions
Susan M. Deysher
CAST, Inc.
Only a Matter of Opinion? is a ThinkQuest developed to teach students and educators how to critically view and construct opinion pieces, whether editorials, commentaries, or cartoons. The site is intended for high school students and teachers, although some of the activities are appropriate for middle school students as well. It is a resource ideal for journalism teachers or those who are advisers for student newspapers, and it is also useful for English, history, or art teachers. A great aspect of the site is that it focuses on students' understanding of what makes opinion pieces work or not work, and how these pieces can often be powerful forces in shaping our own views and opinions. It also encourages students to express their ideas on things that matter to them, and does not limit this expression to writing; students who prefer to convey themselves through drawing can explore and produce editorial cartoons.
The site consists of three main sections that offer instruction and examples:
The site also includes a Research Center that students can use to locate information to support their views. This feature could be nicely integrated into a lesson on Internet searching. The Research Center includes an easy-to-use search function that provides access to popular search engines and archives of several major newspapers and the Associated Press Wire.
Another section of the site, The Art of Writing, explores persuasive writing in more detail. It teaches students about various rhetorical devices, but the main thrust of this section is teaching students to look critically at arguments for and against a particular point of view, and how to recognize fallacies of logic in arguments. This seems especially important in today’s media environment where students need to think critically and question what they see and hear in the news.
Only a Matter of Opinion? also provides a variety of resources for teachers. There are Lesson Ideas that pertain to each of the three main sections of the site, as well as a Bibliography that lists additional books and Web links to supplement the site's content. Also included are Assessment ideas on peer evaluation, evaluating editorial cartoons that students produce, and assessing essays from an editorial perspective.
The content and activities on this website can help students meet standards for the English Language Arts from the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association, as well as the National Educational Technology Standards for Students from the International Society for Technology in Education.