Opinions Writing Preview

Commentary Evaluations 

Politics should not play a role in tragedy

1. The writer of the story is not indicated.
2. The story is about their opinion that politics should not interfere in times of tragedy as it did in Hurricane Harvey.
3. "A person's political stance should never play a role when it comes to the worth of their lives...it was insensitive  to attack conservatives for not believing this while the streets of Houston were still flooded."
4. They did address what the other side, those around the country who were not republicans/conservatives, may think about the topic.
5. They were not wishy washy with their opinion. It was clear the writer strongly believed in  his opinion.
6. There are not any quotes in the story.
7. 2nd

School's bulldog logo creates lawsuit controversy

1. Gracie Angeli wrote the story.
2. The story is about their opinion on creating a new signature logo for Bowie because of Gonzaga University's threat to sue.
3. "Another logo associated with Bowie is the B with a star and the black and red school colors inside. Going with this as our primary logo would be the wisest and simplest decision to meet Gonzaga’s requirements while still upholding a unique and consistent image. The B is simple and bold...The B logo that has been associated with Bowie for years would be a great substitute for the bulldog logo that has been trademarked by another school."
4. They did address what the other side, Gonzaga, might think about their topic.
5. They were not wishy washy with their opinion. The article was very matter-of-factly and she seemed confident in her opinion and solution to the problem.
6. There are not any quotes in the story.
7. 3rd person

AISD's "Blend" is a mix of uncertainty

1. Jake Brien wrote the story.
2. The story is about his opinion on AISD's new adoption of Blend.
3. "For all of its promises, the district has yet been able to deliver...it's my belief that blend should go all the way, or not at all...I have a strong feeling that unless the district gets Blend together with both efficient regulation with teachers and wide spread adoption, this could be a mess."
4. They did dress what AISD might think about the topic.
5. They were a little wishy washy with their opinion. It felt like the writer had strong opinions about the topic, but wasn't exactly sure if his opinion was "correct" or if things would turn out the way he anticipated. 
6. There are no quotes in the story.
7. 1st person

Privileged athletes claim lockers

1. Austyn Keelty wrote the story.
2. The story is about her opinion on providing gym lockers only to the most popular sports, privileging some sports over others, and the issues that come with these two things.
3. "Basketball and volleyball are the obvious favorites when it comes to girl's sports, but does that give them the right to be more privileged with equipment and space? I strongly disagree...I think this is ridiculous and, on a certain level, a little selfish."
4. They did not address what the other side of the argument may think.
5. They were not wishy washy with their opinion at all. The writer was very intense in her argument, and I could definitely tell this was something she cared about.
6. There are no quotes in the story.
7. 2nd person

Chat with Nat

1. Natalie Aman wrote the story.
2. The story is about her opinion on how social media can negatively affect relationships.
3. "Our generation is too consumed by the lives we live through our screen, and not invested enough in creating authentic relationships with others...In the end, it is the ability to have an open conversation with a friend face-to-face that matters."
4. They did address what the other side might think about their topic.
5. The writer was not wishy washy in her opinion. She seemed very passionate in her opinion and firmly believed in everything she was saying.
6. There are no quotes in the story.
7. 2nd person

Questions

1. Hard news stories stick to facts, while opinion pieces can include personal opinions and different viewpoints relating to a specific topic. The style of writing is different, for the opinion pieces were not in the same "transition, quote, transition, quote" format as news stories typically are. Opinion pieces can be told in either first, second, or third person, but hard news stories can only be told in 3rd person to avoid putting personal statements in the story.
2. I don't think their are very many photos because the writers want you to focus solely on their opinions on whatever they're talking about, rather than an image. Pictures can change the meaning of text depending how they're interpreted, so if an image was chosen that didn't accurately reflect their opinion, the reader could take the wrong message away from the story.
3. I think good opinion piece stories could be written about AISD's plan to distribute computers to every student, the amount of homework/stress put on students during the school year, if athletes should be drug tested in high school, or how much standardized tests really help students/how important they are.