Opinion/ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
The whole purpose of writing an opinion/argumentative essay is to try and persuade or convince someone to believe what you are writing. Every opinion/argumentative essay should have an opinion or claim. The opinin/claim is something you believe to be true or accurate on whatever the subject matter is.
You, as a writer, include all this book evidence and then elaborate or explain the evidence.
You could use a counterclaim in your opinion/argumentative essay, and the counterclaim is a kind of opinion/claim that you believe someone else may make.
The last piece to the opinion/argumentative essay is the reaffirmation, which comes right after disproving the counter claim.
The 5-Paragraph Essay Format for an Argumentative Essay
1) Introduction Paragraph:
A) Create a hook for this essay
B) Give a little background information on your subject matter
Share an insight or reflection on the subject
C) Make an opinion or claim about the topic
D) Create a thesis statement that tells the reader what you will be looking to examine in the essay
This should include the three events, or topics that you will be addressing by topic
E) Transition to the next paragraph
2) Body Paragraph Number 1
A) Make sure this is topic number 1 from your thesis statement
B) Write down some evidence
C) Elaborate or Explain that evidence in depth
If you do not elaborate or explain then you are just summarizing. Remember that you are like a
lawyer building up evidence.
D) Transition to the next paragraph
3) Body Paragraph Number 2
A) Make sure this is topic number 2 from your thesis statement
B) Write down some evidence
C) Elaborate or Explain that evidence in depth
If you do not elaborate or explain then you are just summarizing. Remember that you are like a
lawyer building up evidence.
D) Transition to the next paragraph
4) Body Paragraph Number 3
A) Make sure this is topic number 3 from your thesis statement
B) Write down some evidence
C) Elaborate or Explain that evidence in depth
If you do not elaborate or explain then you are just summarizing. Remember that you are like a
lawyer building up evidence.
D)Transition to the next paragraph
5) Conclusion Paragraph
A) Restate your thesis statement a little differently
B) Hit the reader with your counterclaim
C) Argue the counter claim a little and point out why it is inaccurate
D) Then reaffirm your claim as the better claim and why your opinion is important
i) This is where you give the KNOCKOUT PUNCH. This is your best point!!
E) Leave the reader with a good impression or something you learned about yourself.
You, as a writer, include all this book evidence and then elaborate or explain the evidence.
You could use a counterclaim in your opinion/argumentative essay, and the counterclaim is a kind of opinion/claim that you believe someone else may make.
The last piece to the opinion/argumentative essay is the reaffirmation, which comes right after disproving the counter claim.
The 5-Paragraph Essay Format for an Argumentative Essay
1) Introduction Paragraph:
A) Create a hook for this essay
B) Give a little background information on your subject matter
Share an insight or reflection on the subject
C) Make an opinion or claim about the topic
D) Create a thesis statement that tells the reader what you will be looking to examine in the essay
This should include the three events, or topics that you will be addressing by topic
E) Transition to the next paragraph
2) Body Paragraph Number 1
A) Make sure this is topic number 1 from your thesis statement
B) Write down some evidence
C) Elaborate or Explain that evidence in depth
If you do not elaborate or explain then you are just summarizing. Remember that you are like a
lawyer building up evidence.
D) Transition to the next paragraph
3) Body Paragraph Number 2
A) Make sure this is topic number 2 from your thesis statement
B) Write down some evidence
C) Elaborate or Explain that evidence in depth
If you do not elaborate or explain then you are just summarizing. Remember that you are like a
lawyer building up evidence.
D) Transition to the next paragraph
4) Body Paragraph Number 3
A) Make sure this is topic number 3 from your thesis statement
B) Write down some evidence
C) Elaborate or Explain that evidence in depth
If you do not elaborate or explain then you are just summarizing. Remember that you are like a
lawyer building up evidence.
D)Transition to the next paragraph
5) Conclusion Paragraph
A) Restate your thesis statement a little differently
B) Hit the reader with your counterclaim
C) Argue the counter claim a little and point out why it is inaccurate
D) Then reaffirm your claim as the better claim and why your opinion is important
i) This is where you give the KNOCKOUT PUNCH. This is your best point!!
E) Leave the reader with a good impression or something you learned about yourself.
Opinion/Argument Writing Checklist
The Opinion (5th Grade) Argument (6th Grade) checklist below can help the writer
make sure that he/she are writing an opinion/argumentative essay.
make sure that he/she are writing an opinion/argumentative essay.
jacques cousteau articles
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BRAINSTORMED PIECES
OF EVIDENCE FOR MY OPINION/ARGUMENT Brainstorming Evidence to be Used: 1) Really Important... Make a decision first about what you think Cousteau's greatest achievement is. This will dictate what we document down for evidence. 2) Come up with an opinion/claim A) Consider what your counterclaim might be 2) Because I chose the underwater camera: A) From "Jacques Cousteau,"“These two inventions helped Cousteau to film his first two documentaries, or fact-based films, about the sea.” B) Sharon Fabian from EdHelper.com: “For the first time, many, many people could see what it was like to dive.” 3) I also want to connect the films, documentaries, and the TV Show to the camera because they are the end result of the use of the camera. |
THE HOW-TO ON ADDRESSING
THE OPINION WRITING PROMPT INTRODUCTION: hook information on the topic prompt anecdote on the topic thesis statement (opinion/claim) BODY PARAGRAPH: A) Evidence 1) quote 2) paraphrasing of information B) Explain the evidence thoroughly C) Elaborate on the evidence CONCLUSION: A) Opinion/Claim (thesis statement readdressed) B) Expalin why your opinion is important C) Counterclaim D) Knockout Punch E) Reaffirmation (opinion/claim again) |
EXAMPLES FROM MR. MILLER ON THE JACQUES COUSTEAU ESSAY
AND WHAT'S INCLUDED IN EACH PARAGRAPH:
3-PARAGRAPH FORMAT
AND WHAT'S INCLUDED IN EACH PARAGRAPH:
3-PARAGRAPH FORMAT
Introduction Paragraph
Hook: “My soul is full of longing for the secrets of the sea, and the heart of the great ocean sends a thrilling pulse through me.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote these lines long before the Frenchman Jacques Cousteau was even born, but Cousteau was the one person who finally stepped in to feed those little tidbits of never before seen footage to feed the soul.
Information on the Topic: Cousteau had many innovations and inventions in his lifetime having to do with helping others learn about the sea and was a pioneer in conserving the ocean’s diverse habitats.
Anecdote on Topic: Cousteau was an idol for me growing up and he helped define my sense of adventure in the oceans, lakes and rivers. One summer I even had an underwater camera that allowed me to take pictures of crawdads in Lake Tahoe and human manatees in hotel swimming pools
Thesis Statement or Opinion/Claim: and that’s why I am going to write about why I think the underwater camera was Cousteau’s greatest achievement.
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Body Paragraph: Supporting opinions with facts and quotes
Explain: The underwater camera and the films and documentaries are undeniably linked together and together they gave people all over the world their first look at life below water.
Quote: In the passage, Texts with Prompts, it states, “These two inventions helped Cousteau to film his first two documentaries, or fact-based films, about the sea.”
Explained Quote: With the camera comes the need to share with others what he captured on film and so the underwater documentaries are born. The invention of the underwater camera sparks the interest of other adventure seekers.
Start Explaining the 2nd Quote: People that were landlocked and didn’t live near the ocean and maybe didn’t have any interest in it before now had the films and the evidence on how fish swam together or how Orcas hunted for seals on ice flows.
Quote: Sharon Fabian writes, “For the first time, many, many people could see what it was like to dive.”
Explained Quote: People now knew that Cousteau’s underwater camera and films captured the untamed world of the sea floors. People saw divers swim with sharks and try to interact with sea life in all new ways, and the only way we would ever be able to understand is through the moving pictures captured with his camera.
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Conclusion Paragraph
Thesis Statement orOpinion/ Claim: Cousteau’s greatest achievement was the underwater camera,
Why My Opinion is Important: and my opinion is important because I experienced in real time what Fabian states. I got to experience for the first time what it was like to dive and swim with the dolphins because I was watching his film.
Counterclaim: Some kids may tell you that the aqualung is a greater gift to the world, and of course the aqualung is great because it allows divers to stay down for a longer period.
Knockout Punch: The aqualung is a selfish invention. Cousteau wanted to invent this for himself so he could stay down in the water longer,
Reaffirmation: but the underwater camera is the greatest invention because it allowed people all over the world to go down in the water with him. The camera allows the sick, the landlocked, the poor to dive in far off distant waters. The camera gives us all a chance to delight in our daydreams of an underwater adventure.
Hook: “My soul is full of longing for the secrets of the sea, and the heart of the great ocean sends a thrilling pulse through me.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote these lines long before the Frenchman Jacques Cousteau was even born, but Cousteau was the one person who finally stepped in to feed those little tidbits of never before seen footage to feed the soul.
Information on the Topic: Cousteau had many innovations and inventions in his lifetime having to do with helping others learn about the sea and was a pioneer in conserving the ocean’s diverse habitats.
Anecdote on Topic: Cousteau was an idol for me growing up and he helped define my sense of adventure in the oceans, lakes and rivers. One summer I even had an underwater camera that allowed me to take pictures of crawdads in Lake Tahoe and human manatees in hotel swimming pools
Thesis Statement or Opinion/Claim: and that’s why I am going to write about why I think the underwater camera was Cousteau’s greatest achievement.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - -- - -
Body Paragraph: Supporting opinions with facts and quotes
Explain: The underwater camera and the films and documentaries are undeniably linked together and together they gave people all over the world their first look at life below water.
Quote: In the passage, Texts with Prompts, it states, “These two inventions helped Cousteau to film his first two documentaries, or fact-based films, about the sea.”
Explained Quote: With the camera comes the need to share with others what he captured on film and so the underwater documentaries are born. The invention of the underwater camera sparks the interest of other adventure seekers.
Start Explaining the 2nd Quote: People that were landlocked and didn’t live near the ocean and maybe didn’t have any interest in it before now had the films and the evidence on how fish swam together or how Orcas hunted for seals on ice flows.
Quote: Sharon Fabian writes, “For the first time, many, many people could see what it was like to dive.”
Explained Quote: People now knew that Cousteau’s underwater camera and films captured the untamed world of the sea floors. People saw divers swim with sharks and try to interact with sea life in all new ways, and the only way we would ever be able to understand is through the moving pictures captured with his camera.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Conclusion Paragraph
Thesis Statement orOpinion/ Claim: Cousteau’s greatest achievement was the underwater camera,
Why My Opinion is Important: and my opinion is important because I experienced in real time what Fabian states. I got to experience for the first time what it was like to dive and swim with the dolphins because I was watching his film.
Counterclaim: Some kids may tell you that the aqualung is a greater gift to the world, and of course the aqualung is great because it allows divers to stay down for a longer period.
Knockout Punch: The aqualung is a selfish invention. Cousteau wanted to invent this for himself so he could stay down in the water longer,
Reaffirmation: but the underwater camera is the greatest invention because it allowed people all over the world to go down in the water with him. The camera allows the sick, the landlocked, the poor to dive in far off distant waters. The camera gives us all a chance to delight in our daydreams of an underwater adventure.
THE ESSAY AS A WHOLE PUT TOGETHER
Chris Miller January 31, 2024
Writing: Opinion Prompt Jacques Cousteau
Opinion Writing Prompt
Prompt: What do you think was Jacques Cousteau’s greatest achievement? Why? Support your opinion with facts and quotations from the text.
“My soul is full of longing for the secrets of the sea, and the heart of the great ocean sends a thrilling pulse through me.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote these lines long before the Frenchman Jacques Cousteau was even born, but Cousteau was the one person who finally stepped in to feed those little tidbits of never before seen footage to feed the soul. Cousteau had many innovations and inventions in his lifetime having to do with helping others learn about the sea and was a pioneer in conserving the ocean’s diverse habitats. Cousteau was an idol for me growing up and he helped define my sense of adventure in the oceans, lakes and rivers. One summer I even had an underwater camera that allowed me to take pictures of crawdads in Lake Tahoe and human manatees in hotel swimming pools, and that’s why I am going to write about why I think the underwater camera was Cousteau’s greatest achievement.
The underwater camera and the films and documentaries are undeniably linked together and together they gave people all over the world their first look at life below water. In the passage, Texts with Prompts, it states, “These two inventions helped Cousteau to film his first two documentaries, or fact-based films, about the sea.” With the camera comes the need to share with others what he captured on film and so the underwater documentaries are born. The invention of the underwater camera sparks the interest of other adventure seekers. People that were landlocked and didn’t live near the ocean and maybe didn’t have any interest in it before now had the films and the evidence on how fish swam together or how Orcas hunted for seals on ice flows. Sharon Fabian writes, “For the first time, many, many people could see what it was like to dive.” People now knew that Cousteau’s underwater camera and films captured the untamed world of the sea floors. People saw divers swim with sharks and try to interact with sea life in all new ways, and the only way we would ever be able to understand is through the moving pictures captured with his camera.
Cousteau’s greatest achievement was the underwater camera, and my opinion is important because I experienced in real time what Fabian states. I got to experience for the first time what it was like to dive and swim with the fish because I was watching his films. Some kids may tell you that the aqualung is a greater gift to the world, and of course the aqualung is great because it allows divers to stay down for a longer period. The aqualung is a selfish invention. Cousteau wanted to invent this for himself so he could stay down in the water longer, but the underwater camera is the greatest invention because it allowed people all over the world to go down in the water with him. The camera allows the sick, the landlocked, the poor to dive in far off distant waters. The camera gives us all a chance to delight in our daydreams of an underwater adventure.
Writing: Opinion Prompt Jacques Cousteau
Opinion Writing Prompt
Prompt: What do you think was Jacques Cousteau’s greatest achievement? Why? Support your opinion with facts and quotations from the text.
“My soul is full of longing for the secrets of the sea, and the heart of the great ocean sends a thrilling pulse through me.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote these lines long before the Frenchman Jacques Cousteau was even born, but Cousteau was the one person who finally stepped in to feed those little tidbits of never before seen footage to feed the soul. Cousteau had many innovations and inventions in his lifetime having to do with helping others learn about the sea and was a pioneer in conserving the ocean’s diverse habitats. Cousteau was an idol for me growing up and he helped define my sense of adventure in the oceans, lakes and rivers. One summer I even had an underwater camera that allowed me to take pictures of crawdads in Lake Tahoe and human manatees in hotel swimming pools, and that’s why I am going to write about why I think the underwater camera was Cousteau’s greatest achievement.
The underwater camera and the films and documentaries are undeniably linked together and together they gave people all over the world their first look at life below water. In the passage, Texts with Prompts, it states, “These two inventions helped Cousteau to film his first two documentaries, or fact-based films, about the sea.” With the camera comes the need to share with others what he captured on film and so the underwater documentaries are born. The invention of the underwater camera sparks the interest of other adventure seekers. People that were landlocked and didn’t live near the ocean and maybe didn’t have any interest in it before now had the films and the evidence on how fish swam together or how Orcas hunted for seals on ice flows. Sharon Fabian writes, “For the first time, many, many people could see what it was like to dive.” People now knew that Cousteau’s underwater camera and films captured the untamed world of the sea floors. People saw divers swim with sharks and try to interact with sea life in all new ways, and the only way we would ever be able to understand is through the moving pictures captured with his camera.
Cousteau’s greatest achievement was the underwater camera, and my opinion is important because I experienced in real time what Fabian states. I got to experience for the first time what it was like to dive and swim with the fish because I was watching his films. Some kids may tell you that the aqualung is a greater gift to the world, and of course the aqualung is great because it allows divers to stay down for a longer period. The aqualung is a selfish invention. Cousteau wanted to invent this for himself so he could stay down in the water longer, but the underwater camera is the greatest invention because it allowed people all over the world to go down in the water with him. The camera allows the sick, the landlocked, the poor to dive in far off distant waters. The camera gives us all a chance to delight in our daydreams of an underwater adventure.
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Below is a short story by Langston Hughes and is titled, "Thank You, Ma'am." This is a great story and what follows is an example of an argumentative essay in which I try to establish Ma'am's best quality is her ability to love others.
In this 6-Paragraph Argumentative Essay, I write it a little differently. I write that her best quality is her ability to love and then I show how in the short story she loved Roger in three different ways, respectively 3 of the 4 body paragraphs. I also use a separate paragraph, 1 of the 4 body paragraphs, to focus the counterclaim and reaffirmation.
