Editorial Writing

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Editorial Writing

• Rebekah Bevill
• 6th Grade Writing

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What is an editorial?

• transactive writing
• persuasive
• informative
• usually written about a current hot topic in
  the news
• written for newspapers and magazines

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What is the purpose?
Primary Purpose to persuade

• Other Purposes
• to express the writers viewpoint on a specific
  issue
• to respond to an issue that the writer read about
  in a newspaper or magazine

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Who is the audience?

• Readers of magazines
• Readers of newspapers
• People who are interested in the topic
• those who support
• those who oppose

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3 Types of Editorials

• Articles written by a newspapers editor
  expressing the papers position on an issue in
  the news.
• Articles written by syndicated or local writers
  expressing a position on an issue in the news.
• Letters written by readers of the newspaper.

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Organization of an Editorial
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Is it a fact or just an opinion?

• Can it be proven?
• Has it been researched?
• Is it the belief of one person?
• Did it come from a reliable source?

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Beware of Bias and Misinformation!

• Bias- a preconceived idea that prevents a fair
  view of an issue or problem
• Misinformation- information gathered through
  unreliable sources that is inaccurate

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Persuasive Techniques
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Bandwagon Testimonial

• Every kid loves pizza, so our cafeteria should
  serve it every day.

• Bob has been in three different schools, and he
  claims our cafeteria has the best pizza.

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Expert Opinion Statistics

• Sally Jones, the Health Inspector, said after
  her visit to our cafeteria, 'You have wonderfully
  clean facilities.

• According to a Middle School Health survey, only
  85 of adolescents consume lunch.

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Call to Emotional Action
Appeal

• All of us need to eat lunch in our cafeteria
  every day.

• When you skip a meal, your body begins
  converting energy into fat in an effort to keep
  from starving.

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Rhetorical Repetition Question

• Do you enjoy the sound of your stomach
  growling?

• Hunger. It affects all of us at some point in the
  day. Hunger. Our growing bodies need fuel.
  Hunger. It keeps many of us from achieving our
  best in school.

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Prediction Cause and Effect

• If we do not take our eating habits seriously,
  our grades will drop and our future will be
  doomed.

• Because not enough students are eating in the
  cafeteria, our choices of food items have been
  limited.

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What can I write about?

• Steps to Finding a Topic
• 1. Find an issue or problem in the local
  community, state, nation, or world.
• 2. Analyze the issue or problem.
• 3. Form an opinion.
• 4. Research to gather facts.
• 5. Create a position statement.

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Issues for Discussion In Our School

• Should parents give money for good grades?
• Should students be allowed to carry cell phones
  to school?
• If a student brings a weapon to school, should he
  or she be expelled?
• Should we have year round school?
• Should 6th grade classes in Meade County be
  included as part of the middle school?

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Issues for DiscussionIn Our Community

• Are kids missing common courtesy and good
  manners? Is it important to have those qualities?
• Should property owners be allowed to build
  whatever buildings they want on their own
  property?
• Is pumpkin smashing at Halloween just good,
  clean fun?

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Issues for Discussion In Our Country and the
World

• Should our country be at war in Iraq?
• Should the government conduct domestic
  wiretapping without warrants?
• Should our country use the natural reserve in
  Alaska and drill for oil?

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The Key to Successful Editorials

• Do your research
• Provide strong evidence to support your
  arguments
• Make the lead grab the reader
• Use active voice
• Be mature, fair and reasonable
• Recognize the viewpoint of the opposing side
• Conclude strongly and clearly

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Bibliography

• Hatton, Lisa (n.d.) Transactive Writing.
  Retrieved February 1,
  2006http//www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Instructional
  Resources/HighSchool/EnglishLanguageArts/Writi
  ng/TransactiveWriting.htm
• Jefferson County Public Schools, Jefferson
  County, Kentucky, Middle School Editorial and
  Persuasive Reading. Teaching Students Editorial
  Writing. Retrieved October 2, 2002
  http//www.jefferson.k12.ky.us
• (S. Stone, personal interview, February 1, 2006)
• Time for Kids.(2000). Write Time for Kids A
  Nonfiction Reading and Writing Program.
  California Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
• Writers Companion. (1995). New Jersey Prentice
  Hall.