A319 – Hard Questions on… Op Eds Week 4 September 23, 2015 Writing Workshop 1 4:10

HERE WE GO… AGENDA Goals Norms Ice Breaker What is an Op-Ed? Habits of Mind and Tips Rewriting Game Work Time

Goals Understand the purpose and structure of an op-ed. Understand the importance of an introduction in an op-ed. Gain the confidence to rewrite a boring introduction. Build our own capacity to be able to write compelling introductions for our own op-ed assignments.

Norms Embrace feedback. Assume positive intentions. Have fun and be creative. Enjoy all discomfort. Challenge yourself. Don’t think about grades.

Ice Breaker Directions: Get into small groups (2-3 students). Each group will have 1 minute to answer questions. Make sure everyone has opportunity to respond to questions.

Ice Breaker Four minutes separate Oakland Technical High School from Children’s Hospital. In the bustling Temescal District, high school students and hospital employees head out for lunch. As they brush past each other on Telegraph Avenue in front of help-wanted signs and dilapidated storefronts, it may not occur to them but they share a solution to a mutual problem: matching workers to available jobs. What is this text about? (1 min) What is compelling about it? (1 min) What do you not like about it? (1 min) Would you want to read on? Why or why not? (1 min) Get one example from whole group for each question.

What’s an Op-Ed? “Opposite the Editorial Page.” Typically published by newspapers and magazines. Opinion piece 600- 750 words

Op Eds: Why Should We Care? Because no one reads anything anymore. Attention Span. New currency for communication. Valuable skill for any job.

Op Ed Habits of Mind What point are you trying to make? Single issue, clarity, succinct. Embrace you voice and experience. Authenticity, make the reader care, passion. Know your reader. Avoid jargon and generalities, acknowledge other side, make sure facts are correct. Strong opening and closing. Use evidence and statistics in body of text.

Tips First paragraph – do or die. Read your op-eds out loud. Create a “Trash Folder.” Embrace it – you are an expert. “Must” vs. “Should.” Offer specific recommendations. Feedback is your friend. Be aware about current events. Read! Read! Read!

Rewriting Game If you really want to become better at PISA you would be wise to follow the steps I recommend. International countries are already doing smart and dumb things. Some like Singapore are ranked as one of the best high performing countries. Others, such as the United States, care more about getting good news coverage. Really, which country would you rather be?

Work Time You got this!!! We got you.