Opinion Story #1. Assigned 10/30, due 10/31 at the end of the period - MAJOR

 OPINION STORY #1

Today, you will have the rest of the period to write your first opinion piece. We will keep moving next class, but you might have a little time to finish this up on Friday. You will complete a brainstorm activity on Friday that will help all of us have a great set of options for the second opinion story.

For this one, I am going to give you 8 choices. You must choose one to write about today. That means that I will get multiple stories about the same subject. That is okay. I want this first one to be as easy as possible. Your second opinion story will be unique and no one else will be writing about the same topic. If I like your first opinion story, I may ask you if you would like to publish it online. I will not do this for everyone. Your second opinion story WILL BE PUBLISHED ONLINE.

Make a new Google Doc and title it: Your name and the story title. Once you finish the story, please make sure to create a new subpage on your Google Site called Opinion Story #1, and make it a clickable link there. Make sure to SHARE the document so ANYONE WITH THE LINK can EDIT.

Trigger warning:

Some of these topics might be difficult for you to think about because some of them might trigger specific concerns you have had in your life. These are the types of topics we discuss and sometimes write about in the newspaper program. If you find one of these to be that way for you, please skip it and read the next one. I know it isn't easy to talk about some of these topics, but they are ones that impact high school students in general, and some specifically here at Bowie.

Here are the 8 topics you can choose from:

1. AISD has made a proposal that will eventually lead to the closure of a number of schools (mostly elementary and middle schools) and redrawing boundaries which will change where lots of kids go to school. The reason for these changes are multiple, but the biggest two relate to budget concerns and a potential Texas Education Agency take-over because of so-called "failing schools." Take a stance that this is the right decision by AISD, and that any way to avoid a TEA take-over and clawing back money for the district are crucial to the long-term success of the district. OR, take a stance that closing neighborhood schools is always bad and that parents and their students should be heard by the district the most. 

 

2. Bowie has a new cell phone policy, that was mandated by the state legislator, that phones should be "powered off and stored out of sight" during the school day from the first bell to the last. Some districts across the state have gotten creative and students are allowed to use phones during passing times and at lunch because that isn't "teaching hours" while others are doing something similar to AISD. Some schools are even making students put their phone into things like Yondr bags. You can take multiple stances here as well: either the phone policy is good and students are learning to make it through a 90 minute class without them and learning is improving OR that the policy could be be better (make sure to offer suggestions how it could be better, OR that the policy is terrible and should be reversed (by the legislature, remember it was them that passed this law).

 

3. This year on Monday's during the normal FIT time all students are now expected to go to their "advisory FIT" where they are grouped by grade and alpha with a specific teacher. In this FIT sessions students are being asked to participate in Character Strong lessons geared for each grade level. In addition, the school is using that time for grade checks, and a chance to sit with your Advisory FIT teacher to get support with other classes. What do you think about Advisory FIT? Write an opinion piece that gives your stance on this new FIT plan and how this program is working or not working for you.

 

4. The AC. Oh the AC. Here at Bowie it seems to be a constant battle with making sure classrooms are conditioned properly, whether that is AC or heat, but mostly AC. Write an opinion piece explaining how the AC, or lack of it, impacts your learning.

 

5. Another new initiative this year at Bowie is the electronic hall passes. Using the Enriching Students platform, students now request a pass electronically and have to wait for a teacher to approve the pass. There are limits on how many students are in the hallways at any given time by area. Sometimes students a put into a queue and have to wait for it to be cleared to be able to go to the bathroom. Explain in an opinion piece what you think about this new policy and how it has impacted your learning. Do you feel more comfortable using the new system, or would you prefer just getting some sort of pass? Explain how some teachers are using the system in your class. Has it been easy or hard to be able to use the restroom. Do you think there has been any impact on the cleanliness, or lack of it, with this new system?

 

6. AISD has ramped up a program that has been in place for some time called "see something, say something." The newest piece is a new digital reporting system called "Safe Space" where students can report bullying, harassment, racism, someone threatening to hurt themselves, to report drugs, weapons, or anything else that might impact students safety and to be able to do it anonymously. Write an opinion piece about this topic. There are many options on how you might handle this story, but make sure to focus on how this new program might impact you or your friends. Make sure to talk about" see something, say something" as well.

 

7. Construction, it's been a part of the Bowie world for multiple years. From the parking garage to the new athletic building and now the track, on campus football field and even the new work being done on Slaughter Lane. Write a story about how construction has impacted you. Do you sit in a class where there is someone working near the windows that distracts you? Do you hear the beep, beep, beep of work trucks while taking a test? Make sure you take a stance on construction, meaning should it happen during the school year, or even the school day, etc?

 

8. AI is a bigger and bigger issue in schools. Take a stance on the use of AI in the classroom. This could be how teachers use it, how students use it, or even how it is regulated in college. Make sure you do good research on this topic. Is the energy expended by people using AI good for the environment or not, or should we care? How does AI impact you?

OPINION STORY FORMAT

1. Start with a good introduction that gives us, in very short fashion, the basics about your topic. Make sure you state your DIRECT opinion on the topic you have chosen. You must take a STANCE on this story. For example if your topic is masks, you can argue that masks should be outlawed, you could argue that masks should be required, you could argue that masks should be worn in some circumstances and not in others. But you must take a side, one way or the other.

2. Write in 1st person if you want. This means you can use the word "I" if you want.

3. There are no quotes needed, BUT you will need facts to base your opinion on. You WILL need to do a little research about any of these topics so you have good facts - try google as a good starting place. Wikipedia is also a good place to get information, but make sure you verify the facts you find there, sometimes they are not very accurate.

4. State your opinion early and support it fully.

5. Address the other side, this means you need to directly say what the other side might feel about your opinion. Not only do you need to acknowledge their side, you need to refute their opinion, that means you need to prove them wrong somehow.

6. Come up with some solutions to your problem and try to convince the other side that your ideas might work.

7. To close, you can restate your stance.

So pick your topic, do some research about your topic on google (make sure its facts!! Google and certainly Wikipedia are not always factual!!)

And start writing!!! Don't worry, you can't be wrong, this is your opinion. Know your subject, take a side and stick with it (don't be wishy-washy!!) and go for it.

This piece will need to be about 400 words (350-500) and should be about 12-15 paragraphs long. Pace yourself and make sure you have most of this story done today. Many of you will finish it. Next class I will outline in more detail the format for your second opinion story, but what you have above, works for now. Do the best you can. The best of these will be published on the https://thedispatchonline.net.