Writing your own editorial Intro Paragraph: Describe the observable

Writing your own editorial
Intro Paragraph:
Describe the observable facts of the situation, explaining why something is an issue.
If you know something of the history of the situation or what led to it, include it.
Ex: On Tuesday afternoon, students at Shaftesbury High School finished classes as they do every
day. Backpacks, jackets and toques on, they left the school and proceeded to the neighborhood
bus stop. It was there that a young boy, long the victim of taunting and bullying, was beaten by
two of his peers as onlookers snapped photos and recorded video on their cell phones.
W5 + How works well for editorials, too. Cover them off in the intro, develop each as you go
along.
Your THESIS STATEMENT:
You could begin by letting your opinion be known (e.g. “Young people today are spoiled little savages”)
in which case it acts like a “hook” to draw in your reader. You could also save it. It often works well to
close off your first paragraph with your big bang sentence, or start your second one with it, or even have
it as a stand alone sentence between the two.
Body Paragraphs:
Give more details about W5 + How.
Build on the main idea of your thesis statement
Blame (Society? The government? The Internet? TV? The victim? The accused?)
Downplay and Intensify
Use specific vocabulary to enhance the argument that you are trying to make.
Ex: “The boy was beaten” vs. “The boy was savagely beaten” vs. “The innocent little boy was
savagely beaten”.
Ex2: “The boy was beaten” vs. “The victim claims that he was beaten”, vs. “The boy was the
target of blows that did no real damage”.
*Notice that all examples are written in the 3rd person
Conclusion:
Reiterate your position in a new way, again making it very clear what position you are taking
Provide some suggestions about how the issue/situation should be dealt with, and reasons why
your suggestions will work, if possible
Can possibly end with what will happen if your suggestions are not followed.
Remember that exaggerating is very do-able in an editorial
Ex: If schools don’t start cracking down on violence, it is only a matter of time before a future
victim of bullying goes home in a body bag.
Some last suggestions
Use respectful, professional language as much as possible…slang, slurs, discriminatory
statements only weaken your argument.
Acknowledge what some contrasting opinions are, even write what is appealing about them, but
then explain why your solution/suggestion is better.