Before students are asked to write an opinion piece or a persuasive essay or to draw an editorial cartoon, introduce them to models – editorials, columns and editorial cartoons found in your community's newspaper, on the Internet or in a collection.

These models should appeal to students who are used to reading novels or short stories in English classes. They will broaden the history students' perspective on primary sources. Editorials and columns are meant to be read in one sitting, quickly. The editorial cartoon is meant to convey a message, quickly. They are meant to engage the reader in debate, in reflection and, perhaps, in further research and action.

These models can serve as examples of the crafting of a strong essay.

In terms of OBJECTIVES and OUTCOMES (You will need to change the terminology to fit your school system's current phrasing.) what might a study of editorials or columns offer?

1. The student will understand how effective persuaders state and support their opinions
2. The student will be able to analyze the organization of an essay of argumentation
3. The student will be able to use a workable fomulaic approach to writing an editorial
4. The student will be able to identify fallacies of logic
5. The student will be able to identify different style, voice, tone and purpose
6. The student will be able to write a persuasive piece
7. The student will have time to explore an issue which interests them
8. The student will develop his or her voice and style in written composition

1. To help students to conceive, develop and write an editorial or column
2. To teach students to plan, research and organize an editorial topic into a well written composition stressing its similarity to the standards of essay writing
3. To teach students to recognize, evaluate and construct argumentative and persuasive essays
4. To teach students to distinguish editorials from other opinion articles and to understand their importance
5. To help students to write editorials that differ in purpose — to interpret, to criticize, to persuade and to praise
6. To help students to capture the human interest potential in columns
7. To teach students logic
8. To teach students to identify pieces for bias, angle, point of view and fairness
9. To define editorial/opinion in relation to structuring of a thesis with an implicit antithesis
10. To realize the role of and extent to which research and the selection of information is a part of editorial and opinion writing
11. To teach students the skills necessary to organize material through chronological and process relationships, through comparitive and analogical relationships and through causal relationships
12. To teach students how and when to use different forms of the lead
13. To teach students to recognize the rhetorical modes
14. To appreciate a wide range of approaches and styles which may serve the editorial and opinion writer
15. To develop carefully crafted structured compositions as a developed writing skill
16. To varify the writing experience of students to develop their confidence as writers
17. To assist students in discovering and evaluating the sources available to them to learn the facts, to get background information, to make informed decisions
18. To help students realize the contribution of newspapers, magazines, specialized periodicals and books and computer services to an informed society

In terms of OBJECTIVES and OUTCOMES what might a study of editorial cartoons offer?

1. The student will understand the importance of word choice and succinctness
2. The student will understand the importance of visual image to a specified audience and to a community
3. The student will understand that a society's concerns are reflected in editorial cartoons

1. To teach students the elements involved in designing and producing an effective cartoon
2. To teach students the legalities involved in including certain images in editorial cartoons
3. To help students to conceive, develop and draw an editorial cartoon