Is writing simply a gift to a few, or is it a skill we can teach? In a world of instant information, sound bites, and split-second video images, how can we teach students to appreciate the beauty of prose and, even more importantly, to develop and sustain their own thoughts in a coherent piece of writing?

The premise that underlies this section: Although a few writers may be born with the gift of prose, the rest of us can learn skills to make the expression of our opinions and ideas just as valid.

Through this section of "Only a Matter of Opinion?" we will explore the tools and techniques of persuasive writing. We will provide techniques for a strong introduction and rhetorical strategies for effective development of ideas. We will consider how to think and write with logic, and how to recognize fallacies of logic in our own writing and that of others. To that end, we have provided a fallacies of logic quiz to test how many flaws in reasoning students can recognize.

As students practice writing and drawing to express opinion, they will develop confidence in their competence as communicators.