Part 1: Research & write your post.

Research first!

a) Develop your viewpoint on the issue by thinking about what opinions or beliefs you hold about the issue.

b) Use credible (dependable and trustworthy) sources of information. Reliable Internet sources include government sites (.gov), education sites (.edu), organization sites (.org), and online newspapers.

c) Take notes on facts and statistics related to your topic.

d) Be sure to keep a list of your references so that you can cite them later.

When you actually write the post itself, make sure to include the following:

a) Make a claim about your topic. For example, here is a claim that a blogger might make about homework: “Too much homework can cause kids to dislike schoolwork.”

b) Use your notes or do more research to gather reasons that support your viewpoint.

c) Explain the reasons with evidence, which may include facts, findings from research and studies, statistics, personal stories, and quotations from experts.

d) Address counterclaims. Counterclaims are claims that oppose your point of view. An example of a counterclaim about homework is “Homework reinforces skills that kids learned in class.”

e) Form a response, or rebuttal, to the counterclaim. One example of a rebuttal is, “Homework is an excellent way to reinforce skills learned in the classroom, but homework practice should be limited to minutes, rather than hours. Otherwise, students may become burned out and unable to process the information they are supposed to be learning.