Free worksheet - Writing an opinion essay

Quite a bit has happened since my last post. At the last parent council meeting, we were treated to a talk about literacy by one of the teachers. He offered the advice for non-readers and slower readers to read along to audio books. I've started Shane off with an audio book on CD's from the library, for a Dick Francis book. Dick Francis books all involve horses - one of Shane's strong interests - they are mysteries, which helps with comprehension, and they are for adults (a step up from the grade 4-5 reading level Shane is currently at). Shane likes listening and following along every day, since this is much easier for him, and his comprehension should improve since he can hear the story in addition to reading the words. Over time, his overall reading skill level and his comprehension should improve.

Also at the parent council, one the parents expressed a concern about the EQAO Secondary School Literacy Test (grade 10 English) that her son's hand writing is very slow and not very legible. I have the same concern, so now the principal has spoken with the Spec Ed teacher at the school, and she will put a scribe as one of Shane's requirements on his IEP. He has had a scribe on tests before, but making it official on the IEP will allow him to have a scribe for the literacy test. This is a huge advantage now that will alleviate the pressure for him of writing his thoughts down. He has always struggled with transfering his thoughts down onto paper.

About the literacy test, most of our efforts now will concentrate on practicing for that. One of the most difficult pieces for Shane is the "essay", or the "series of paragraphs" as the question is called. Here are some tips, a few topics that are very similar to past test questions, and a full essay as an example.

Keep working hard - it's really paying off for us!