Part One: Discussion
Work with a partner or group and discuss the following statements. Do you agree or disagree? How much or how little do you agree/disagree with each statement? Give clear reasons and examples for your opinion:
- Big pharmaceutical companies don't care about patients' wellbeing.
- Marijuana is beneficial as a medicine.
- Deciding on a medical career early and staying on that path will lead to a satisfying career.
Part Two: Writing
One of the most common academic writing tasks is the "Agree/Disagree" question, for which you are given a statement and are asked whether you agree with it or not. This type of writing task requires you to give your opinion and then support/explain your opinion with clear, organized reasons and details. It is important to keep in mind that for a question like this, you have options; you can completely agree, partially agree, completely disagree, or partially disagree. The most important part of this type of writing assignment is not whether you agree or disagree, but how well you explain why you agree or disagree. In this unit, you will write a single paragraph responding to an "Agree/Disagree" question. The paragraph should follow the basic structure covered in Unit One:
Paragraph Structure
Topic Sentence
- contains the main idea of the paragraph. In this case, you clearly state how much or how little you agree/disagree with the statement.
Supporting Sentences
- develop the main idea in the topic sentence with clear reasons and specific details and/or examples.
- are presented in a logical order.
Concluding Sentence
- makes a final statement affirming your position and signalling to the reader that your argument has been fully developed.
Exercise
Using what you have learned about agree/disagree paragraph, complete the activity.