opinion essay about online comm You are going to write an essay in response to the question: “Do you agree or disagree that joining online communities is good for teenagers?” Use the ideas, vocabulary, and skills from the unit. cnn In an opinion essay, you may want to use an anecdote—an example or story from your personal life—to support your ideas. Personal anecdotes can engage the reader and make ‘them feel a connection to your topic. Be sure that your anecdote always relates clearly to the topic of your essay. Refer back to your anecdote at different points in your essay to maintain your readers’ interest.mm 4A MODEL Read the essay. How does the writer support his ideas? Find and underline one example of each method. Write the number of the method next to the sentence. a citation or specific reference general research 1 2 3. an example 4. a reason 5. an anecdote or personal story Online Communities: Not for Young People In my view, young people often want to join virtual communities because their friends are members. | understand this reason, but | think online communities can affect children and teenagers negatively. There are three reasons why young people should not join online communities. First, studies show that using social media a lot can cause emotional problems. People that spend a lot of time in online communities are more likely to feel worried and unhappy. Part of the problem is a feeling called FOMO, or “fear of missing out” Many people post stories about exciting things in their lives. When someone else reads these posts, they may feel their own life is not exciting enough. | believe this is especially true for young people. Second, many young people | know spend a lot of time looking at social media on their phones and tablets. According to a recent documentary about this topic, looking at screens too much can make it harder for people to sleep. The documentary explained that young people, in particular, need plenty of sleep. One expert in the film said that not sleeping enough can cause serious health problems, including stress. Finally, spending too much time online can have a negative impact on young people's education, My parents always say that my sisters and I enjoy chatting online with our friends more than studying or doing homework. Recent articles make the same point about online ‘communities. They suggest that children who don't study enough often find it hard to be successful in the future Virtual communities are good in some ways, but they can affect young people's mental and physical health, as well as their future success. As a result, | feel strongly that parents and other adults should limit how much time children and teenagers spend in these communities,=< WRITING SKILL Organize an opinion essay |n an opinion essay, you explain how you feel about a topic. Follow this standard organization: » The introductory paragraph includes background information about the topic and states the main idea of the essay in a thesis statement. In an opinion essay, the thesis statement gives your opinion on the topic. * Each body paragraph includes a topie sentence that gives a reason for your opinion and evidence or examples to support the reason. Well-written body paragraphs have unity, which Means that each paragraph focuses on just one idea » The concluding paragraph usually includes a sentence that summarizes your main idea and opinion. It may also include a final thought about the topic. 18 ANALYZE THE MODEL Complete the outline with sentences and phrases from the model essay. Introductory paragraph Background information: __ Thesis statement: There are three reasons why young people should not join online communities Body paragraph 1 Topic sentence: Supporting ideal Body paragraph 2 Topic sentence: —— Supporting idea(s) Body paragraph 3 Topic sentence: __ ‘Supporting idea(s): Concluding paragraph Summary sentence: Virtual communities are good in some ways, but they can affect young people's mental and physical health, as well as their future success. Final thought: UNIT