You already take sides in real life: which friend is right, whether a group-chat friendship counts, whether family always comes first. Today you put one of those calls into writing as a real communication piece.
Your stance piece has three parts: what you think, why you think it, and one thing that might change your mind. That short written piece goes into your Communication Portfolio. Later you will hold it up against other voices in the room.
A stance piece is not a rant and not sitting on the fence. It does three jobs in about 150 words.
| Term | What it means for you | Real example |
|---|---|---|
| Stance: a clear position you will stand over | Open with what you actually think, in one plain sentence | Online friendship can be as real as friendship in person |
| Reason: why you think it | Give one real moment or example, not a slogan | My cousin abroad stayed up until three talking me through a hard night |
| What might change my mind: a serious counter-argument | Name one thing that might honestly move you | A friend you have never met cannot sit with you in A&E |
Later you will pressure-test that third section in a walking debate: stand for your view, and move if a good point shifts you. Changing your mind after a strong argument is strength, not failure.
Strong exemplar (prompt: Friendship online is just as real as friendship in person):
What I think: I agree, mostly. Distance does not make care fake.
Why: My cousin moved abroad two years ago. We message every week. When my grandad was sick she stayed up until three in the morning her time talking me through it. That is real friendship.
What might change my mind: If someone only ever messaged about easy things and vanished the moment life got hard, I would call that thin. Real means showing up when it costs something.
Notice the reason is a concrete story, and the last part is a real test, not a polite shrug.
You’re making: a stance piece, about 150 words, in three parts.
Where: in the writing box on this page. You only need the first draft today.
When you’re done: copy it into your Communication Portfolio folder as m1_u2_l9_stance_AB.
Choose one prompt you can write about honestly today (swap if you need to; no explanation required):
- Friendship online is just as real as friendship in person.
- We change who we are depending on who we are with.
- Family always comes first.
Write about 150 words in three parts: what you think, why you think it, and one thing that might change your mind. Mark anything weak, then write it again beside the first version.
Copy your final version into your Communication Portfolio as m1_u2_l9_stance_AB (AB stands for your own initials). You may open and update that file after the room debate if a point shifts your third section.
Your stance piece
Your teacher will run a short walking debate on one prompt (or more if time). Place yourself on Agree, Disagree, or It depends for the prompt in play: on the wall in the room and on the opinion line on this page.
On the page you can mark all three prompts if you want; in class go deep on the round your teacher runs.
If a prompt sits too close to home, stay on It depends or skip speaking on that round. You do not have to explain why. Your written piece stays on the prompt you chose and can stay private in your Portfolio.
Write one or two sentences in the note below: one point you heard that landed, even if you did not move. Keep that note with this activity.
If a point shifted the third part of your stance, open m1_u2_l9_stance_AB in your Communication Portfolio and rewrite that section. The updated version is the one that stays.
Interactive activity
Talk this through with the person beside you, or sit with it quietly:
- In today's line, or in a group chat this month: when did you last shift, even slightly, and what point did it?
- Which part of your stance piece was hardest to write honestly: the position, the reason, or what might change your mind?
If one of those wants more space, write the longer thinking in your Reflective Journal (the journal you keep across this course, separate from the Communication Portfolio entry you filed today).
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