I have introduced opinion writing to my students already and they love it. Every time they respond to a question in our Fairy Tale unit, they begin with the words... In my opinion.... (as their topic sentence). They have to give evidence to support their opinion, so they begin the next statement with ... One reason is.... Another reason is..... And lastly, the concluding statement is.... These are the reasons why.... I sue a template for them to work with that sets the framework to their writing. Next we edit the work and some may share aloud as a "commercial break". We usually bring our writing to a final copy and add it to a visual to enhance our lesson. The other day I had the kids color a picture of Cinderella and then I cut the picture into zig-zag pieces. I repositioned the pieces onto light colored paper and the children wrote their final copy between the lines for their Opinion Writing. A few read their work aloud and of course we all held them up for our gallery watch. They are hanging in the classroom now. What an amazing way to bring the Common Core ELA to life. Check out www.visualccl.com for more activities like this one. I have several fairy tale booklets and other ideas for you to consider if you are interested. Enjoy!
Take a puzzling look at a new way with opinion writing! January 2014 Grade 2
