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How to teach opinion writing

Okay, so opinion writing has always been one of my favorite things to teach! I just love the discussions that you can have with students about things they love and hate.

But here’s the thing, getting students to put their ideas into writing isn’t a piece of cake. Without properly teaching the structure of opinion writing you could get a lot of ‘I love cake. It’s nice. The end’!

So that’s why I’m going to outline some tips and strategies for how to teach opinion writing to elementary aged students!

Storybooks

First up, you can’t expect students to understand a writing genre if they haven’t been exposed to it. I recommend sourcing a big pile of read alouds for opinion writing.

I have a blog post here which lists my top 10 storybooks for teaching opinion/persuasive writing.

TOP 10 STORYBOOKS FOR TEACHING OPINION WRITING
Click on this picture to view my blog post with storybook recommendations.

Before you start teaching the genre, make sure that your students have been exposed to some examples of opinion writing (picture books are the most engaging way to do this). As you teach the concept in the coming days and weeks, I would suggest that you continue to read these types of books (as a warm-up every lesson if you can).

The great thing about opinion writing storybooks is that they can become the writing prompt for your lesson. For example, reading a book like ‘The Perfect Pet’ can be a great warm up and then your students can write about what they think the perfect pet is.

Verbal Reasoning

An important thing to teach your students is that once they form an opinion, they MUST give a reason for it. I’d suggest doing some whole class, group, or pair work where students discuss topics and give reasons for their opinions. It’s good for students to be able to verbalize their opinion and learn how to provide reasons before you expect them to write anything down.

HOW TO TEACH OPINION WRITING

Ask your students what their favorite food, movies, TV shows, books, toys, and games are. Encourage them to give reasons. If you have young or struggling students, they may just give one reason. If you have older or more capable students, you can encourage them to list multiple reasons for each topic and truly elaborate.

Scaffolded Prompts

Now it’s time to put pen to paper! But the important thing is to start with baby steps. This can be as simple as giving students a prompt (such as ‘What is the best computer game?’) and asking them to write down their answer and give a reason (or two).

Either provide a worksheet prompt (or just ask students to write) the sentence starter ‘My favorite game is….because…’

It’s important to get students into the habit of forming proper sentences when they share their opinion (like ‘my favorite, I believe that, I think’). We want to avoid ‘Dogs are the best’ and encourage students to write ‘I think that dogs are the best’ or ‘In my opinion, dogs are the best’.

It’s also important to encourage students to always provide a reason and use words like ‘because’.

HOW TO TEACH OPINION WRITING

When students first start opinion writing, a blank piece of paper isn’t always the best way to go. Most students will forget sentence starters and connecting words. This is where scaffolded writing prompts come in handy (where students can fill in the gaps with their ideas).

As students get more confident sharing their opinions and reasoning using scaffolded worksheets, they can begin writing on their own.

Introductions

Introduce the concept of an introduction and explain that the first sentence/paragraph needs to be where they state their opinion.

For younger students, they may just write a sentence such as ‘I think that dogs are better than cats’. For older students, you might encourage them to write a full paragraph where they discuss the topic and share their opinion (‘Pets can be a so much fun to have. Lots of people have dogs and cats as pets. In my opinion, I think that dogs are better than cats’).

Detail

The next step is adding more detail. This step is crucial otherwise your student’s opinion writing will only be one or two sentences long!

Once students have got the hang of writing introductions, encourage them to write a few sentences/paragraphs that give reasoning.

It’s important to provide vocabulary like ‘also’. For older or more capable students, this is where it’s great to provide vocabulary like ‘furthermore, additionally, moreover’.

I personally like to students to use words such as ‘firstly, secondly, finally’. Provide these words and explain to students that this helps them order their reasoning.

Conclusion

Finally, explain to your students that their writing needs a sense of closure. Encourage them to summarize their reasons or just re-state their opinion ‘That is why dogs are better than cats’.

How to engage students in opinion writing

Opinion writing can be fun to teach if you keep the prompts student friendly. This is why you must pick topics and prompts that you know your students will love.

For example, you might get more engaged students if you ask them what their favorite movie is than if you ask them what their favorite school subject is.

As I mentioned earlier in this post, start off your lessons with engaging storybooks and verbal discussions too.

You could create a classroom game where students walk around the room and ask their classmates for opinions and reasoning based on a prompt. Students don’t have to be chained to their desk!

Writing crafts

Another great way to engage students in opinion writing (and create cute bulletin boards) is to use opinion writing crafts. Students will love coloring, cutting, and creating flip books as they write.

Writing crafts can be a great way to make your lesson more engaging for reluctant writers. Some students dread it when they are expected to fill up a whole blank page. With crafts, students have so much fun that they forget they are learning!

opinion writing crafts
Click here to check out these Opinion Writing Crafts.

You can grab the doughnut craft for free by signing up here.

What if you are looking for digital?

TPT has a digital overlay tool, which means that many writing prompts can be used digitally (students type in text boxes).

2nd grade opinion writing prompt worksheet
I make sure that all my writing prompts have text boxes added with the TPT digital tool.

Are you ready to have some opinion writing fun?

If you’re looking for opinion writing prompts, I have some in my TPT store for Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade, Third Grade, and Fourth Grade. You can try the freebie here.

opinion writing freebie 2nd grade opinion writing prompt worksheet
Click here to grab this freebie. It comes in 5 different versions for K-4th Grade.

I hope you enjoyed this post about how to teach opinion writing. Good luck with your lessons!

P.S. Don’t forget, you can grab freebies from my free resource library. You can access the freebies by signing up for my newsletter!

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Hi, my name is Alex! I love creating fun, colorful, and engaging resources for the early years. I’ve taught 3rd and 1st grade and I’m passionate about creating interactive activities that engage all learners Read More…

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If you’re looking for a cute writing craft, thes If you’re looking for a cute writing craft, these snow globe narrative writing prompts are perfect for bulletin boards and writing centers! ❄️ 

Comment below or message me if you’d like the link! I’ll also add a link to my bio and stories 🙂

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Bump is coming along 😬 I know this isn’t te Bump is coming along 😬 

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Just an FYI! Revising involves making major change Just an FYI! Revising involves making major changes to the content and editing is more sentence level changes.

For example, you might ask your students to edit their writing by checking for spelling and punctuation errors.

But for revision, they might add or remove ideas to their writing.

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You can grab these for free at the link in my bio! You can grab these for free at the link in my bio! Or you can comment below or message me if you like the link 🙂

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I’ve been so quiet on this account lately! So ju I’ve been so quiet on this account lately! So just popping in to say hi 👋🏻 

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If so, it’s important to start doing some lesson If so, it’s important to start doing some lessons where you explicitly teach sentence structure! 

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Do your students struggle with this too?

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Cute craft idea for December! (If you’re allowed Cute craft idea for December! (If you’re allowed to do Christmas themed activities in your school).

Just grab white, red, and skin colored paper that you have in beige/brown etc. and let the students create their own Santa!

With younger students, you could cut some strips of white paper out or red triangles to help them. 

For older students, they could do it on their own! 

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Are you looking for a cute bulletin board or door Are you looking for a cute bulletin board or door decor idea for December? This letter to Santa writing craft is super cute and  fun for students to complete! 

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Just a reminder not to take on too many things! Just a reminder not to take on too many things! 

It’s tempting to do ‘all the things’ when it comes to TPT and marketing and it leads to burnout fast 🔥 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, step back from a few things.

Let me know in the comments if you’re feeling this way at the moment and what you plan on stepping back from!

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Hot pink is my brand! Right? I bet you recognize m Hot pink is my brand! Right? I bet you recognize my posts as mine straight away when you see them on here.

Anyways, when it comes to making your brand stand out… 
Consistency is key!

It’s important to use the same fonts, colors, style of photos/mock-ups, layouts, or clip art.

That way, when your new resource is released to followers or you post something on social media, people instantly know it’s you!

It’s also important to ensure that your branding is eye catching, cohesive (and make sure your colors complement each other)!

This week on the podcast, Caileigh from @thedenniscrew joins me again and we chat about branding. Be sure to check it out 🙌🏻

Tell me below, what are your brand colors?

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Make 👏🏻 A 👏🏻 Great 👏🏻 Cover 👏 Make 👏🏻 A 👏🏻 Great 👏🏻 Cover 👏🏻

Your cover on TpT is so important when it comes to getting views and therefore securing sales.

I’m pretty passionate about the importance of a good cover and that’s why I’ve been sharing tips about them in my weekly emails and it was discussed a lot last week on the podcast with @thedenniscrew (thanks for joining me caileigh)!

👏🏻 Remember to have a big, bold, easy to read title.

👏🏻 Show the product through photography, mock-ups or screenshots.

Tell me in the comments, do you enjoy making covers or is it something you dread? 

P.S. You can sign up for my weekly emails through the link in my bio! You can grab my free Pinterest cheat sheet, prioritizing tasks doc, or email definitions guide. 

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Sometimes we chase new followers instead of nurtur Sometimes we chase new followers instead of nurturing the ones we already have. 

Sometimes we fixate on how many likes, comments, saves, and shares we have, instead of appreciating that a human somewhere took the time to do them.

Sometimes we make a half hearted attempt at sharing in stories or answering messages, because we’re obsessing over hashtags or impressions.

Sometimes we get so caught up in inauthentic engagement that we barely appreciate or notice when someone genuinely engages.

This is just a reminder that this is a social platform! It’s an amazing place for you to connect with other teachers, make friends, and build relationships! If you can sell some of your products along the way, that’s an awesome bonus. 

But don’t forget to relax and enjoy the amazing connections you can make on this platform.

Instagram is like a party! Sit back and chat with some new friends instead of throwing your business cards at people 🙌🏻

Relationships over reach. 🙌🏻 
Not only is this more fun, it will probably actually help you grow more. 

Connecting with your existing followers in a genuine way will help you grow more than chasing the next fake follower.

I heard the other day that not being authentic is one of the leading reasons people unfollow others.

So let’s work on this 💗

I know I need to hear this sometimes. Do you? 

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One month of sleep deprivation, endless diaper cha One month of sleep deprivation, endless diaper changes, and trying to figure out breastfeeding. 😴🤯😭

But also one month of newborn snuggles and falling in love with little Lily. 💗

Thanks for your patience when it comes to my diminished presence on here and thanks to everyone who has messaged helpful parenting tips.

As each day goes by I feel less overwhelmed and more myself and I can slowly see myself getting back to TPT stuff eventually. But I am enjoying the break honestly.

Running a business can be so all consuming and it’s important to take a break sometimes. I’m also learning it’s important to prioritize family.

I love how TPT is passive and I can make money in my sleep (or at times when a normal person would be sleeping 😅) so I’m trying to soak up the precious time while Lily is small.

Sorry for the long caption! Just wanted to share my thoughts for today 🙂

(Psst! Took like a million photos before I got one that didn’t include crying or a bow that fell in her eyes 😂 I’m baffled at how these people get such glamorous baby pics here on the gram and act like it’s effortless 😂)

Also fun fact I look AWFUL these days and that’s why you won’t see my face much on stories 😂 who has time for hair brushing?
I love using storytelling to start my emails. I th I love using storytelling to start my emails. I think it’s a great way to connect with my audience and let them get to know me 🙌🏻

Did you catch this week’s podcast episode? I chat to Melissa @notanotherva about email marketing and we discuss welcome sequences, email content, and making your list profitable.

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Just a reminder that TPT has emphasized the import Just a reminder that TPT has emphasized the importance of PDF previews so many times!

Two thirds of buyers won’t purchase a product if there’s no preview. That’s a lot of missed sales if 2/3 people who visit your listings leave because you don’t have a preview. 😱

It’s so hard to get products seen. Whether that’s because of ranking, an oversaturated market, or how tricky marketing is. When you finally get a buyer on your listing, you want them to buy! 

So a great question to ask yourself is - do all of your resources have previews? If not, make this a long term project at the top of your to-do list this quarter or this year.

Tell me in the comments, do you need to get to work and make some previews? 😅

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The scary truth is this…it’s probably the only The scary truth is this…it’s probably the only secure thing in your business that you own! 

With the exception of having a blog/website, so much of our marketing is done on rented land (for example, social media).

We don’t own these platforms and so they come with a bit of risk. Your account could be deleted, an algorithm could change etc

With the tpt algorithm debacle, my email list has become an even more precious asset in my business. 

This week’s podcast episode is all about this topic so be sure to check it out!

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions about email marketing 🙂

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My sales drastically increased when I stopped maki My sales drastically increased when I stopped making small $1 resources and started making bigger and more valuable resources.

I truly think that some resources sell better than others because they are really what a teacher needs or they provide a lot of value!

Did you catch last week’s podcast episode where I discussed this? Let me know in the comments what you thought 💗

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