Does the idea of teaching writing to your students stress you out? Teaching first grade writing is definitely not a breeze and it doesn’t always come easy…In my opinion writing is one of the most important things to teach and it’s definitely wishful thinking that we can get all of our students to love writing. BUT we can give our students the exposure they need to become good writers which leads me to my next point. Writer’s Workshop!!! It’s an essential part of my classroom and my student’s truly learn best with repeated exposure, I am talking EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Writer’s Workshop is the framework for writing practice and instruction, it’s the organizational piece to begin the writing process. Check out this post where I dive deeper on how to go about implementing Writers Workshop into your classroom!
What is your favorite type of writing to teach in the classroom? It’s definitely a hard question for me to answer. Narratives are a chance for kids to tell stories, informative writing allows kids to share what they’ve learned about a topic and opinion allows them to share what they think and why. See…they all are unique and fun in their own way.
Have you ever asked a first grader their opinion? Because honestly listening to them can be downright funny! I will say…first graders are hilarious. Instead of asking them to share their opinion I make them write it because it’s still a way for them to share their thoughts but working on their writing skills, sneaky…I know! A first grader has no issue sharing their opinions but the tricky part is providing the reasoning behind it let alone being able to frame these opinions into writing. I want to share some tips that I use in my classroom to help my kiddos get a better grasp on opinion writing and by the end of the year you may even call them experts! But for real…I start by helping my students understand the difference between fact and an opinion because without this knowledge we haven’t set the groundwork for understanding what exactly an opinion is. Be sure to snag this resource. It has some great activities to get the ideas flowing. But listen up! I am going to provide you with some awesome tips to get those kiddos writing!
Here are 3 tips to help write opinions in your classroom.
- Teach your kids how to master sharing their opinion verbally
One of my personal favorites is using “would you rather”, I love walking around listening to these conversations plus they are great for peer group work! Using this tool allows the children to debate but they have to give a reason to back it up. This is one of my favorite resources to use as a verbal activity, it includes so many questions that you won’t run out of topics!
- Using Mentor Texts
Ah! Do you love using mentor texts as much as I do? They are an awesome resource plus they are super fun to use and an excellent educational tool. Using mentor texts are great ways to spark conversations. The trick is…how do you choose the right ones? A few of my favorites to use for discussing opinions and persuasion are:
- Duck for President
- Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
- I am Absolutely Too Small For School
- Can I Have a T-Rex Dad
- Can I Keep Him?
3. Develop and Use a Persuasive Plan
The OREO method is one of my favorites to use with my students. You start with your opinion, provide a reason, an explanation and close with your opinion again. Plus it is easy to remember because who doesn’t love Oreos??? Giving your students clear cut examples and tools can help them master the skill of writing and defending their opinion. I also use tell a story on your hand…visuals are an excellent tool to use with my first graders! Using anchor charts, would you rather writing prompts, book reviews, and graphic organizers are all ways to help your students develop the skills they need to rock opinion writing!
Celebrate your students writing, give them small steps that make it easier for them to understand and watch the tremendous growth they will make by the end of the year! Remember exposure needs to happen EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. If you find yourself struggling to make this happen, grab my resources and they will definitely get you on the right track.
I can’t wait to hear how these tips worked in your classroom! Stay tuned for my next writing post!
