ALEX Learning Activity

  

Opinions, Opinions, Opinions, Oh My!

A Learning Activity is a strategy a teacher chooses to actively engage students in learning a concept or skill using a digital tool/resource.

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  This learning activity provided by:  
Author: Heather Harden
System:Dothan City
School:Dothan City Board Of Education
  General Activity Information  
Activity ID: 2946
Title:
Opinions, Opinions, Opinions, Oh My!
Digital Tool/Resource:
Opinion Writing Prompts
Web Address – URL:
Overview:

Students will share opinions on topics digitally by using mentimeter.com. They will orally share opinions with a partner as they brainstorm reasons they hold the particular opinion. Students will choose from a given list of prompts to provide them with a topic for their opinion writing paragraph. They will use a graphic organizer to plan their writing for the opinion paragraph.

This resource was created in partnership with Dothan City Schools.
  Associated Standards and Objectives  
Content Standard(s):
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 3
5. Express ideas, opinions, and feelings orally in a logical sequence clearly, accurately, and precisely, using appropriate volume, clear pronunciation, and standard English grammar.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
5.
  • Ideas
  • Opinions
  • Feelings
  • Logical sequence
  • Accurately
  • Precisely
  • Appropriate volume
  • Clear pronunciation
  • Standard English grammar
Knowledge:
5. Students know:
  • Orally communicating ideas, opinions, and feelings, requires a logical sequence, accurate and precise language, appropriate voice volume, clear speech pronunciation, and the use of standard English grammar.
Skills:
5. Students are able to:
  • Orally express ideas, opinions, and feelings in a logical sequence and with accurate and precise language.
  • Use appropriate voice volume, clear speech pronunciation, and standard English grammar when orally presenting ideas, opinions, and feelings.
Understanding:
5. Students understand that:
  • When presenting their ideas, opinions, and feelings orally, they must use a logical sequence, an appropriate volume for speaking, clear pronunciation of words, and standard English grammar, so others can clearly comprehend (understand) what they are trying to express.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 3
38. Compose and develop a well-organized paragraph with a topic sentence, details to support, and a concluding sentence.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
38.
  • Compose
  • Develop
  • Well-organized paragraph
  • Topic sentence
  • Details
  • Concluding sentence
Knowledge:
38. Students know:
  • A well-organized paragraph has a topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence.
Skills:
38. Students are able to:
  • Write a well-organized paragraph that consists of a topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence.
Understanding:
38. Students understand that:
  • A well-written paragraph includes a topic sentence to introduce the topic, provides supporting details to explain the topic, and ends with a concluding sentence.
Learning Objectives:

Students will be able to clearly write an opinion paragraph including reasons and opinion words and phrases.

Students will be able to accurately express ideas, opinions, and feelings orally in a logical sequence clearly, accurately, and precisely, using appropriate volume, clear pronunciation, and standard English grammar to a partner in a turn-and-talk activity.
  Strategies, Preparations and Variations  
Phase:
During/Explore/Explain
Activity:

The teacher will choose an opinion writing prompt from the opinion writing prompts link to model how to write an opinion paragraph. He/she will select the topic, "Teachers grade their students, but should students have the opportunity to grade their teachers? Why or why not?" The teacher can have the students answer this question by typing their responses on mentimenter.com (see Advanced Preparation section). The responses can be displayed on the interactive whiteboard. Once all these responses are visible, the teacher will circle a few to use as reasons for why and why not a teacher should be graded. The teacher will write a topic sentence for the students and demonstrate how to add the reasons as the details. Finally, the teacher will model how to write a conclusion sentence to end the paragraph. The teacher will write an opinion paragraph for both answers.  

Next, the students will review the opinion writing prompts and choose one they find interesting. Once the prompt is selected, students will turn and talk explaining their opinion orally to a partner before writing it down. The teacher will walk around the room observing, listening, advising, and assisting the students as they orally share their opinions.

The teacher will provide the students with an opinion writing graphic organizer. They will use this to plan their opinion paragraph. The teacher will move around the room observing their work on completing the graphic organizer. S(he) will monitor and support students with feedback for their next steps in writing the paragraph.
Assessment Strategies:

The teacher will have a clipboard with a paper including each student's name. As the teacher observes the student's oral conversation with a partner, s(he) will write a checkmark next to the student's name for understanding or an x showing they need more practice.  

The teacher will use the rubric to assess the students' written work on the graphic organizer.
Advanced Preparation:

The teacher will need to create a free Mentimeter account at mentimeter.com. The teacher will also need to create the presentation with the question so the students can respond. The slide type is open-ended.

The teacher will need to have a roster of the students to use as observations are made.

The teacher will need to make a copy of the opinion writing graphic organizer for each student as well as copies to use in the intervention small group as needed.

The teacher will need to make a copy of the rubric for each student to assess the written paragraph.
Variation Tips (optional):

Intervention: The students with an x on the teacher observation sheet will meet with the teacher at the small group table for more instruction. The teacher will provide each student a copy of the opinion writing graphic organizer in a page protector, a dry-erase marker, and a kleenex to use as an eraser. The teacher will have slips of paper with various topics such as best movie, best vacation spot, favorite food, cuddliest pet, etc. Allow a student to close their eyes and choose a slip of paper with a topic. Orally discuss reasons aloud and then model how to fill out the graphic organizer with these reasons. Finally, demonstrate how to put these thoughts together to form a logical paragraph that explains their opinion. Model the process again, but have the students add one of their own opinions to the graphic organizer. Continue to repeat the process each time asking the students to add one more reason until they are able to fill out the organizer independently.

Extension: The students with a check on the teacher observation sheet will choose another topic from the list to write about. If time allows, they can illustrate their writing.
Notes or Recommendations (optional):

The writing prompt link could be added to Google Classroom so that the students have access at any time rather than only when the teacher displays it on the interactive whiteboard.

Use this website for opinion writing prompts to use in the intervention small group.

Links to related activities:

Before Activity - What's Your Opinion

After Activity - Weak or Strong Statements: That is the Question
  Keywords and Search Tags  
Keywords and Search Tags: conclusion, details, opinions, reasons, topic sentence