It’s My Opinion

Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling

• Display the list of animals for students to view, using an interactive whiteboard, document camera, projector or chart paper.
• Read the list of animals aloud to your class, then choose your favorite.
• Write your opinion about your favorite animal on a poster-size What's Your Favorite Animal? organizer, or on a worksheet being displayed using an interactive whiteboard, document camera, or projector.
• Model thinking of and writing out three reasons to support your favorite animal choice.
• Provide a sense of closure after listing your third reason in the final box of What's Your Favorite Animal.
• Reread your opinion, reasons, and closure together, and ask your students if your reasons convinced them that your choice was the best. Listen to any responses.
• Take any questions your class may have.

Guided Practice

• Display another blank What's Your Favorite Animal? organizer.
• Call on a volunteer to help you choose another favorite animal from the list.
• Ask a different volunteer to give an opinion about the animal. If your student struggles, ask others for help. Write the opinion on the organizer.
• Then ask three students, one at a time, to give you a reason to support the opinion. Write each reason below the opinion.
• Ask a student volunteer to brainstorm ideas of what the last sentence might be so there is a sense of closure.
• When completed, reread student ideas.
• Ask your class if the opinion and reasons make sense. Do the reasons support the opinion? Listen to any responses.

Independent working time

• Before working independently, ask students if they understand how to form an opinion and support it with reasons.
• Hand a copy of the What's Your Favorite Animal? organizer to each student.
• Have your students choose a different animal from the list and write their opinion with three convincing reasons. If they have another animal in mind that isn't on the list, that's fine.
• Ask if there are any questions.
• Instruct your students to take out a pencil and begin writing.
• Encourage students to end their final reason with a sentence that provides a sense of closure (e.g. These reasons explain why ____ is the best animal).