Opinion Writing

Our 5th graders have gone back in time, diving into the colonial era of U.S. History. Students learned why colonists left their homeland and what drew them to a particular colony. After reading and utilizing a variety of media to gather information, students organized their thinking and learning with the help of Thinking Maps! Initially, students compared colonies by using a “Tree Map.” 

From there, students were asked to form an opinion regarding where they would have chosen to live had they been given the opportunity. Would they choose the  New England, Middle or Southern Colonies? With their mind made up, students used a “Circle Map” to brainstorm reasons to support their decision.

We identified which 3 reasons were the strongest and marked those with a star. We used a graphic organizer that helped us organize our thoughts into five, clear paragraphs. Students learned the importance of using T.E.A.M. (Transition, Evidence, Analyze, and Make it Matter!) to craft thoughtful, balanced paragraphs. 

With our brainstorming complete, we began typing on a Google document. This was our first attempt at utilizing a shared document where students could revise and edit their work based on immediate, digital teacher feedback.

Our 5th graders learned a ton and are proud to present their opinion essays at this year’s Expression Explosion! 

By: Mrs. Martin, 5th grade