My students were SO DISGUSTED when they saw this picture of me eating bugs. I’m pretty sure one kid’s scream could be heard downstairs, ha! But...guess what? Every student was fully invested and WAITING for what I was about to say. When’s the last time your students were on the edge of their seats … [Read more...] about 3 Ways I Get My Students Excited for Opinion Writing
Writing that Works
Would your students respond strongly if asked any of these questions?
In order for students to write passionately, they need topics that elicit strong emotions. Which is why I created fact-based opinion writing units on topics I knew my students would go crazy over.
The topics are posed in a way that students' have an immediate reaction. Through research, they learn about bigger issues and that there's not always an easy answer.
Initially, students' main focus is solely on if would it be gross to eat a bug or drink water from a toilet. Their research allows them to actually learn about important global topics like:
-sustainable food sources, world hunger
-animal captivity, preservation and research
-water pollution, recycling, droughts, effects and solutions
My students need to be prepared to research and create valid arguments on topics that matter.
Before the unit, I gather all of the research materials I want my students to use. We spent time going through each one together. Students are responsible for taking notes and keeping track of where they found their information. This way when it comes time to write our fact-based opinion writing papers we can use quotes to support our claims.
We spend about 3 weeks on each unit and culminate our units with a fun writing celebration that we invite our parents and guardians to attend. Choosing topics that elicit strong emotions from our students and then giving them a platform to voice those emotions creates an engaged and excited class of writers.
Even my most reluctant writers beg for more time when we work on these units. Below you can find a blog post about why we ate insects in class one day!
Here is the link to the argumentative writing units as well, if you're interested: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fact-Based-Opinion-Writing-Unit-Bundle-4356058
Poetry for 4th Grade: Make it Fun
Poetry for 4th grade can be incredibly tricky. Over the years, I've learned the key points to help students truly understand what they're reading and master poetry. How to Teach Poetry One of the first things I do when teaching students about poetry is I give them permission to be confused. … [Read more...] about Poetry for 4th Grade: Make it Fun
Why We Ate Insects During Writing
Why We ATE INSECTS During Writing! Last year my co-worker and I noticed a need for substantial and meaningful opinion writing topics. We were tired of reading cats vs dogs, the battle of school uniforms, or that there should be longer lunches. Sound familiar? Here’s how we're keeping it fun … [Read more...] about Why We Ate Insects During Writing
