When it's time to teach opinion writing, my favorite way to do it is with COOKIES! I teach my kids all about the OREO method to opinion writing.
O- STATE YOUR OPINION
R- GIVE REASONS
E- PROVIDE EXAMPLES
O- RESTATE YOUR OPINION
Many thanks to FIRSTGRADEWOW for creating and sharing this!
This packet is amazing for teaching the OREO opinion writing method. It provides examples, anchor charts, several types of writing paper, and blue ribbons for the cookie & the writer that tops the rest!
Once we've learned the OREO method, we sample three types of cookies and give reasons to support our opinion on the best cookie ever. I chose to include Nilla Waffers, Oreos, and Teddy Grahams because I had students with nut and food dye allergies. Here's how I prepped the activity... cupcake liners are my go to for having everything sorted, counted, and awaiting excited kiddos.
My students thought this was the most fun writing activity of the year and the opinion writing they produced was REALLY wonderful. I was so proud of them. I helped facilitate it in a couple ways.
We went through the steps of OREO together one and a time. After students wrote their first sentence stating their opinion, they exchanged papers with a classmate. Their classmate helped spell check and ensure that they had followed directions. This was a teaching opportunity too because we practiced complimenting our classmates and making polite suggestions. We did this for each reason, example, and the conclusion. It made such a difference with the quality of their writing.
I also showed my students the anchor charts with suggested wording and sentence starts for each section as we completed them. This helped them turn their opinions and reasons into complete sentences. Be sure to go grab this excellent product from FIRSTGRADEWOW! If you try this with your kids, let me know how it goes. We thought it was "Yum to the Last Crumb" just as Nancy Vandenburge called it!
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