Stories by Storie

Everyone has a story to tell. What is yours?

  • Stories by Storie
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
    • Book Activities
    • Book Lists
    • Classroom Management
    • Freebies
    • Math
    • Reading Tips
    • Writing
  • Free
  • Shop
    • Teachers Pay Teachers
    • Amazon
    • Bookshop
  • Subscribe
  • Contact

Opinion Writing for 2nd Graders

May 6, 2015

If your second grade students are working on opinion writing or persuasive writing, you may be looking for a few tools to get started. Here are some resources to help.

Ready to try opinion writing with your second graders, but not sure where to start? I'm sharing my favorite books, anchor charts, and tips for getting started with persuasive writing.

Opinion Writing Resources

Back when the Common Core was first being implemented in our state, I was diving into opinion writing without a road map telling me where to go. I turned to Pinterest and found this anchor chart. The original source was Live, Love, Laugh, Learn First Grade, which no longer seems to be an active blog:

My next stop was Teachers Pay Teachers to see what was out there.

Most of these were created for first grade, but I needed to start somewhere.

#1   #2   #3   #4

 


Opinion Writing Books

Like all of my other writing units, I begin with picture books that model the text features I want my students to include in their own writing. Here are a few choices to get started:

  • Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots
  • I Want a Dog: An Opinion Essay
  • I Wanna Iguana
  • Hey, Little Ant
  • Can I Be Your Dog?
  • Stella Writes an Opinion
  • A Pig Parade is a Terrible Idea
  • One Word From Sophia
  • Don’t Feed the Bear
  • The Big Bed
  • Duck! Rabbit!
  • The Perfect Pet
  • Dog vs. Cat

You can find even more book options for opinion writing by clicking the image below:

Books are a great tool to help teach writing. Here are some of my favorite books to share when teaching opinion and persuasive writing.
we are a participant in the amazon services llc associates program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Opinion Writing Anchor Charts

After reading some books, I talk about what second graders are expected to do according to Common Core. This is when I introduce our anchor chart. When first introduced, all that is showing is the title and the CCSS, not the example paragraph.

After talking about what the standards mean, we begin stating our opinions using sentence frames that include the word ‘because’.  In order to do this, I also introduce sentence starters (inspired by the original pin above):

I like _ because _.

I prefer _ to because ___.

I believe _ because .

In case you’re wondering, they are not allowed to say “because it’s cool”, “because it’s the best”, “because they’re great” or anything along those lines. It must be a specific reason! To really drive this point home, we use thumbs up or thumbs down in the whole group. A student will state an opinion using a sentence frame. Students will give a thumbs up or thumbs down letting their peers know if the reasons are specific or not.

Once my students have the frames down, it’s time to start building on it. At this point of the year, my students already know and understand topic and conclusion sentences. This is when I go back and write a sample paragraph (the bottom half of the standards poster). Since they are used to 5 sentence paragraphs, this doesn’t really shock them.


Opinion Writing Graphic Organizer

Then I introduce a prewrite. I’m sure many of you have seen the OREO idea. It really is catchy! The plan you see on the right is what we use when first starting out (once my kids catch on, they don’t need a formal plan sheet, but can create their own in their writing notebooks). The topic goes on the top line. The first rectangle is for the topic sentence. The three rectangles with cloud bubbles are for the reasons/examples. The bubbles are there to remind students to choose sentence starters. The bottom rectangle is for the conclusion sentence.

When we start writing, I choose the topics and prompts for my students. However, later on they can choose their own topics. Here is what my anchor chart tends to look like. FYI – I tend to stick more to the top two tiers, but the real-world category motivates many second graders!


Opinion Writing Examples

Since we tend to do this unit in the spring, you can incorporate your writing into Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts!

Thanks for sticking with me.  Here are your freebies:


I hope this has given you a new idea or two for opinion writing! If you missed out on the other writing posts, no worries.  Click below to check them out!

  • How-To Writing
  • Friendly Letter Writing
  • Daily 5 Writing

Happy Teaching!

 If your second grade students are working on opinion writing, you may be looking for a few tools to get started. Here are some resources to help.
signature

Related posts:

Writing Ideas for January Spring Writing Ideas (with Freebies) If your second grade students are working on how-to writing or procedural writing, you may be looking for a few tools to get started. Here are some resources to help.How-To Writing for 2nd Graders Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Idea Jar Activities
«
»

Filed Under: freebies, writing 4 Comments

Comments

  1. Suzy Q says

    May 6, 2015 at 7:59 pm

    We use the oreo model, too. Found with this year's group I needed to make our graphic organizer very explicit or I would get only a reason or only an example. Thanks for some additional ideas!!

    Reply
  2. Susan K. says

    May 8, 2015 at 12:11 am

    Thank you so much for sharing this easy to understand and follow ideas. I teach 3rd grade and need to teach this writing skill, too, and you've given me the incentive to try.

    Reply
  3. Anonymous says

    November 19, 2017 at 4:12 pm

    Thank you for the wonderful resources! šŸ™‚

    Reply
  4. Emalie says

    April 6, 2020 at 5:11 pm

    This is a very helpful page. Thank you!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Categories

Latest on Instagram

Do you prefer to blend in OR do you dare to stand Do you prefer to blend in OR do you dare to stand out?

At school, Monique wore a uniform every single day. But looking just like everyone else was not for her. One day, she found a huge, red hat in a trunk in the attic and decided she’d wear it to school. Everyone noticed her and had something to say, which made Monique smile…until a teacher told her she had to take off the hat. 

The next day, everyone at school was wearing a hat - everyone except Monique, who was already planning something new to wear the following day. With each new idea and accessory that makes Monique unique comes a series of kids who copy and mimic her style. Can she find a way to be different?

This book is often hard to find, but has a great message about individuality and celebrating that it’s okay to be different! Have you read this one yet?

@kanemillerbooks
The holiday books have been put away. That means o The holiday books have been put away. That means our shelf is ready for a fresh stack of books to share for bedtime stories. Here’s what came home with me on my latest trip to the local library. 

šŸ‘€ See any titles that catch your eye?
I may introduce a lot of books to you here on the I may introduce a lot of books to you here on the gram, but sometimes YOU are the ones who introduce books to me. This is one of those stories.

Sarah lives alone in her little house now that her children are all grown up. Every time she looks out her window, she sees the neighborhood children waiting for the bus. One winter morning she notices a boy who doesn’t have mittens. This worries her, so she gathers some supplies and sets out to knit him a new pair. Once finished, she hangs them on the tree next to the bus stop. 

When the boy finds the mittens the next day, he quickly tries them on and beams at their perfect fit. Sarah’s heart is filled with joy and it isn’t long before she makes even more mittens to hang on the tree. The kids look forward to finding these new treasures each morning at the bus stop. Sarah is sure that no one knows it is her adding to the mitten tree until one day she returns home and finds a surprise waiting for her - a basket filled with beautiful balls of yarn.

This heartwarming story has a great message about kindness, community, and the joy that comes from helping others. It would make a great addition to your winter book collection!

Have you read The Mitten Tree?

#themittentree
I might share a lot of picture books, but I do lov I might share a lot of picture books, but I do love chapter books, too. One of my favorites for January is Mr. Popper’s Penguins. While this story has been around for decades, it still manages to entertain readers of all ages. ⁣
⁣
If you aren’t familiar, Mr. Popper is a housepainter who daydreams about polar expeditions. One day he receives a real penguin and his world turns upside down. Soon after the penguin grows lonely and the Poppers add a second penguin to their home. It isn’t long before they have 10 penguin chicks, making that 12 penguins in all! With so many mouths to feed, Mr. Popper realizes he will have to do something to bring in more money. That’s when Popper’s Performing Penguins gets started. The show goes on tour and plenty of hilarious antics begin!⁣
⁣
I used this book with some of my reading groups in both 2nd and 3rd grade with the help of a few resources to guide students through the text (comprehension questions for each chapter, vocabulary activities, graphic organizers, and more). There’s also a penguin craft, which was a big hit! This resource is available in my TPT store. Drop a 🐧 in the comments or send me a DM if you’d like the link. ⁣
⁣
When it comes to Mr. Popper’s Penguins, which do you prefer?⁣
šŸ“–  Book⁣
šŸŽ„  Movie⁣
Have you ever felt like you don’t quite fit in? Have you ever felt like you don’t quite fit in? Or maybe you’ve let the opinions of others creep into your mind  and start to doubt yourself? If so, I think you should read Lone Wolf.⁣
⁣
In this story, Maple is a member of the Parker family. She loves playing tug-of-war with Jax, reading with Avery, getting treats, and going for looooooooong walks. But wherever she goes, people comment that she looks more like a wolf than a dog. The Parkers explain the difference between a husky and a wolf, but Maple starts to have her doubts. ⁣
⁣
One day, Maple sees the fence open and takes her chance to explore the wild as a lone wolf. Will Maple love this new lifestyle, or will she realize that home with the Parkers is where she truly belongs? ⁣
⁣
This charming story explores family, self-doubt, and finding the place where you belong. It would be a great story to share in the classroom or at home.⁣
⁣
Have you read Lone Wolf yet?
Whether you’re headed back to the classroom this Whether you’re headed back to the classroom this week or next week, please don’t forget to make time to review your classroom rules and procedures. You can make this process a bit more enjoyable by sharing books. Sometimes these stories have a way of getting through when your words can’t. I put together a list of my favorites on my website. Tap the link in my bio or drop a comment below if you’d like me to send you the link. 

When do students head back to school in your area?
It’s 2023! 🄳⁣ ⁣ Are you making goals or r It’s 2023! 🄳⁣
⁣
Are you making goals or resolutions? Maybe you’ve chosen to focus on one little word instead. No matter how you’re setting yourself up for success in the new year, having a plan is only the first step. One way to get your students excited for making resolutions is to help them understand what a resolution is. I love using the book, Squirrel’s New Year’s Resolution. ⁣
⁣
In this story, Squirrel hears about making New Year’s resolutions on the radio, but she doesn’t know what they are. She visits her friends to find out what they resolve to do in the new year. Bear wants to help others learn to read. Porcupine decides to be less grumpy. What will Squirrel choose for her resolution? ⁣
⁣
Looking for a way to help kids keep their resolutions in mind long after the first week back in school? Try adding a craft. Not only are they fun for kids to make, but when they are on display, kids will have a visual reminder of their hopes and goals for the year. Swipe to take a peek at one to pair with this book. This craft can be found in my TPT store (send me a DM or comment below if you’d like me to send you the link).⁣
⁣
What are your favorite books to start off the new year?

Copyright © 2023 Ā· Website Design By Jumping Jax Designs