Spring Launch — From Narrative to Opinion: What Do You Think?

Welcome-back share: each child holds up their Fall published narrative anthology and names one thing they did well in it. Teacher names the bridge: this term, we go from telling what HAPPENED to telling what we THINK.

• Affirm specific narrative-craft moves by name
• Bridge explicitly: 'Narrative told a story. Opinion tells what you think — and gives reasons.'
• Hand each child a fact-vs-opinion sort card to use in direct instruction

M-2-S-WR-01-B Illustration

Watercolor illustration of a Grade-2 writer at a desk: left half of desk holds a finished narrative anthology with a 'Fall 2026' sticker; right half holds a fresh Opinion-SPO planning sheet labeled 'Spring 2027' and a red opinion-poster mini-card. Arrow connecting the two halves labeled 'now what do YOU think?' Multicultural child; soft late-winter light from a classroom window. Style: warm, watercolor, eye-level shot.

A FACT is something everyone can check — 'It is raining' or 'There are 24 kids in this class.' An OPINION is what you THINK — 'Pizza is the best lunch' or 'Recess is too short.' Opinions are not wrong, but they are not facts. This term, we are going to write OPINION paragraphs. An opinion paragraph has FOUR parts. Part 1: an OPINION STATEMENT (red on our poster). Part 2: a REASON (yellow). Part 3: an EXAMPLE that backs up the reason (also yellow). Part 4: a CLOSING (green) that wraps the opinion up. Today, you will sort facts from opinions, and we will read a model opinion paragraph together.

• Notice the opinion comes first. Notice each reason has an example right after it. Notice the closing re-anchors the opinion.

  model Class librarian is the best class job. (OPINION) For one reason, the class librarian gets to organize books on the shelf. (REASON 1) Last week I sorted twenty picture books by color and it felt like solving a puzzle. (EXAMPLE 1) A second reason is that the class librarian helps friends find books they will love. (REASON 2) When I helped Mateo pick a book about sharks, he read the whole thing at recess. (EXAMPLE 2) That is why class librarian is the best class job. (CLOSING)

  prompt Read a model opinion paragraph aloud about 'the best class job'

• Point to the OPINION sentence in our model. What color is the box?
• Why is 'I sorted twenty picture books' an EXAMPLE and not a REASON?

• Sort 10 statements into FACT vs. OPINION columns with a partner.

  scaffold Color-coded sort cards (red = opinion cue words like 'best/worst/should/think'; green = fact cue words like 'is/are/has')
• Look at our model opinion paragraph and label the four parts with sticky notes.

  scaffold Pre-printed sticky notes labeled OPINION / REASON 1 / EXAMPLE 1 / REASON 2 / EXAMPLE 2 / CLOSING

• Write one fact about today's weather, then one opinion about today's weather.
• Name the four parts of an opinion paragraph.

• Hold up your fact-vs-opinion sort sheet to the writing wall.
• Predict: tomorrow we write our FIRST opinion sentence.

• At dinner tonight, listen for one OPINION an adult says ('This soup is too salty', 'That show is the best'). Write it on a sticky note and bring it tomorrow.