eng.g2.s.lesson_05.first_opinion_paragraph
Writing Our First Full Opinion Paragraph
- Students plan a first full opinion paragraph using the Opinion-SPO planner (opinion + 2 reasons + examples + closing).
- Students draft the paragraph from the planner using the four-part anchor.
Lesson plan
Warm-up
5 minPicture-walk through the MG-7 photo prompt set (16 cards). Each child picks one card whose opinion they could defend today.
- Affirm specific topic choices
- Steer broad pickers toward narrower angles ('What about the bicycle? The fast part, the freedom, the wind?')
- Distribute SPO sheets
Direct instruction
18 minToday we plan AND draft a full opinion paragraph. The PLANNER is the Opinion-SPO — Single Paragraph Outline. You will fill four boxes BEFORE you start writing prose. Box 1: OPINION STATEMENT in 1 sentence. Box 2: REASON 1 (a few words) + EXAMPLE 1 (a few words). Box 3: REASON 2 + EXAMPLE 2. Box 4: CLOSING (1 sentence). Watch me plan one for 'class librarian is the best class job.' Box 1: 'Class librarian is the best class job.' Box 2: REASON — organize books / EXAMPLE — sorted 20 picture books last Tuesday. Box 3: REASON — help friends find books / EXAMPLE — helped Mateo find shark book, he read it whole. Box 4: CLOSING — 'That is why class librarian is the best.' Now I write the prose, leaning on my because-clause from lesson 2.
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Notice 'For one reason' and 'A second reason' as connectors. Notice each example is SPECIFIC — a real Tuesday, a real friend's name, a real book topic.model Class librarian is the best class job. For one reason, the librarian gets to organize books on the shelf. Last Tuesday I sorted twenty picture books by color and it felt like solving a puzzle. A second reason is that the librarian helps friends find books they will love. When I helped Mateo pick a book about sharks, he read the whole thing at recess. That is why class librarian is the best class job.prompt Teacher draft from the planner (live, on the doc cam).
- What does the SPO planner help you do BEFORE drafting?
- What is the difference between a reason and an example?
M-2-S-WR-05-A
Interactive
Physical / non-image
Doc-cam-ready Opinion-SPO planner: 8.5x11 sheet with four large labeled boxes (red OPINION at top, two yellow REASON+EXAMPLE in middle, green CLOSING at bottom). Box dividers thick black; lines inside each box dyslexic-friendly. Used live for teacher modeling. Print-ready, fits desk too.
M-2-S-WR-05-B
Video
Physical / non-image
90-second pencil-cam video: a Grade-2 multicultural writer's hand fills the four Opinion-SPO boxes for 'recess is the best part of the day,' then turns the planner over and writes the prose paragraph below the boxes on lined paper. Caption track on (text on screen). Quiet xylophone background. Used as a re-watchable model for children who need it.
Guided practice
12 min-
Fill in your own Opinion-SPO planner using your chosen photo-prompt topic. Just words and phrases — no full sentences yet.scaffold Sentence-frame card for each box
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Trade planners with a partner. Read each box aloud. Is each reason backed by a specific example?scaffold Yes/Maybe/Add card
Formative assessment
3 min- Read your closing sentence aloud to your shoulder partner. Did it just repeat the opinion, or did it wrap with a thought?
Closure
2 min- Hold up your draft.
- Predict: tomorrow we add Tier-2 verbs to make the draft stronger.
Homework
10 min- Read your draft aloud to an adult at home. Ask them: 'Which reason is strongest?' Bring their answer tomorrow.
Exercises in this lesson
Differentiation
- Pre-filled OPINION box for children who need a head start
- Sentence-frame cards: 'For one reason ___ because ___.' / 'For example ___.' / 'A second reason ___ is ___.'
- Photo prompt at 1.5x size at desk
- Add a counter-acknowledgment sentence: 'Some people think ___, but ___.'
- Plan a SECOND paragraph: paragraph 2 = reason 3 + example 3 (for the brave!)
- Bilingual sentence frames
- Pre-listen to the model paragraph in home language
- Adult scribe for the planner; child dictates
- Reduced target: opinion + 1 reason + 1 example + closing (3 boxes instead of 4)
Teacher notes
This is the first full opinion paragraph children write this term — and the highest-stakes formative of the first three weeks. Walk the room during independent practice and look for two patterns: (1) opinions that are actually facts (redirect immediately), and (2) reasons without examples (use the 'For example ___' frame to add). Drafts will be uneven; that is fine. The goal is full-shape attempt, not polished prose.