Grade5,Unit:OpinionWriting

VictoriaSchwandt
BeforetheUnit:Priortothisunit,studentshavebeenstudyingtheCoreDemocratic
Valuesinsocialstudiestoexplainwhypeoplemaydifferinopinioninregardstoa
constitutionalissue.StudentswillhavebeeninstructedtochooseaspecificCDVandwill
haveusedtheirprewritingtoolstobrainstormwhatthisvalueentailsandthecurrentissues
thatpertainthatvalue.

OverviewofUnit:Inthistwoweekunit,studentswillengageinopinionwriting.The
purposeofthisunitistocombineskillsgainedfrompersuasivewritingexperiencesfrom
gradespastwithnewresearchandorganizationaltoolsgatheredfrommentortextsand
priorknowledgeaboutcoredemocraticvalues.Studentswillstrengthentheiropinion
writingskillsbybeingimmersedininformationaltextsfromavarietyofprintanddigital
sourcestoguidetheminforminganopinionandsupportingtheiropinionlogicallyand
effectivelyinwriting.Studentswillbegintheprewritingstageofthethewritingprocessand
proceedtothedraftingstagebyrecordingresearchandorganizingfacts,reasonand
personalthoughtsabouta
particularCDVandanissuethatrelatestoit.

AftertheUnit:Studentswillproceedwiththewritingprocess,transitioningfromprewriting
todrafting,revising,editingandfinallypublication

CommonCoreStateStandards(Writing):
W.5.1Writeopinionpiecesontopicsortextssupportingapointofviewwithreasonsand
information.
W.5.4Produceclearandcoherentwritinginwhichthedevelopmentandorganizationare
appropriatetotask,purpose,andaudience.

AlignedCCSS(Reading):
RI.5.6Analyzemultipleaccountsofthesameeventortopic,notingimportantsimilarities
anddifferencesinthepointofviewtheyrepresent.

ConnectiontoSocialStudiesGLCEs
5P3.3.1
Composeashortessayexpressingapositiononacontemporarypublicpolicyissue
relatedtotheconstitutionandjustifythepositionwithareasonedargument.

EnduringUnderstandings:
Writingisapowerfultooltocommunicateourresearch,opinionsandpointofviewtoan
audience.
Inorderforouraudiencetogainaclearunderstandingofouropinion,ourwritingneedsto
haveaclearpurposeandfocus.
Asindividualsinademocraticsociety,wehavetherighttocommunicateourdifferent
opinionsaboutissuesusingfactsandreasoninwriting.
Usingmultiplenonfictionsourcesgivesusawellresearchedandbalancedunderstanding
aboutaspecifictopic.
Grade5,Unit:OpinionWriting
VictoriaSchwandt

Toolsstudentswilladdtotheirtoolbeltsinclude:
1.Differentiatebetweenfactandopinioninwriting.
2.Useavarietyofprintanddigitalresourcestogatherinformation.
3.Introduceandstateopinionsclearly.
4.Supportopinionswithfactsandreason,nototheropinions.
5.Organizeideaslogicallywhenwriting.

EssentialQuestionstoGuideInstructionandFocusonToolsinStudentsTool
Belts
inThisUnit:
Howdowedeterminewhetherinformationpresentedinatextisfactoropinion?(Tool1)
Howdoesusingavarietyofprintanddigitalsourcesonaspecifictopichelpmakemy
audienceandmyselfunderstandmytopicbetter?(Tool2)
HowdoIintroduceandstatemyopinionclearlyandeffectively?(Tool3)
HowdoIknowwhatfactsandreasonarethestrongestchoicestosupportmyopinion?
(Tool4)
HowdoIlogicallyorganizemyreasonsandfactstocommunicatemyopiniontoreaders?
(Tool5)

MentorTextstoHelpStudentsAddToolstoTheirToolBeltsinThisUnit:
TheSalamanderRoombyAnneMazer
ThePigeonWantsaPuppybyMoWillems
EatThis,NotThatbyDavidZinczenko
SchoolUniformsShouldNotBeRequiredfromTimeForKids
WeNeedaNap!fromTimeForKids
ASchoolCafeteriaWithNoChickenFingersorMeatballs?byMeeraDolasia
DoBoysandGirlsLearnBetterTogetherorApart?fromTimeForKids
ShouldKidsBeRewardedforDoingChores?byMelanieKletter

Dates CCSS Objectives: I

CAN
What are the enduring
understandings that
students will construct?
What are the tools they
will add to or use from
their tool belts as
readers/writers and
critical thinkers? What
are the essential
questions that will guide
our work?
Evidence of Student Learning
How will I know students have
constructed understanding? What
will students write, say, create,
produce that will evidence their
learning and allow me to provide
feedback? How will students reflect
on their own learning?
Instruction & Materials
How will I use the I/We/You
model of instruction to scaffold
students in constructing rich
understanding?
How will I break the unit down
into weeks and days? What
materials and resources will I
use to scaffold this?
Week 1 RI.5.6 Analyze multiple
accounts of the same
event or topic, noting
important similarities

Grade5,Unit:OpinionWriting
VictoriaSchwandt
and differences in the
point of view they
represent.
W.5.1 Write opinion
pieces on topics or texts
supporting a point of
view with reasons and
information.
Mon. RI.5.6 I CAN tell the
difference between a
fact and opinion in a
piece of writing.
Studentslistentoandwatchan
episodeofChannelOneNews.
Teacherwillknowstudentshave
constructedunderstandstandingby
observinghowwellstudentsperform
thethumbsup,thumbsdown
activity.
I:Theteacherwillintroducethe
lessonbyactivatingprior
knowledgeaboutopinionsby
sharinganopinionabouta
subjectthatstudentsare
knowledgeableaboutandhave
anopinionaboutalready.
Teacherwillaskstudentsto
sharewhythestatementwasnot
afairstatement.

We:Teacherandstudentswill
bothwatchanepisodeof
ChannelOnenewsandnote
whichstorieswerebasedonfact
andwhichstorieswerebased
onopinion.Theteacherwillthen
askstudentstosharewhich
storiestheybelievedtobebased
onfactoropinion.

You:Studentswillevaluateeach
otherbyusingthumbsup,
thumbsdown,signifying
whetherornottheyagreewith
theirclassmates.

Tues. RI.5.6 I CAN tell the

difference between a
fact and opinion in a
piece of writing.
Studentswilllistentotheteacher
readaninformationalarticlealoud
anddiscusswhichdetailsarefacts
andopinions.
I:Theteacherwillintroducethe
lessonbyremindingstudentsof
theChannelOnenewsepisode
fromthepreviousday.The
teacherwillcallonstudentsto
sharewhichstorieswerebased
onfactandwhichstorieswere
basedonopinion.

We:Theteacherwillreadan
excerptfromatextrelatingtoan
issuethattheyclasshasbeen
discussinginsocialstudies.The
teacherwillstopperiodicallyat
preselectedpointstoask
Grade5,Unit:OpinionWriting
VictoriaSchwandt
questionsaboutwhetherthe
authorssupportisfactor
opinion.
Wed. RI.5.6 I CAN tell the
difference between a
fact and opinion in a
piece of writing.
Studentswillconstructunderstanding
byrecollectinginformationfromthe
previousdayslessonandorganize
informationcorrectlyasfactsor
opinions.
I:Theteacherwillplace
preselectedfactsandopinions
fromthearticletheclassreadon
thepreviousdayonthe
SmartBoard.

We:Theteacherwilldrawa
tchartontheSmartBoardwith
onecolumnlabeledfactand
theothercolumnlabeled
opinion.Studentswilltake
turnsorganizingtheinformation
correctlyontheSmartBoard.
Thurs. RI.5.6 I CAN tell the
difference between a
fact and opinion in a
piece of writing.
Studentswillworktogetherinsmall
groupsandreadaninformational
articletogether.Astheyaretaking
turnsreadingaloud,studentswill
recordwhichdetailstheybelievetobe
factoropinion.
I:Theteacherwillbeginby
remindingstudentsofthe
SmartBoardactivitythatthey
workedonthepreviousday.The
teacherwillbreakstudentsinto
smallgroupsandpassoutan
excerptfromaninformational
text.

We:Theteacherwillmodelhow
groupshouldtaketurnsreading
astheotherstudentsrecordthe
detailstheybelievetobefactor
opinion.Theteacherwilltravel
fromgrouptogrouptoensure
theyareontask.

You:Studentswillworktogether
toreadthearticleandhelpone
anothertocorrectlyrecordwhich
detailstheybelievetobefactor
opinion.
Fri. RI.5.6 I CAN tell the
difference between a
fact and opinion in a
piece of writing.
Studentswillworkingroupsusing
factsandopinionsfromtheprevious
dayslessonandcreateatchartto
organizetheinformation.Students
willsharetheirposterswilltheentire
classwhenfinished.
We:Theteacherwillinstruct
studentstoreturntothegroups
thattheywereworkingwithon
thepreviousday.Studentswill
usethefactsandopinionsthey
recordedandorganizetheminto
afact/opiniontchartonapiece
ofchartpaper.

You:Whengroupshavefinished
working,studentswilltaketurns
presentingtheirpostertothe
Grade5,Unit:OpinionWriting
VictoriaSchwandt
class.Thestudentsinthe
audiencewillevaluatetheir
peersusingthumbsup,thumbs
downtosignifywhetherornot
theyagree.Theclassroom
teacherwillcallonstudentsto
defendwhytheyagreeor
disagreeandgivegroup
membersachancetodefend
themselvesaswell.
Week 2 RI.5.6 Analyze multiple
accounts of the same
event or topic, noting
important similarities
and differences in the
point of view they
represent.
W.5.1 Write opinion
pieces on topics or texts
supporting a point of
view with reasons and
information.

Mon. RI.5.6 I CAN tell the
difference between a
fact and opinion in a
piece of writing.
Studentswillcreateatchartthatlists
thefactsandopinionsaboutacertain
topicpresentedbytheclassroom
teacher.
I:Theteacherwillintroducethe
lessonbydiscussingtheCore
DemocraticValuesthatstudents
havebeenstudyinginsocial
studiesandtodefinetheir
purposeinwriting.

We:Thestudentsandteacher
willreadtworesourcetextsasa
groupthatdiscussthesame
socialissue.Theteacherwill
havepreselectedfactsand
opinionsfrombothpiecesof
writingthatstudentswillsortinto
aFactandOpiniontchartonthe
SmartBoard.

You:Studentswillworkinsmall
groups(34)studentsandreada
newresourcetextabouta
socialissue.Studentswillwork
collaborativelytocreateaFact
andOpiniontchartaboutthe
issue.Groupswillthenpresent
theirtcharttotheclassand
explainwhytheychoseto
organizetheirevidenceaseither
factoropinion.Studentsinthe
audiencewillusethethumbs
Grade5,Unit:OpinionWriting
VictoriaSchwandt
up,thumbsdownassessment
toeitheragreeordisagreewith
theirclassmates.
Tues. RI.5.6 I CAN read an
informational text and
determine the authors
point-of-view.
Studentslistentotheteacherread
twotypesoftext(persuasiveand
informative)andcompletea
persuade,informandentertain(PIE)
anchorchartwiththeclassroom
teacher.
I:Theteacherreintroduces
authorspurposebycreatinga
PIE(persuade,inform,entertain)
anchorchart.Theteacherwill
remindstudentsoftextsthey
havereadinthepast,andwill
discusswhyeachtextcanbe
organizedintothePIEchart
usingtheauthorspurpose.

We:Theteacherwillreadaloud
twomentortexts(persuasivetext
andinformativetext)andwillstop
atkeypoints(factandopinions)
andaskstudentstodetermine
whattypeofevidencetheauthor
isusingtosupporthis/her
opinion.Theteacherwillrecord
thisevidenceonaseparate
anchorchartaboutthisparticular
text.Finally,studentsandteacher
willdiscussanddeterminethe
authorspointofvieworpurpose
ofthisparticulartext.
Wed. RI.5.6
W.5.1
I CAN read an
informational text about
a topic and record the
facts, reason and
emotion the author uses
to support their opinion.
Studentswillhighlightevidenceinan
informationaltextandorganize
evidenceusingagraphicorganizer.
I:Theteacherwilldisplayan
excerptfromaninformationaltext
onthewhiteboardusingthe
projector.Theteacherwillread
thetextaloud,stoppingatpoints
inthetextwheretheauthoruses
facts,reasonandemotionto
supporthis/heropinion.The
teacherwilluseahighlighterto
showstudentswherethe
evidenceislocatedinthetext.In
thisfirstexcerpt,theteacherwill
talkthroughhis/herthinkingand
willdisplayaseparategraphic
organizerthathasthree
columns:facts,reasonand
emotion.Theteacherwillthen
organizeafewpiecesof
evidenceforstudentstosee.

We:Theteacherthendisplaysa
secordexcerptfromthesame
textandwillcontinuethesame
Grade5,Unit:OpinionWriting
VictoriaSchwandt
process.Studentswillfollow
alongwiththeirowncopyofthe
text,highlightingandorganizing
evidencewiththeirowngraphic
organizer.
Thurs. RI.5.6
W.5.1
I CAN read an
informational text about
a topic and record the
facts, reason and
emotion the author uses
to support their opinion.
Studentswillhighlightevidenceinan
informationaltextandorganize
evidencebyworkingcollaboratively
andcreatinga3columnchart.
I:Toreiteratekeypointsfromthe
previousdayslesson,the
teacherwillquicklyreviewhow
readerscandeterminewhether
evidenceisfact,reasonor
emotionusingeveryday
examples.

We:Usingtheprocessthatwas
modeledthedaybefore,
studentswillbreakintosmall
groupsof3or4students.Each
groupmemberwillbeassigned
adifferentrole(reader,
factrecorder,reasonrecorder
andemotionrecorder).Students
willreadanexcerptfroman
informationaltextsuppliedbythe
teacherandwillhighlight
evidencethatsupportsthe
authorsopinion.Group
memberswilldecidewherethe
evidenceshouldbecategorized
andwillcreatea3columnchart.
Theteacherwillvisiteachgroup
askinggroupsessential
questionsthatwillkeepthem
focused.
Fri. RI.5.6
W.5.51
I CAN read an
informational text about
a topic and record the
facts, reason and
emotion the author uses
to support their opinion..
Studentswillsharehighlighted
evidencefromaninformationaltextby
presentingtheir3columncharttothe
class.Studentswillalsohighlightand
organizeevidenceinaninformational
textindependentlyusingagraphic
organizer.
We:Studentstake5minutesto
discusswiththeirgroup
memberswhattheywillpresent
totheclass.Groupswilltake
turnspresentingtheirorganized
evidencetotheclassasthe
teacherasksessential
questionsthathelptheteacher
andotherstudentsunderstand
theirrationale.Thestudentsin
theaudiencewillvoteusing
thumbsup,thumbsdownto
saywhetherornottheyagree
withhowacertainpieceof
evidencewasorganized.The
teacherwillrandomlyselect
Grade5,Unit:OpinionWriting
VictoriaSchwandt
studentsintheaudienceto
defendtheirposition.

Week 3 W.5.1 Write opinion

pieces on topics or texts
supporting a point of
view with reasons and
information.

W.5.4 Produce clear and
coherent writing in which
the development and
organizing are
appropriate to task,
purpose and audience.

Mon. W.5.1
W.5.4
I CAN create a
brainstorming web using
facts, reason, and my
point-of-view about a
certain topic.
Studentswillcreateabrainstorming
webusingfacts,reasonandopinion
aboutaCoreDemocraticValue.
I:Teacherwilldiscusswith
studentstheimportanceof
supportingopinionswith
meaningfulevidencefromthe
previousweekslessons.

We:Studentswillhavealready
chosentheCDVtheywillbe
writingaboutduringsocial
studies.Theteacherwillchoose
aCDVthathasnotbeen
assignedtoanystudentandwill
createabrainstormingwebon
theSmartBoard.Studentswill
workwiththeclassroomteacher
tobrainstormevidencethat
supportsthesignificanceofthis
particularCDV.Studentswill
volunteertocometotheboard
andaddtheirideastothe
brainstormingweb.

You:Studentswillbeinstructed
tobegintheirownbrainstorming
webabouttheCDVtheychose,
listingfacts,reasonand/or
pointofviewandemotional
reasonsthatillustratetheCDVs
importanceandmeaning.
Tues. W.5.1
W.5.4
I CAN create a
brainstorming web using
facts, reason and my
point-of-view about a
certain topic.
Studentswillworktogetherasaclass
tocreateadoublewebthinkingmap
usingfacts,reasonandopinionabout
aspecificissueandconnectittothe
brainstormingwebabouttheCDV
fromthepreviousday.
I:Teacherwilldisplaythe
brainstormingmaponthe
SmartBoardthatthestudents
andteacherworked
collaborativelyonfortheprevious
dayslessonabouttheCDV.

Grade5,Unit:OpinionWriting
VictoriaSchwandt
We:Studentswillhaveselected
asocialissueinsocialstudies
theywouldliketowriteabout.
Theteacherwillgiveanexample
ofasimilarissue(i.e.school
uniforms)andcreateadouble
webbrainstormingmapusing
thepreexistingCDVmap.The
teacherwillinformtheclass
whatsideoftheargumentthey
willbesupporting.Studentswill
taketurnsaddingtothe
brainstormingmap.
Wed. W.5.1
W.5.4
I CAN create a
brainstorming web using
facts, reason, and my
point-of-view about a
certain topic.
Studentswillcreateadoubleweb
thinkingmapusingfacts,reasonand
opinionaboutaspecificissueand
connectittotheirbrainstormingweb
abouttheCDVthattheychose.
We:Teacherwilldisplaythe
doublewebthinkingmapthat
theclasshasworked
collaborativelyonpertainingtoa
specificCDVandasocialissue.
Teacherwillaskstudentstowalk
throughthestepsthattheclass
tooktoarrivetothepointthatthey
areatnowinthewritingprocess.

You:Studentswillwork
independentlyontheirdouble
webthinkingmapwiththe
understandingthattheywill
beginformulatingtheiropinions
insentenceformatthenextday.
Duringthelastfiveminutesof
class,studentswill
thinkpairsharewithapartner
sittingnexttothembyreviewing
eachothersmapsandusing
starsandwishes.
Thurs. W.5.1
W.5.4
I CAN determine and
write my own opinion
after considering
multiple sources about a
topic.
Studentswillpracticestatingtheir
opinionindifferentways.
I:Theteacherwilldisplaya
varietyofimagesonthe
Smartboardthatsymbolize
ongoingsocialissuesthatare
beingdiscussedinsocial
studies(i.e.schooluniform,a
foreignflagrepresenting
immigration,lunchboxetc.).The
teacherwillwalkthrougheach
imagestatinghis/heropinion
usingfactorreasonabouteach
issueusingphrasessuchasI
stronglybelieve,myopinionis,in
mypointofviewetc.
Grade5,Unit:OpinionWriting
VictoriaSchwandt
Fri. W.5.1
W.5.4
I CAN determine and
write my own opinion
after considering
multiple sources about a
topic.
Usingtheirbrainstormingmapsand
printed/digitalresourcesaboutthe
issuestheyarewritingabout,
studentswilldetermineandpractice
writingtheiropinionsonlinedpaper.
Studentswillsharetheiropinions
aloudinclass.
I:Theteacherwillbrieflyreview
howtostateopinionsindifferent
ways.

We:Theteacherwilldisplaythe
doublewebbrainstormingmap
ontheSmartBoardalongsidethe
anchorchartwithdifferentways
tostateanopinion.Theteacher
willaskstudentsto
thinkpairsharewithapartner
sittingnexttothemtostatetheir
opinionabouttheissueusing
theCDV.Studentswillshare
aloudwiththeclassasthe
teacherredirectstheir
phrasing/thinking.

You:Studentswillpractice
writingtheiropinionsusingthe
CDVtheychoseinmultipleways
onlinedpaper.Forthelastten
minutesofclass,studentswill
passtheirpapersaroundina
circleattheirtable.Eachstudent
willwriteastarandwishnextto
theopiniontheyfeelisworded
thebestandwhichopinion
needsthemostimprovement.
Studentswillpasstheirpapers
untileverypersonattheirtable
hashadachancetorevieweach
opinionassignment.