Best-of-Smekens Writing Conference:
Writing Remix 2019
SECRET SITE
Writing About Reading
SESSION 4
Generate Opinion-Based Reading Responses
Read the world
Identify topics you care about. List things wrong with the world.
Things Wrong in the World | List Template
Things Wrong in the World | Sentence Template
Parent letter to support letter-writing unit
Identify character perspectives
Read literature that reveals multiple perspectives.
Choose a side in 4 steps
Watch the kindergartners at Concord South Elementary discern between duck details and rabbit details based on Duck! Rabbit!
Move away from letting kids choose a side based on preference. Rather, teach them the four steps to identifying the strongest position.
Teach students to first chart the perspectives before choosing a position to align with.
Introduce the what and why structure
The writing standards expect students to repeat their opinion and provide a sense of closure.
Write responses with evidence
