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If you have read this blog entry, please send in a piece of paper with your child's name and the sentence, "I read the blog!" The students who bring this to me will get a sticker.
Writing
Our first writing genre is opinion. Students began writing opinions in first grade. In first grade, students must have four sentences in their opinion paragraph, in the following pattern:
Opinion sentence (topic sentence)
Reason sentence to support opinion
Elaboration sentence to explain the reason (or another reason)
Opinion is restated as the concluding sentence.
What's that spell? OREO! This acronym makes it easier for students to remember. A typical FIRST GRADE opinion paragraph might look like this:
Winter is the best season. I like to visit the snow during the winter. It is fun to build snowmen. I love winter!
In second grade, we expand on this by adding more sentence VARIETY, adding lots of adverbs and adjectives, using transition words, and including a total of three reasons and elaborations. The pattern is like this:
Opinion sentence (topic sentence)
Reason sentence to support opinion
Elaboration sentence to explain the reason
Reason sentence to support opinion
Elaboration sentence to explain the reason
Reason sentence to support opinion
Elaboration sentence to explain the reason
Opinion is restated as the concluding sentence.
It's like a triple stuffed Oreo. O-RE-RE-RE-O! Each reason and elaboration can be two separate sentences, or can be combined into one sentence. A typical SECOND GRADE opinion paragraph that earns a score of 3 might look like this:
Winter is the best season. Visiting the snow during the winter is exciting because it is fun to build snowmen with the icy, wet snow. Also, I enjoy drinking hot, chocolatey cocoa. It is so delicious and warms me up after playing in the snow. Finally, Christmas happens in the middle of winter. My family always drives through our neighborhood to see the pretty decorations on the houses. I love winter!
Please practice at home, at least orally. Need some ideas? Ask about favorites. Or, ask about least favorite things.
If you have read this blog entry, please send in a piece of paper with your child's name and the sentence, "I read the blog!" The students who bring this to me will get a sticker.
Writing
Our first writing genre is opinion. Students began writing opinions in first grade. In first grade, students must have four sentences in their opinion paragraph, in the following pattern:
Opinion sentence (topic sentence)
Reason sentence to support opinion
Elaboration sentence to explain the reason (or another reason)
Opinion is restated as the concluding sentence.
What's that spell? OREO! This acronym makes it easier for students to remember. A typical FIRST GRADE opinion paragraph might look like this:
Winter is the best season. I like to visit the snow during the winter. It is fun to build snowmen. I love winter!
In second grade, we expand on this by adding more sentence VARIETY, adding lots of adverbs and adjectives, using transition words, and including a total of three reasons and elaborations. The pattern is like this:
Opinion sentence (topic sentence)
Reason sentence to support opinion
Elaboration sentence to explain the reason
Reason sentence to support opinion
Elaboration sentence to explain the reason
Reason sentence to support opinion
Elaboration sentence to explain the reason
Opinion is restated as the concluding sentence.
It's like a triple stuffed Oreo. O-RE-RE-RE-O! Each reason and elaboration can be two separate sentences, or can be combined into one sentence. A typical SECOND GRADE opinion paragraph that earns a score of 3 might look like this:
Winter is the best season. Visiting the snow during the winter is exciting because it is fun to build snowmen with the icy, wet snow. Also, I enjoy drinking hot, chocolatey cocoa. It is so delicious and warms me up after playing in the snow. Finally, Christmas happens in the middle of winter. My family always drives through our neighborhood to see the pretty decorations on the houses. I love winter!
Please practice at home, at least orally. Need some ideas? Ask about favorites. Or, ask about least favorite things.
- What's your favorite pizza topping?
- What's your favorite fruit?
- What's your least favorite vegetable?
- Which do you like best: Minecraft, My Little Pony, Pokémon, or Spiderman?
- Which do you like best: K'nex, Legos, Tinker Toys, or another building toy?
- What's the best ride at Disneyland?
- Who is the most interesting character in your child's favorite movie/book?