Opinion Writing in Grades 1-3: RECYCLING

Adapted by Angel Peavler, KWP RSPDI Team

bfrom NWP i3 College Ready Writers Program and Kentucky Writing Project

2

Writing Reading Argument MINI-UNITEmphasis

# of Lessons

ARGUMENT SKILLS PRODUCT ELEMENTS OF

ARGUMENT CLOSE READING STRATEGIES

RESPONSE TO READINGS TOPICS

Draft, Feedback, Revise, Reflect Close reading strategies

Writing & talking to develop knowledge on

topic or issue

Using text-based evidence to support an opinion

4 Lessons

Entering Skills:• Using Flipbook

format for writing• Partner sharing• Ind. sentence writing

in response to a question

Foundational Skills: • Giving text-based

evidence• Citing the source

Digging Deeper:• Finding an audience

Product: Multi-page flipbook (First I Thought, Then I Learned, Now I Think)

Researching to make an informed opinion

Giving reasons based on evidence

Reading or Viewing TWICE

Scaffolded writing:First I Thought, Then I Learned, Now I Think)

SHOULD WE RECYCLE?

3 shared readings (image, video, article)

Mini-Unit Overview

Writing Standards Emphasized in the Mini-Unit

• Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic.

• Write opinion pieces in which they state an opinion, giving reasons.

• Write opinion pieces in which they provide a concluding statement or section.

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4

Introduce research question (inquiry)

Begin Flip Book

First I Thought: Write in response to research question.

Study first image

Partner share

Study text in the image

Partner share

Then I Learned: Write in response to research question.

Watch video

Partner share

Watch again, with sentence stems in hand to aid note-taking

Partner share

Then I Learned: Continue writing in response to research question.

Read article twice (guided and then partner reading)

Add to “Then I Learned” entry.

Re-read flip book.

Write a conclusion (“Now I Think…”) that shares opinion about the research question (Should We Recycle?)

Partner sharing

Optional Class discussion: Who needs to know this? How could we share what we know?

Mini-Unit Sequence

Starting Our Flip Book

Should we recycle? Write this on the flap.

This is our research question.

Should we recycle?

What do you think?

Think-Pair-Share

Should we recycle?

What did you and your partner think?

• I don’t know if we should recycle.

• I think we should recycle because_______________.

• I think we should not recycle because ___________.

Page 1 of Our Flip Book

Should we recycle?

First I thought…

Write this on the next flap.

Fill the first flap: First I thought…First I thought…

Remember what you and your partner talked about? Use the space HERE to explain your thinking.

Should we recycle?

First Reading: Study the image. Turn and talk: What do you notice about this picture of a landfill?

Text #1Now let’s start our research. We’ll look at several texts to gather information about recycling.

We’ll read this text TWICE and write about it TWICE.

What Did We Say in Partner Talks?

• After observing the picture of the landfill, I noticed that ________________________.

• I learned that ______________________.

• The picture shows that _______________.

Capturing our thinking

What Did We Say in Partner Talks?

• After observing the picture of the landfill, I noticed that lots of things we throw away could be reused.

• I learned that our garbage goes to a landfill.

• The picture says that if more people would recycle we wouldn’t need so many landfills. I wonder if that is true.

STUDENT SAMPLES

Page 2 of Our Flip Book

Should we recycle?

First I thought…

Then I learned…

Write this on the next flap.

Let’s continue writing: Then I learned…Then I learned…

Use the space to explain what you noticed about the picture.

In a moment we’ll add more facts.

Should we recycle?

Now let’s take a second look.

Let’s examine the information! What do the numbers tell us?

Text #1

What Did We Learn from the Numbers?

• After reading the text, I found out that ________________________.

• The text shows that ____________________.

• The chart says _______________________.

Capturing our thinking

What Did We Learn the Second Time?

• After reading the text, I found out that we throw away paper, plastic, metal, paper, grass clippings.

• The text shows that 81% of landfill trash can be recycled.

• The chart says that most of what we throw away is paper.

Student Samples

We’re Still on Page 2 of Our Flip Book

Should we recycle?

First I thought…

Then I learned…

(HERE)

Let’s continue writing: Then I learned…Then I learned…

Now we’ll add more facts. You may use ideas we recorded as a class or you may write your own sentences.

More RESEARCH!

What did you learn about recycling from watching this video?

Share with a partner.

Text #2

Is recycling worth it? CBS News

What Did We Say in Partner Talks?

• After watching the CBS News clip “Is Recycling Worth It?” , I learned ___________________.

• According to the Deputy Commissioner of NYC Sanitation Department, ________________.

• The CBS News clip “Is Recycling Worth It?” reports that ___________________.

Watch again and capture

your thinking.

What Did We Note the Second Time?• After watching the CBS News clip “Is Recycling

Worth It?”, I learned that if we recycled we would save tens of millions of dollars.

• According to the Deputy Commissioner of NYC Sanitation Department, 2/3 of our waste is recyclable.

• The CBS News clip “Is Recycling Worth It?” reports that the NYC Sanitation Department gets paid to recycle paper.

Student Samples

Return to Our Flip Book

Should we recycle?

First I thought…

Then I learned… Find this spot. Here you will continue recording new learning about recycling. Use the back of the sheet, if needed.

Use the back of the flap or add a new sheet, if needed: Then I Learned…

Then I Learned…

Use the space to explain facts about conserving natural resources that you learned from the video.

A Way to Help Planet EarthText #3Let’s READ and RESEARCH to find out more!

Listen as the text is read aloud.

Then partner-read this page before talking about what you’ve learned.

A Way to Help Planet EarthText #3

Listen as the text is read aloud.

Put your finger on the picture that matches what you are hearing.

Re-read the text with your partner before talking about what you’ve learned.

Let’s capture things we learned about Recycling

After reading “A Way to Help Planet Earth”, I learned __________________________.

“Time for Kids” explains that ______________.

Based on what I read in “A Way to Help Planet Earth”, _________________________________.

Let’s capture things we learned about Conserving Natural Resources

After reading “A Way to Help Planet Earth”, I learned that everyone can recycle, even kids.

“Time for Kids” explains that an old bottle can become something bigger and better if you recycle.

Based on what I read in “A Way to Help Planet Earth”, I think we should recycle so the Earth isn’t covered with trash.

Student Samples

Use the back of the flap: Then I Learned…

Then I Learned…

Go back to this same page.

Explain what you learned about conserving natural resources after reading “A Way to Help Planet Earth.”

You may use ideas we listed as a class or you may write your own sentences.

Finishing Our Flip Book

Should we recycle?

First I thought…

Then I learned…

Now I think… Write this on the last flap. THEN RE-READ YOUR FLIP BOOK!

Fill the last flap: Now I think…Now I think…

After re-reading your flip book and thinking about the research we have done, you should have some ideas about what we should do about trash or about conserving natural resources.

Use this last space to explain your thinking. In other words, now that you’ve done the research, should we recycle?

Sharing

• Read your flip book to your partner.• Talk about ways you plan to recycle!

Something to think about…

Digging Deeper…. (optional)

Class discussion topic: Who needs to know this? How could we share what we know?

Next Steps

• Students could take their new learning about conserving natural resources to another audience, developing posters or creating a podcast.

• Students could develop other flip books on new topics, using the same process.

• A revision study could be planned. Students would select ONE flip book to turn into a polished piece.