I have always enjoyed teaching opinion writing to K-1 students. Opinion writing is more motivating, as we all know they have opinions they love sharing!
However, getting K-1 students to include a reason for their opinion can be tricky.
Over the past eight years, I have used these books to launch our opinion writing unit. They have helped my students understand why their opinion need a reason in an engaging way!
The result of our unit is to have our students choose an author and talk about which book is their favorite and why.
To get them to that point, I like to start with these books. They all include fun characters, and each character gives excellent reasons for what they are thinking and feeling.
Since the goal is for students to give 1-2 reasons why they feel that way about a topic - these books will inspire them to do that with ease!
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Duck! Rabbit!
Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld is about two kids trying to decide if they are looking at a duck or a rabbit. Every time they say what animal, they explain their reasoning.
I always read this book twice, the first time just straight through. On the second read, we stop and talk about the reason why they think it is either a duck or a rabbit.
Then we take a vote for what they each think. They share their reason with their partner, using the word because to help them be ready when it is time to write their opinion.
After that, they draw what they think it is and, write a sentence, giving their reason.
Hey, Little Ant!
Hey, Little Ant, by Philip and Hannah Hoose, is an excellent opinion book. It provides many great examples of reasons for each character. The ant explains why he should not get squished, and the boy explains why he wants to squish him.
Voting as a class after the story allows them to hear more reasons for each side if they are still struggling with thinking of their own.
Then it is their turn to draw their opinion and write a sentence giving a reason for it.
I always like to incorporate artwork with our opinion writing as well. Some of my students prefer to do the illustration first, and I find it does help to motivate them too!
The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs
The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka - looking at this classic story from the wolf's perspective will get any class talking about their opinion!
This book is always one of my class's favorite read alouds, and they do a great job explaining their reasoning as to who is the guilty party.
The Day the Crayons Quit
The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt is an engaging read-aloud for when your students are beginning to feel more comfortable with opinion writing. There are more characters to choose from, giving them more freedom to choose and be creative! Each crayon provides a variety of reasons for quitting too.
We usually make a chart with each crayon and list all the reasons why they quit. It makes a great visual for their writing pieces!
The Day the Crayons Came Home
My students love the sequel too, The Day the Crayons Came Home! It is another engaging read-aloud, that provides your students with many reasons why the crayons come back.
These books have helped my students understand opinion writing and made launching this unit fun!
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