How To Teach Opinion Writing in Kindergarten

If there is one thing that most kindergarteners are good at, it is telling you their opinion. Kindergarteners will tell you what they think about things whether or not you want to hear it. I was once told that my outfit looked like a lunch lady, and once when I cut my hair a sweet little girl let me know that she definitely likes it long. So really, this unit should be a piece of cake for them because trust me, they get the concept.

Unfortunately, there is a lot more to persuasive writing than just blatantly shouting out your feelings about things. Luckily, I have created this unit as a step-by-step guide for you to help your students turn their… very strong… opinions into a lovely persuasive book about their thoughts and feelings. This four-week Opinion Unit will support your students in becoming confident writers. Kindergarten students will learn the difference between fact and opinion, pick a topic they have a strong opinion on, and list reasons why they have that opinion.

What does this look like in the classroom? 

This unit, along with all my other writing units, is built with the idea that to successfully grow your students into independent writers, you must teach writing slowly. Lesson one begins with teaching your students the basics of fact and opinion. From there, you will begin to discuss your students' opinions orally and ask them to also share the ‘why’ behind those opinions. The unit includes worksheets and simple writing pages to help your students begin forming these opinions and reasonings. 

Next, students will create a graphic organizer and pick a topic. Then you will lead the class through the writing of their book page by page. Writers will come up with one reason, draw a picture, and write a sentence using a sentence frame. Once they have completed one page you will move onto the next and continue the process until their rough draft is complete. 

When the rough draft is complete your writer's workshop time will be filled with little editors! They will work with partners or individually to review and edit their books until they have created their final copy. 

Within the four-week lesson template, you will also find lessons on revising and editing, labeling pictures, using an opinion checklist, and creating a cover and title page. 

What is included in this unit? 

The Opinion Unit includes 19 scripted lesson plans designed so that you can print and go! You’ll find a list of mentor text options that allow your students to see and hear examples of persuasive writing. Within the bundle you will also have access to 7 different worksheets to practice opinion writing, 3 rough draft options, and 7 final book options. Each of these includes differentiated options so that you can meet students where they are at and provide them with the materials they need to be successful. 

Teachers are busy enough without having to create their own anchor charts, parent letters, and rubrics so I have provided you with all of the above as well. 

You can see a complete list of everything included here! 

This all sounds amazing, but how do I know if my classroom is ready for it?

If your students are confident illustrators, can label and sound out words, and write sentences using a basic sentence starter then they are ready for this unit. If they are still struggling with some of these skills or you feel they need a refresh, I would suggest going back a bit to solidify those skill sets. 

The Illustration Unit would be an excellent place to start if your students need help with drawing detailed drawings. The Labeling Unit would be my next go-to if you are looking to help your students build on their ability to sound out words.  The Narrative Unit and How-To Unit both focus on drawing illustrations and writing sentences but have a more structured review of the basic skills needed to write sentences (using an alphabet chart to sound out words, using a word wall to write words they know, etc.). 

You can find my entire Kindergarten Writing Bundle here! 

Whether you teach these units during a writer's workshop block or a different portion of your day, following these lessons your students will be well on their way to independent writing! If you are looking for other resources to amp up your writing block, you can find a list of all my developmentally appropriate writing resources here!

Want Amanda's new mentor texts? Get them here! These are physical books and are not included in the digital download. You can absolutely teach this unit without the mentor text, but having a clear, supporting text makes introducing a new skill even easier.