Earth Day Opinion Writing Step-by-Step (Would You Rather)

Would you rather take 4-minute showers or plant your own garden? If you need an engaging way to teach opinion writing, look no further than this step-by-step unit!

Perfect for elementary teachers and homeschoolers alike, this LOW PREP resource covers the five steps of opinion writing—research and brainstorming; reasons and examples; introduction and conclusion; draft, edit, and revise; and final draft—using a cross-curricular approach and Earth Day theme.

Each day's lesson addresses one step. Differentiated graphic organizers—primary lines, regular lines, and no lines—are included to match the student's handwriting skill level.

A GREAT ADDITION TO YOUR:

Earth Day unit study

• Writing lessons or centers

• Science class

• ...or just for fun!
  
  HOW IT WORKS:
  
  Each student picks or is assigned 2 topics from the cards to research (individually or in small groups)

• Select one of the included writing prompts or use the blank one to create your own

• Starting with research and brainstorming, students complete one opinion writing step each day

• Students present their final draft—orally or using the included graphic organizers—in response to the assigned writing prompt
  
  Help your students become expert opinion writers! Whether you're looking for an introduction to opinion writing or an assessment of prior knowledge, this resource has something for everyone. 
  
  WAYS TO HELP THE EARTH INCLUDE:
  
  Appreciate our plants

• Eat organic when you can

• Get a solar calculator

• Only turn on the washing machine for a full load

• Use natural cleaning products

• Plant your own garden

• Protect the animals

• Recycle

• Reuse

• Ride a bike

• Ride the bus

• Save water

• Switch off the lights

• Take 4-minute showers
  
  CROSS-CURRICULAR SUBJECTS COVERED:
  
  Art (drawing and coloring)

• English language arts

• Grammar

• Reading

• Research

• Science

• Spelling

• Writing

80 PDF pages

Teacher instructions

Topic cards (28 in color and 28 in B&W; 91 unique combinations of the 14 Earth Day topics)

Mix and match research report pages

Differentiated opinion writing graphic organizers (3 levels)

Step-by-step opinion writing instructions and checklists

Sentences starters and transitions

BONUS DOWNLOAD: Anchor charts, writing rubrics, and student bookmarks