March Madness Sports Opinion Writing Step-by-Step (Would You Rather)

Would you rather be a basketball player or baseball player? 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 sports 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:

March Madness or sports unit study

• Writing lessons or centers

• P.E. or health 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.
  
  SPORTS INCLUDE:
  
  Baseball 

  Basketball 

  Bobsledding

  Cricket 

  Curling 

  Cycling

  Field hockey 

  Figure skating

  Football

  Gymnastics

  High jumping

  Ice hockey

  Lacrosse

  Long jumping

  Long-distance running

  Show jumping

  Skiing

  Snowboarding

  Soccer

  Speed skating

  Sprinting

  Swimming

  Tennis

  Volleyball
  
  CROSS-CURRICULAR SUBJECTS COVERED:
  
  Art (drawing and coloring)

• English language arts

• Grammar

• Health

• Reading

• Research

• Science

• Spelling

• Writing

78 PDF pages:

Teacher instructions

Topic cards (24 in color and 24 in B&W; 276 unique combinations of the sports)

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 helpful bookmarks