55 Opinion Writing Prompts For 5th Graders
I believe that libraries should be open twenty-four hours a day. Keeping libraries open would give people who work odd hours the opportunity to use the services offered. It also gives unhoused individuals somewhere to go when the weather is bad at night. In addition…
Learning to form an opinion and supporting it is an important part of your education.
It makes you a stronger writer and it teaches you how to properly research things that are important to you.
Check out our list of prompts below, and get ready to write!
Using This Guide
There is no right or wrong way to use this guide. As long as you’re practicing the skills you’ve learned in school, you’re already on the right track. But if you need some ideas to help you get started, try one of these ideas:
- Scroll through the list and pick the first prompt that jumps out at you.
- Add today’s month and date, and use that number.
- Ask your teacher which topic they think you would be most interested in.
Pick a Prompt and Go!
- Which subject is the most important for students to learn? Why?
- Is it better to take risks or to be careful?
- Do you think sports should be segregated by gender? Why or why not?
- Is it important for kids to know about current events?
- Do you think school lunches should be healthier?
- Should students be allowed at parent-teacher conferences?
- Do you think students should be required to learn cursive? Why or why not?
- Should students be allowed to choose their teacher?
- Why do you think your favorite professional sports is team the best?
- Should Black history be taught more than just one month out of the year?
- Do you think 5th graders need cell phones?
- Would you rather wear a uniform to school, or casual clothes? Why?
- Should students have several short breaks throughout the day, or one long break?
- Are cell phones the biggest distraction in class? If not, what is?
- Do you think homework should be mandatory?
- Write a persuasive essay to your principal asking for a later start time.
- Would it be better to start and end school one hour earlier, or one hour later?
- Should students be required to read classic literature?
- Which type of pet is the best?
- Should students be allowed to pick where they sit in class?
- Should schools grade on a pass/fail basis or keep the A-F scale?
- Would you rather be the very best at one thing, or “just okay” at a bunch of things?
- You just caught your best friend cheating on a test. Do you tell the teacher? Why or why not?
- Should competitive gaming be considered a sport?
- Should students be paid for going to school? If so, what should they be paid for, and how much?
- Should schools teach more LGBT+ history?
- Do schools do enough to prevent bullying?
- What is the best video game ever made? Why?
- Should kids get to choose their own bedtime?
- In your opinion, is virtual school more or less beneficial than in-person learning?
- Is it important to try new things?
- Should students be required to take PE?
- Are mental health days important for students?
- Does your city do enough to help the environment?
- Do you prefer sweet or salty treats?
- Would you rather be too hot or too cold?
- Do you think aliens are real?
- Should students be required to take an art or music class? Why?
- What is the best board game ever made? Why?
- Is it important for everyone to learn at least one foreign language?
- Is cold pizza a tasty breakfast?
- Who is the better hero: Harry Potter or Percy Jackson?
- Are 5th graders responsible enough to babysit?
- What is the best book ever, and why?
- Should etiquette be taught in schools?
- Is your city a good place to live?
- Should students be allowed to be more involved in school politics?
- Do grades really matter? Why or why not?
- What do you think is the hardest job in the world?
- Should kids be allowed more screen time?
- Are schools inclusive and accessible enough? What more could they do?
- Who is the best Marvel hero? Why?
- Should the voting age be lowered? If so, to what age?
- Is social media harmful to preteens and teens?
- Which season is the best? Why?
Looking For More?
If you’re looking for more prompts, activities, and homework resources, we’ve got you covered.
And if you’re looking for something specific but can’t find it, let us know! We’d love to hear from you.
Opinion Writing Prompts 5th Grade: Express Your Insights
My name is Debbie, and I am passionate about developing a love for the written word and planting a seed that will grow into a powerful voice that can inspire many.
1. Engaging Opinion Writing Prompts to Nurture Critical Thinking Skills
2. promoting self-expression: captivating writing ideas for 5th graders, 3. crafting compelling arguments: inspiring topics for opinion pieces, 4. encouraging empathy and perspective-taking through opinion writing, 5. fostering a love for writing: exciting prompts for 5th grade opinion essays, 6. immerse in real-world issues: thought-provoking writing prompts for young minds, 7. nurturing strong communication skills: opinion writing activities and prompts, 8. enhancing analytical thinking: stimulating opinion writing prompts for 5th graders, frequently asked questions, the conclusion.
Looking for thought-provoking writing prompts to stimulate your critical thinking skills? Look no further! Our engaging selection of opinion writing prompts is designed to challenge your perspectives and encourage you to think critically about various topics. Whether you’re a student honing your analytical abilities or an individual seeking intellectual stimulation, these prompts will help you develop your critical thinking skills in a fun and interactive way.
Our carefully curated collection of opinion writing prompts covers a wide range of subjects, allowing you to explore multiple areas of interest. From current events and social issues to personal beliefs and ethical dilemmas, our prompts offer a diverse set of topics to ensure a stimulating experience for every writer. By expressing your opinions, analyzing different viewpoints, and supporting your arguments with evidence, you will strengthen your critical thinking abilities and enhance your ability to articulate your thoughts effectively.
- Encourage exploration: Our prompts are designed to spark curiosity and prompt in-depth research, allowing you to dive deeper into various subjects.
- Promote analysis: By presenting prompts that require you to evaluate multiple perspectives, we foster critical thinking by encouraging you to assess information critically.
- Develop argumentation skills: Crafting well-supported arguments helps exercise your critical thinking muscles and enhances your ability to communicate effectively.
- Foster open-mindedness: Engaging with diverse opinions and beliefs through our prompts will nurture an open-minded approach to different perspectives.
Dive into our collection of engaging opinion writing prompts and unlock the potential of your critical thinking skills. Challenge yourself, broaden your horizons, and sharpen your analytical abilities like never before!
Engaging 5th graders in the world of writing can be an exciting journey of self-expression and creativity. Here, we present a variety of interesting writing ideas to help your 5th graders unleash their imagination and develop their writing skills. Encourage them to express their thoughts, emotions, and experiences through captivating compositions that will leave readers wanting more.
1. Travel Diary: Imagine you are visiting a place that has always fascinated you. Write a descriptive travel diary entry capturing the sights, sounds, and even the local culture of your dream destination. Don’t forget to include personal experiences and memorable moments!
2. Dear Future Me: Write a heartfelt letter to your future self. Share your aspirations, goals, and dreams for the person you’ll become. Reflect on the lessons you’ve learned and the achievements you hope to accomplish as you grow older.
3. Superhero Tale: Create your own superhero and write an action-packed story featuring their incredible adventures. Consider their superpowers, challenges they face, and the impact they make on society. Let your imagination soar!
4. Poetry Corner: Explore the magic of poetry by writing a heartfelt poem about a significant person, place, or event in your life. Experiment with different rhyming schemes or forms such as haiku or sonnet, and let your words flow like a river!
5. Pet Adventure: Imagine that your beloved pet embarks on an unexpected adventure. Write an engaging narrative that chronicles their thrilling journey filled with unexpected twists and turns. Don’t forget to convey their emotions and the lessons they learn along the way!
Encourage your 5th graders to embrace these writing ideas as a canvas for their unique thoughts and ideas. Let them showcase their creativity and watch as their passion for writing flourishes!
Opinion pieces are a powerful platform to express your thoughts, influence public opinion, and ignite meaningful discussions. To craft a compelling argument, it is crucial to select inspiring topics that captivate readers and stimulate their curiosity. Here are some thought-provoking subject areas to consider:
- Climate change activism: Explore the urgency of combating climate change, the importance of renewable energy sources, or the impact of climate policies on future generations.
- Ethical considerations in technology: Delve into the ethical dilemmas surrounding artificial intelligence, privacy issues in social media, or the consequences of technological advancements on employment.
- Gender equality and feminism: Discuss the progress made towards gender equality, the challenges still faced by women in society, or the importance of intersectionality in the feminist movement.
- Education reform: Investigate the need for innovative teaching methods, the influence of standardized testing on students, or the benefits of inclusive education.
Remember, the key to creating compelling arguments lies in presenting well-researched facts, engaging anecdotes, and persuasive reasoning. Choose topics that align with your passions and leverage the power of your words to inspire change and spark dialogue.
Opinion writing provides a valuable opportunity for students to develop their empathy and perspective-taking skills. By taking a stance on a particular issue and presenting their own arguments, students are encouraged to consider alternative viewpoints and understand the experiences and emotions of others. This process fosters a diverse range of perspectives and nurtures a sense of empathy in the classroom.
Here’s how you can encourage empathy and perspective-taking through opinion writing:
- Choose thought-provoking topics: Select topics that are relevant and meaningful to students’ lives. This will encourage them to invest emotionally in their writing and develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter.
- Promote research and critical thinking: Encourage students to research different perspectives on an issue before forming their own opinion. This empowers them to critically evaluate information, challenge assumptions, and develop a well-rounded argument.
- Explore real-life experiences: Encourage students to incorporate personal anecdotes or stories from others to support their arguments. This not only makes their writing more relatable but also helps them connect with the experiences and emotions of others.
- Facilitate respectful discussions: Create a safe space for students to express their opinions and engage in respectful dialogue with their classmates. This allows them to understand and appreciate differing viewpoints, fostering empathy and perspective-taking in the process.
Incorporating these strategies into opinion writing lessons can promote a more inclusive and empathetic classroom environment. Encouraging students to consider different perspectives through their writing not only enhances their critical thinking skills but also cultivates empathy, an essential attribute for fostering understanding and compassion in our increasingly interconnected world.
Encouraging students to develop a love for writing is an essential part of their educational journey. Opinion essays provide a wonderful opportunity for 5th graders to express their thoughts and ideas in a structured and persuasive manner. To make the writing process more enjoyable and engaging, here are some exciting prompts that will spark their creativity and inspire them to express their opinions with confidence:
- If I Could Create a New Rule: This prompt allows students to think outside the box and imagine a world where they have the power to make a new rule. They can explore different aspects of their lives or society that they would like to change and provide strong arguments for their opinion.
- The Best Superpower: In this prompt, students can let their imagination run wild and discuss what superpower they would choose if given the chance. They can explain why they believe that particular superpower would have the greatest positive impact on the world or their own lives.
By presenting these thrilling prompts, students will not only have fun while writing but also develop their critical thinking skills. Encourage them to gather evidence, think logically, and organize their thoughts effectively. Remember to provide opportunities for peer sharing and feedback to further enhance their writing abilities. With these stimulating prompts, 5th graders will discover the joy of expressing their opinions through the power of the written word!
Are you a young and aspiring writer? Do you want to use your writing skills to tackle real-world issues? Look no further! Our collection of thought-provoking writing prompts is here to help you immerse in the world of critical thinking and problem-solving.
With these prompts, you can explore a wide range of topics, from climate change and social inequality to technological advancements and global health crises. Each prompt is carefully designed to make you think deeply and reflect on the consequences of these pressing issues.
- Consider the impact of climate change on your local community.
- Imagine a world without poverty and brainstorm actionable steps to achieve it.
- Explore the ethical implications of artificial intelligence in healthcare.
- Analyze the role of social media in shaping public opinion.
- Discuss the challenges faced by refugees and propose ways to support them.
By engaging with these prompts, you will sharpen your writing skills, develop empathy, and gain a deeper understanding of the world around you. So grab a pen, embrace your creativity, and let your words be a catalyst for change!
In today’s fast-paced and interconnected world, effective communication is a fundamental skill that can open numerous doors of opportunity. Opinion writing is a powerful tool to develop and nurture strong communication skills in students. By expressing their thoughts and ideas on various topics, students improve their ability to articulate opinions and support their arguments with logical reasoning. Here are some creative activities and prompts that can help foster these skills:
- Debate Club: Encourage students to engage in lively debates that promote listening, critical thinking, and persuasive speaking. Prompt them with controversial topics like “Should homework be abolished?” or “Is social media a positive influence?”. This activity enhances their ability to present a convincing argument while respecting differing opinions.
- Opinion Journals: Have students maintain opinion journals where they can express their thoughts on current events or personal experiences. It allows them to reflect on their own perspectives, refine their writing skills, and develop the habit of effectively communicating their ideas in writing.
Furthermore, organizing classroom discussions or mock interviews relating to real-world scenarios can significantly enhance students’ ability to express themselves confidently. Assigning opinion-based essays or asking students to write persuasive letters to support causes they care about also strengthens their communication skills. By integrating these engaging activities and prompts into the curriculum, educators not only nurture strong communication skills, but also empower students to become effective communicators who can express their ideas with clarity, coherence, and conviction.
Developing analytical thinking skills is essential in nurturing young minds. To bolster this skill set in 5th graders, it’s crucial to encourage them to express their opinions in writing. Opinion writing not only fosters critical thinking, but also enhances creative thought processes. Here are some engaging prompts that will get your 5th graders thinking critically and expressing their thoughts in a structured manner:
- Should homework be abolished? Encourage students to weigh the pros and cons of completing assignments outside of the classroom. Urge them to provide evidence to support their stance and consider the impact homework has on their learning experience.
- Is it better to be the oldest or youngest sibling? This topic sparks lively discussions as students debate the advantages and disadvantages of each position within the family hierarchy. Prompt them to consider personal experiences or examples from literature or other media.
- Are school uniforms necessary? Explore this classic topic by encouraging students to critically evaluate the impact of uniforms on individuality, self-expression, and overall school atmosphere.
By engaging 5th graders in opinion writing using these stimulating prompts, educators can promote analytical thinking and help students improve their ability to articulate their thoughts effectively. Encourage them to support their opinions with substantial reasoning and evidence. Remember, exploring diverse perspectives is key to honing their analytical skills, so encourage lively debates and discussions among your students. Together, let’s nurture their critical thinking abilities and foster a love for expressing their thoughts in writing!
Q: What are opinion writing prompts for 5th grade? A: Opinion writing prompts for 5th grade are thought-provoking questions or statements that encourage young students to express their personal viewpoints on various topics.
Q: Why are opinion writing prompts important for 5th graders? A: Opinion writing prompts play a crucial role in 5th grade education as they help develop critical thinking, creative expression, and persuasive writing skills. These prompts empower students to form their own opinions, support them with evidence, and communicate their thoughts effectively.
Q: How do opinion writing prompts benefit 5th graders? A: Opinion writing prompts offer a range of benefits to 5th graders, such as improving their articulation skills, fostering their ability to analyze multiple perspectives, enhancing their vocabulary and grammar, and strengthening their overall writing abilities. These prompts also encourage students to become more self-aware and confident in expressing their unique thoughts.
Q: What types of topics can be covered by opinion writing prompts for 5th graders? A: Opinion writing prompts for 5th graders can cover a wide array of topics, including social issues, personal experiences, ethical dilemmas, literature, current events, and more. This diversity allows students to engage with various areas of interest and expands their understanding of the world around them.
Q: How can teachers use opinion writing prompts effectively in the classroom? A: Teachers can effectively incorporate opinion writing prompts into their classroom by providing clear instructions and examples, encouraging active class discussions, providing ample time for brainstorming, and offering guidance through the writing process. Additionally, teachers can use prompts as an opportunity to instill open-mindedness, respect for differing opinions, and critical evaluation of arguments.
Q: Can opinion writing prompts enhance students’ critical thinking skills? A: Yes, opinion writing prompts are an excellent tool for improving critical thinking skills in 5th graders. By presenting prompts that require students to evaluate different perspectives, students learn to analyze and integrate information, consider alternatives, and develop well-reasoned arguments to support their opinions.
Q: Is there a recommended format for writing an opinion essay using these prompts? A: While there is no strict format for opinion essays, it is generally suggested to structure them with an introduction stating the writer’s opinion, body paragraphs explaining and supporting their viewpoint with evidence, and a conclusion restating the main opinion and summarizing the main arguments.
Q: Are there any additional resources available to help 5th graders with their opinion writing skills? A: Yes, there are numerous resources available online, including writing guides, worksheets, and interactive platforms specifically designed to assist 5th graders in honing their opinion writing skills. Teachers, parents, and schools can also provide valuable support by offering feedback and encouragement throughout the writing process.
In conclusion, opinion writing prompts for 5th graders offer a valuable opportunity to develop critical thinking skills and express personal perspectives. By engaging in this type of writing, students can enhance their communication abilities while learning to value and respect diverse opinions.
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Scaffolding an Opinion Writing Essay With Frames and Templates
Teaching opinion writing to your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade students soon? Use the sentence starters and paragraph frames below in your lessons to help students structure their writing, use transitional words, stay on topic, and support their opinions.
Templates like the examples below are a great way to introduce opinion writing. The hope is that eventually, students will go on to write without a provided outline and add a little of their own personality to their writing, but starting off with a clear structure helps students learn to become better writers.
Start Small - With Opinion Writing Sentence Starters or Frames
3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students love giving their opinions, so help them structure their opinions with sentence starters and frames. This is a great way to introduce opinion writing and doesn't frustrate students.
Providing structure is especially beneficial for your ELL and low language students, but ALL students can improve their writing with this scaffolding.
Some example sentence starters are below. Depending on the topic being discussed and the opinion being shared, not all sentence frames will work in all situations. Adapt them for your particular scenario!
Example Sentence Starters
- In my opinion, _____ is better than _____ because _____.
- The best thing about _____ is _____.
- I am strongly against _____ because _____.
- Although some people believe _____, I believe _____.
- Ever since _____, I have believed _____.
Using a Paragraph Template or Frame
Example paragraph frames.
In my opinion, __________ is better than __________ because __________. For example, _______________. Furthermore, _______________. Clearly, _______________ is the worse option.
I prefer __________ because __________. For instance, _______________. Also, _______________. Finally, _______________.
Opinion Writing Essay Template / Structure / Outline
Going from writing paragraphs to writing an entire essay can be overwhelming for upper elementary students - and middle school students as well!
Modeling how to write an opinion essay is an essential first step. (My Scaffolded Opinion Writing Resource includes a teacher model to make this easy for you.)
After modeling an opinion essay, provide students with an opinion writing template/outline to help them structure their own writing. This will help students stay on topic, use transitional words, and provide support for their opinions. And, most importantly, it will keep students from feeling overwhelmed and frustrated.
If you know your students would benefit from this type of scaffolding but don’t have the time to create it yourself, check out my Scaffolded Opinion Writing Resource.
It walks students through the writing process with support each step of the way. This resource also provides a model essay so that you can model expectations for your students. Plus, it can be used over and over again with different topics.
If you found these opinion writing tips to be useful, then you will probably like these tips for teaching students how to write a compare and contrast essay.
Want a Compare and Contrast Freebie?
Download these reading passages with a compare and contrast activity for free and use it to today!
Writing Prompts for 5th Grade
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By fifth grade, students are developing basic fluency as writers. In order to hone their skills, fifth graders should practice supporting claims with factual information, conveying information clearly, and writing narratives in a logical order. The following fifth-grade writing prompts encourage students to develop their skills through topics that are meaningful to them.
Narrative Essay Writing Prompts
Narrative essays tell a story based on a student’s personal experience. They encourage students to use descriptive writing to reflect on their experiences, explain them in a logical manner, and draw conclusions from them.
- New Beginnings . This is your last year of elementary school. What are you most excited or most nervous about when you think of starting middle school ?
- Betwixt . Students in 5th grade are often referred to as “tweens,” meaning that they are between the young child and the teen years. What is the hardest thing about being a tween in today’s society?
- Besties . What is the best book you’ve ever read? What made it so special?
- Reflections . Do you remember your first-ever day of school ? Describe one vivid memory from that day.
- Bullies . Have you ever witnessed someone bullying another student? What happened and how did it make you feel?
- Man’s Best Friend . Do you share a bond with your dog or other pet? Describe your pet, and explain what makes your relationship unique.
- Families . A family isn’t always a mom, a dad, and their children. Write about the ways your family is the same as and different from other types of families and what makes your bonds so strong.
- Holiday Memories . Think about one of your favorite holiday-related memories. Write an essay describing it and tell why it is so unforgettable.
- Guilty . Think about a time you did something that made you feel guilty. Describe what happened.
- The Ultimate Field Trip . If you could choose anywhere in the world to go on a field trip , where would you choose and why?
- Family Game Night . Do you enjoy playing games with your family? Describe your favorite family game or activity.
- Tasty Treats . What is your favorite food? Describe it as if you were introducing it to someone who has never seen or tasted it.
- Someday . Have you thought about what you want to be when you grow up? Write an essay explaining why you think you’d like that career.
Persuasive Essay Writing Prompts
Persuasive essays are those written to convince another person to agree with the writer or take action. These persuasive essay prompts inspire 5th graders to share their passions with an audience.
- Pets Day . You’ve just gone to work with your parent for “bring your child to work day.” Write an essay convincing your school to have a “bring your pet to school” day.
- Yuck . What is your least-favorite cafeteria food? Give three compelling reasons why your school should quit serving it.
- Let’s Trade . Your friend’s lunches from home always look better than yours. Write an essay convincing your buddy that you should start swapping meals every day. Be sure to highlight the benefits of the food you bring!
- Home Alone . Write an essay convincing your parents that you are old enough and responsible enough to stay at home alone.
- Sunny Day . The weather outside is beautiful for the first time in weeks. Persuade your teacher not to assign any homework so that you’ll have time to go out to play.
- The Sequel . The long-awaited sequel to your favorite book or video game is now available. Convince your brother or sister to do your chores this week so that you have plenty of time for reading or gaming.
- Seating Chart . Because of your teacher’s seating chart, you’re not going to be able to sit next to your friend all year! Persuade your teacher to let students choose their seats.
- Birth Order . Are you an only child, the oldest sibling, the youngest, or the middle? What makes your birth order the best?
- The Ultimate Game . What is the best video game on the planet? Explain why it’s better than similar games.
- Life Lessons . What are the three most important lessons parents should teach their children and why?
- Test Time . Do you think standardized tests are helpful or harmful? Explain your answer.
- Tunes . Some studies have shown that listening to music can help students concentrate. Should students be allowed to listen to music using headphones during independent work times at school? Persuade the reader of your answer.
- Catch-22 . You’re not a big fan of writing. Write an essay convincing your teacher that you shouldn’t have to write any more essays this year.
Expository Essay Writing Prompts
Expository essays are often called how-to essays. They usually teach the reader something or provide facts about a particular topic.
- Let’s Play . Your family frequently attends community theater productions, but your friend has never seen one. Write an essay describing what he or she can expect during the evening.
- Band . You're graduating elementary school, and a younger student is taking your spot in the school band. Explain to him or her how to clean and care for your musical instrument .
- Lessons Learned . Write an essay to a younger sibling explaining two or three key strategies for having a positive 5th-grade experience.
- Class Pet . You’ve cared for your class pet this week, but now it’s another classmate’s turn. Explain how to feed and care for the pet properly.
- Upgrade Ahead . You have an idea to improve your school. Explain it.
- Safety Zone . Explain three of the best steps kids can take to be safe online.
- Family Traditions . Does your family have any customs or traditions that might be unfamiliar to a classmate? Describe them.
- Pen Pal . Describe for your pen pal who lives in another state an animal native to your area, including its physical characteristics, behaviors, and any sounds that it makes.
- Creepy Crawlies . Compare and contrast two insects or animals that are similar, but have different characteristics such as a bumblebee and a yellow jacket or a horse and a mule. How are they alike and how are they different?
- Clean Up . Your class is going to spend a day cleaning up at a local park. You’ve done this with another group before, but some of your classmates haven’t. Explain the process.
- Action . Your favorite book was made into a movie. Compare and contrast the film and book versions.
- Team Players . Explain how contributing responsibly helps or how it hurts a group when someone doesn’t do his part.
- Tell and Show . Your class is having a “tell and show” day. You have to describe your item in as much detail as possible without naming it. Only when the class guesses or gives up can you show your item. Write out the description of your item.
Creative Writing Essay Prompts
Creative writing allows students to engage their imaginations and story-telling skills while also practicing vital writing skills such as sequence and description.
- Magic Lamp . You’ve just found a magic lamp. What happens when you rub it?
- Say Cheese . You are given an exceptional camera. Everything you take a picture of becomes yours, but you can only take three pictures. Tell a story about the photos you take.
- Invisible Man . One morning, you glance in the mirror and realize that you don’t have a reflection. You’ve become invisible! Write a story about your day.
- Gone to the Dogs . Write a story from your pet’s point of view.
- All Hail the King . Imagine that you discover an uncharted land that you claim as a new country. And, you’re the ruler! Describe your country, its people, and your newfound position of power.
- Part of the Story . One night, you doze off after reading the latest book in your favorite series. When you wake, you discover that you’re in the story! Write about your adventures.
- Before or After . Imagine that you live either 100 years in the past or 100 years in the future. What is your life like?
- Dr. Doolittle . You’re walking through a pet store when you discover that you can talk to the animals. What happens next?
- Meet and Greet . Imagine that you can meet anyone you’re studying in school right now from famous scientists to historical figures to the characters in the class read-aloud . Write a story about your meeting with that person.
- Switcheroo . If you could switch lives with anyone in your school, who would it be? Write about your day in the life of that person.
- Holiday Loop . Imagine you get to relive your favorite holiday every day. What’s that like?
- Tall Tales . Tall tales are possibly true stories that contain highly exaggerated actions or events. Create a tall tale about something that happened in your family.
- Teacher's Pet . Imagine that your teacher is actually your parent. Describe a day in class.
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As parents and teachers, we recognize the significance of writing as a fundamental skill that enables children to express their thoughts, emotions, and ideas. However, generating ideas and inspiration for writing can be challenging for many 5th-grade students. To aid students in this process, 5th grade writing prompts prove to be a valuable resource. Furthermore, Science Daily published an article that highlights the crucial connection between handwriting and brain activity. Writing can increase brain activity, leading to better memory retention and cognitive development. This is particularly important for students as it can positively impact their academic performance.
“Writing is the painting of the voice.” – Voltaire
By using writing prompts, children can explore various topics, develop their imagination, and hone their writing skills. In this collection, we have compiled various writing prompts that are engaging, entertaining, and sure to inspire creativity in 5th grade students. This collection has something for everyone: Persuasive writing, descriptive essays, narrative stories, and imaginative writing. Fifth grade journal prompts can help inspire creativity and reflection in their writing. So, let’s get started and explore these exciting 5th Grade writing prompts.
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10 Prompts for Narrative Essays
Writing Narrative Essays? Here Are Ten 5th grade narrative writing prompts:
“A great story can lead us to new worlds, new ideas, and new ways of thinking.” – Neil Gaiman
- Write about a time when you faced a difficult decision.
- Imagine you are stranded on a deserted island. Describe what you would do?
- Create a narrative about a magical adventure.
- Write about a time when you learned something important.
- Think about the prospect of time travel. How would you react, and where would you go?
- Develop a narrative about a superhero you create.
- Describe a time when you overcame a fear.
- Imagine you can do whatever you want. Tell me what it would be and how you’d use it.
- Create a narrative about a day in the life of your pet.
- Write about a time when you had to stand up for what you believe in.
10 Prompts for Informative Essay Writing
A list of ten 5th grade writing prompts to get you started on an informative essay:
- Write an essay about a famous person who inspires you.
- Research and write an essay about a historical event that interests you.
- Write about the benefits of physical activity and exercise.
- Write an essay about the effects of technology on society.
- Research and write an essay about a country you would like to visit.
- Write about the importance of reading books .
- Write an essay about the positive and negative effects of social media.
- Research and write an essay about an animal species that is endangered.
- Write about the importance of recycling and conserving natural resources.
- Please write an essay about the role of education in shaping our future.
10 Prompts for Research Writing
Here are ten Research writing prompts for 5th grade:
“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.” -Zora Neale Hurston, author and anthropologist.
- Research and write about your favorite historical figure.
- Choose a famous landmark and research its history and significance.
- Investigate and write about an important event in history.
- Research and write about a unique and interesting animal species.
- Study and write about famous inventors and their inventions.
- Research and write about the culture and traditions of a country you are interested in.
- Explore and write about a current scientific discovery or innovation.
- Investigate and write about the effects of climate change on a particular region or ecosystem.
- Research and write about a famous artist and their artwork.
- Study and write about a significant moment in space exploration history.
10 Funny Fifth Grade Writing Prompts
Here are ten prompts for Fun Writing Prompts for 5th Grade:
- Write a funny story about a talking animal.
- Imagine speaking to your pet and writing about what you would say.
- Write a comic dialog between two unlikely characters.
- Write a humorous story about a mischievous character getting into trouble.
- Create a funny story using three random objects.
- Write a funny kids’ poem . This can be about your favorite food.
- Imagine a world where everything is opposite, and develop a narrative about it.
- Develop a narrative about a silly superhero with extraordinary power.
- Create a funny dialog between a parent and a child.
- Develop a narrative about a funny and unexpected event that happened to you.
10 5th Grade Poetry Writing Prompts
The following are ten writing topics for 5th graders seeking poetry writing prompts:
- Write a poem about your favorite season.
- Imagine you are a raindrop falling from the sky. Write a poem describing your journey.
- Write a poem about a place that makes you happy.
- Choose an object in the room and write a poem about it.
- Write a poem about a dream you had.
- Create a poem that includes the words “whisper,” “twist,” and “moon.”
- Write a poem about a memorable moment with a friend.
- Describe a beautiful sunset in a poem.
- Write a poem about the ocean and all its wonders.
- Create a poem about your favorite animal.
10 Prompts for 5th Grade Fiction Writing
Opinion writing prompts 5th grade to help encourage critical thinking and self-expression in young students. Here are ten 5th grade writing prompt ideas to get them started:
- Create a story about a mysterious package that arrives in the mail.
- Develop a narrative about a person who can time travel.
- Create a story about a magic tree that grants wishes.
- Imagine being lost in the forest and creating a story about your adventure.
- Develop a narrative about a group of friends who discover a hidden treasure.
- Create a story about a person who can talk to animals.
- Create a narrative about a family vacation gone wrong.
- Imagine you could shrink to the size of an ant. Develop a narrative about your adventures.
- Create a story about a person who wakes up one day with superpowers.
- Develop a narrative about a group of people stranded on a deserted island.
10 5th Grade Animal Writing Prompts
Here are ten writing ideas for 5th grade for animal-themed assignments:
- If you could be any animal for a day, which animal would you choose and why?
- Create a narrative told from the point of view of a bear family as they emerge from their hibernation period.
- Describe the life of a whale in the deep sea.
- Write a persuasive essay on why zoos are important for conserving endangered animals.
- Describe the life of a squirrel gathering nuts for winter.
- Write a fictional story about a fox trying to outsmart a group of chickens.
- Describe the life of a butterfly from caterpillar to butterfly.
- Write a research paper on the migration patterns of birds.
- Describe the life of a lion in the savannah.
- Write a poem about the beauty of nature and the animals that live in it.
10 5th Grade Emotion Writing Prompts
Here are ten prompts for 5th grade writing prompts About Emotion:
- Describe a moment when you experienced a strong sense of self-satisfaction and accomplishment.
- Describe a moment when you felt scared and how you overcame your fear.
- Create a narrative about a character who overcomes a difficult challenge.
- Describe a time when you felt happy for someone else.
- Write a letter to your future self about your dreams and aspirations.
- Describe a time when you felt angry and how you managed your anger.
- Develop a narrative about a character who learns the importance of forgiveness.
- Describe a moment when you felt grateful for something or someone.
- Write a poem about the different emotions that people feel.
- Describe when you felt sad and how you coped with your sadness.
10 Journal Writing Prompts for Fifth Graders
The following are ten suggestions for 5th grade journal prompts to use:
- Describe an instance where you successfully conquered a challenging obstacle.
- Describe a moment when you felt proud of yourself and why.
- Write about a place that is special to you and why it is important.
- Describe a time when you helped someone else and how it made you feel.
- Write about your favorite book and what you learned from it.
- Describe an instance where you made a mistake and what you learned from it.
- Write about a person who inspires you and why.
- Describe a time when you felt grateful for something or someone.
- Write about your favorite hobby and why you enjoy it.
- Describe when you tried something new and what you learned from the experience.
When choosing 5th grade journal topics, consider selecting prompts that encourage students to explore their interests, emotions, and experiences in a safe and supportive environment.
10 5th Grade Descriptive Writing Prompts
Here are ten topics to consider when looking for descriptive writing prompts for 5th grade:
- Describe your favorite outdoor place and explain why it is special to you.
- Write a descriptive paragraph about a delicious meal you recently enjoyed.
- Imagine you’re walking through a spooky forest. Describe what you see, hear, and feel.
- Describe the view from your bedroom window. What can you see in the distance?
- Write a paragraph describing a character from your favorite book. What do they look like, and what makes them interesting?
- Describe your dream bedroom. What colors would you use, and what kind of furniture would you have?
- Imagine you’re on a deserted island. Describe the island and the environment around you.
- Write a paragraph describing a memorable moment from a family vacation.
- Describe a special item you keep in your room. Why is it important to you?
- Imagine you’re in a bustling city. Describe the sights, sounds, and smells you experience.
Encourage Fifth Graders in Becoming Writers
Writing is a significant skill that is essential for communication, expression, and personal growth. As highlighted in an article published by UCONN , writing prompts play a crucial role in engaging students’ interest in a particular topic and encouraging them to write thoughtfully and creatively. While effective prompts should introduce and limit the writing topic, they should also provide clear instructions about the writing task. It is imperative to equip 5th graders with resources and guidance to help them develop their writing skills.
Educators and parents can provide 5th grade journal prompts and creative exercises to assist students in exploring various forms of writing and finding their unique voice. Additionally, feedback and constructive criticism can help students improve their strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately, teaching 5th graders to write improves their academic and personal lives by promoting self-expression, creativity, and critical thinking.
Fifth Grade Writing Prompts for Developing Young Writers
5th-grade writing prompts can be a powerful tool for parents and teachers to help students develop their writing skills and creativity. By providing a starting point for writing, prompts can help students overcome writer’s block and find inspiration for their ideas. The prompts in this collection cover a wide range of topics and genres, encouraging students to explore their interests and experiences through writing.
“A well-crafted writing prompt can spark creativity and lead to a deeper understanding of oneself and the world around us.” – Laura Robb
Parents and teachers can inspire students to develop regular writing habits and enhance their skills by utilizing 5th grade journal prompts. According to an article published by the Journal of Instructional Research , both approaches of writing i.e. direct and indirect, have positive effects on students’ writing abilities. This article dived into exploring these approaches for promoting writing. The direct approach focuses on teaching writing skills explicitly and providing feedback on children writing. The indirect approach, on the other hand, emphasizes creating a supportive environment that encourages writing.
We can motivate students to write on a variety of topics, experiment with different writing styles, and share their work with others. By nurturing a passion for writing, we can help our students become confident, creative, and effective communicators. Why not give these prompts a try and see where they take you? Let’s encourage our young writers to unleash their creativity and express themselves through the power of writing.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Are these prompts suitable for all 5th class students.
These 5th grade writing prompts are designed to be accessible to most students, but they may need to be modified or adapted for students with special needs or English language learners.
How can I implement these ideas into my lesson plans?
Creative writing prompts 5th grade to use it for anything from journal entries to class discussions. Teachers can also have their students use these as a springboard for creative thinking and topic development.
Can these prompts be used for other grade levels?
Yes, many of these prompts can be adapted for other grade levels depending on the level of complexity and difficulty. Teachers can also modify the prompts better to fit the interests and abilities of their students.
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5th grade writing
by: Jessica Kelmon | Updated: August 4, 2022
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By now, your child knows that writing is a process that requires research, feedback, and revision. This year, kids are expected to respond to others’ prompts for improvement and learn how to evaluate their own work, too.
Super study skills
In fifth grade, taking notes becomes an essential academic skill. Fifth graders use books, periodicals, websites, and other sources to do short research projects. Kids learn to use several sources to investigate a topic from different angles — both on their own and as part of group work with peers. Your child should keep track of all the sources they use and note what they learn, the name of the source, and the page number or url so they can find it again to create a source list or bibliography later. A big step in your child’s research process this year: taking the time to review, categorize, and summarize or paraphrase the information they’ve learned. What did your child find out about the animal’s habitat from each source? Sorting evidence into categories and summarizing information will help your fifth grader with the planning, writing, and revising stages of their writing project.
Can your 5th grader get organized to write an essay?
Revise, rewrite
By now, your child should understand that writing is a process requiring several steps: planning, first draft, revisions, editing, and publishing or sharing work. Your child’s planning work should include reading and rereading, taking notes, finding additional sources, discussing how new knowledge fits into what your child knew before, visually organizing the information they plan to include, and determining the best way to clearly present their evidence as a cohesive set of points. After the first draft is written, the teacher and other students will offer feedback: asking questions to elicit new details, suggesting ways to clarify an argument, or pressing for new sources of information. Don’t be surprised if there are a few rounds of revisions this year: it’s how your child’s writing gets stronger. If revisions aren’t enough to improve your child’s writing, then this year your child may be required to rewrite the piece or try a new approach . Once the structure and contents are set, final edits are the time to perfect spelling and grammar. All this work on one writing assignment is meant to help your child think of writing as a multistep process so they can evaluate their work and see that — if it’s not up to snuff — they should keep trying until it is.
Fifth grade writing: opinion pieces
Your child’s opinion pieces should start by clearly stating an opinion about a topic. Then, kids should set up and follow a logically ordered structure to introduce each reason they’ll offer in support of their opinion. Their reasons should be supported by facts and details (a.k.a. evidence), and your child should use linking words, such as additionally, consequently , and specifically to connect evidence-backed reasons to their opinion. Finally, kids should close their argument with a well-articulated conclusion that supports their original opinion.
Fifth grade writing: informative writing
Logic reigns when evaluating your fifth grader’s informative writing. The purpose of this type of writing is to convey facts and ideas clearly. So a logically ordered presentation of supporting points is, well… quite logical. Your child should clearly introduce the topic and present related information in the form of a few clear, well-thought-out paragraphs. Kids should draw on facts, definitions, concrete details, quotes, and examples from their research to thoroughly develop their topic. To clearly connect their research, fifth graders should use advanced linking words (e.g. in contrast, especially ) to form compound and complex sentences that convey their points. Remember that your child’s presentation matters: making use of subject headings, illustrations, and even multimedia to illustrate points is encouraged whenever they make your child’s work more logical and clear. Then, to wrap it up, your child should have a well-reasoned conclusion.
Check out these three real examples of good 5th grade informational writing: •” How to save water ” •” Saving a Resource ” •” Water Saveing ”
Can your 5th grader write an informational essay?
5th grade writing: narrative writing
A narrative is a story. Whether inspired by a book, real events, or your child’s imagination, your child’s story should start by introducing a narrator, characters, or a situational conflict. Fifth graders will be asked to use classic narrative devices like dialogue, descriptive words, and character development. Your child should be able to show how characters feel and how they react to what’s happening. Finally, the events should unfold naturally, plausibly bringing the story to a close.
Grammatically correct
By now, your fifth grader should have a solid understanding of the parts of speech. This year, your child should learn to use and explain the function of conjunctions (e.g. because, yet ), prepositions (e.g. above, without ), and interjections (e.g. Hi, well, dear ). Kids should also start using correlative conjunctions (e.g. either/or, neither/nor ). What’s more, students learn to form and use the past, present, and future perfect tenses ( I had walked; I have walked; I will have walked. ). With this tense mastered, fifth graders will be expected to use various verb tenses to convey a sequence of events and to recognize and correct any inappropriate shifts in tense.
Check out this related worksheet: • Active and passive sentences
More sophisticated language
This year your child will: • Regularly refer to print and online dictionaries, thesauruses, and glossaries to spell challenging words correctly. • Use academic vocabulary words in writing. • Use more nuanced descriptions (think advanced synonyms and antonyms). • Master homographs (e.g. understand that bear means the animal and to support or carry). • Employ common idioms, adages, and proverbs (e.g. “born yesterday”; “the early bird gets the worm”; “failure teaches success” ) • Interpret figurative language like similes (e.g. “light as a feather” ) and metaphors ( “it’s a dream come true” ).
This year, your child will learn to use commas after a sentence’s introductory segment (e.g. Earlier this morning, we ate breakfast .), to set off the words yes and no in writing (e.g. Y es, we will ; and no, thank you ), to set off a question from the rest of a sentence (e.g. It’s true, isn’t it? ), and to show direct address. (e.g. Is that you, Mike? ) Your child will also use commas to separate items in a series. (e.g. I want eggs, pancakes, and juice .)
Your child should also be taught how to consistently use quotation marks, italics, or underlining to indicate titles when citing sources in reports and papers.
Check out these related worksheets: • Punctuating a paragraph • Simile or cliche? • Homophones and homographs
And it’s live!
The final step in writing this year? Publishing! Once all the hard work (the research, planning, writing, revisions, edits, and rewrites) are finished, your fifth grader’s ready to publish. Many classes will experiment with printing work or publishing it on a blog, website, or app. While teachers should be there for support, your child should be doing the work. The point is to learn keyboarding skills (2 full pages is the goal for fifth graders) and to interact and collaborate with peers. This could mean, for example, that your child reads a classmate’s published work online and either comments on it or references it when answering a question in class.
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How to teach Opinion Writing to 3rd, 4th and 5th Graders
Opinion writing, also known as Persuasive writing, is by far an easy enough genre to teach 3 rd , 4 th, and 5th graders. Unlike narrative writing where creativity and flair come into play, the elements of opinion writing are more structured, almost formulaic, and thus easier to assimilate.
Teaching The Structural Components of Opinion Writing
Students are known to turn out better writing pieces if they have direction. Hence explicitly teaching the structural components of a persuasive/opinion essay is essential.
If students are taught the form and structure of opinion writing, the job is half done. The success of the other half pretty much depends upon the writer’s content knowledge of the subject.
Teaching the structure of an opinion essay can thus be broken down into three major sections: The Introduction, The Body, and The Conclusion.
✏ The Introduction of Opinion Writing
How many times have we reminded our students that the beginning of an essay is so very important – that it has to arrest the reader’s attention so they are hooked to continue reading.
For the introduction to be effective, it must have a hook , the writer’s opinion, and a thesis statement . This is the structure of the introduction.
If students just practice writing an introduction on several given writing prompts for a week, adhering to structure for this section, will be second nature.
The Hook In the Introduction
Teaching students just one way to hook the reader in an opinion essay is not enough as different types of hooks would create different effects – besides we need to give our little writers lots of choices when it comes to writing. This flexibility goes a long way in getting their creative juices going when writing supporting details that support their opinion.
5 Popular Hooks to Support the Opinion
So you can teach your 3 rd , 4 th, and 5 th graders to begin their opinion essay with any one of the five different hooks. Interestingly, they are also called sizzling starts. And rightly so.
Students may begin with any one of the below hooks:
- Strong Statement
- Rhetorical Question
The first two starters are popular starters and I often encourage my 5 th graders to use either of them in their introduction.
Writing the Opinion of an Opinion Essay
Right after the hook, students write their opinion on the issue after weighing the pros and cons.
Now for the lower grades (grades 1-3), students could simply begin their opinion with any of the phrases:
- ‘In my opinion..’
- ‘I firmly believe…’
- ‘I am of the opinion…’
However, 3 rd , 4 th, and 5 th graders need to show more sophistication in their writing, so beginning with these opinion starters would not do justice to the writing skill they are actually capable of implementing.
Instead, students need to convey their opinion subtly by reflecting on the issue. This will consequently lead to the thesis statement that follows next and sums up the introduction.
✏ Writing The Body of an Opinion Essay
We can teach our 3 rd , 4 th, and 5 th graders to adhere to structure when they write the body paragraphs of their opinion essay too.
Each body paragraph needs to have a reason introduced by a topic sentence , supporting details that support the reason, and a concluding sentence that sums up that body paragraph. If students are explicitly taught this structure, then they are more likely to stay on task and won’t get carried away in their writing.
So, how many body paragraphs should there be?
The best number, I tell my 5th-grade students is – three. Each reason is given its very own paragraph, with the last paragraph reserved for the most important reason.
The least strong reason should be sandwiched between the first strong reason and the last. This is in keeping with the notion that the beginning and end of any piece of writing are the most important.
✏ Writing The Conclusion of an Opinion Essay
Some students are known to get so carried away with their reasoning in the body paragraphs that they often skip this last important section or don’t have the time to write it – if sitting a timed writing examination.
It is in this section, that students need to be reminded to re-visit their opinion, provide a summary statement of their reasons, and the most important of all – give a call to action that causes the reader to reflect on the issue. In a real-life context, this call of action would induce the reader to take action on the basis of the arguments put forth.
The Effective Approach to Teaching Opinion Writing
Now that all the structural elements of an opinion essay have been dissected, how does one go about teaching them explicitly to students – that is the question.
Based on my personal experience and in my opinion, the best approach would be to teach each structural component separately . This would entail providing ample practice and modeling on the elements involved.
Once students have a good understanding and practice of the structural components of each section, then they can write out the entire opinion essay, given a prompt. Prior to doing so, brainstorming ideas for each section on a graphic organizer would help structure students’ writing further and provide direction.
My Summary of How to Teach Opinion Writing to 3 rd , 4 th and 5 th Graders
So just a few take-away points for you when you next teach your 3 rd , 4 th, or 5 th graders how to write an opinion essay.
1. Teach students each structural component separately prior to having students write out the entire opinion essay based on a prompt.
2. Teach students how to write the introduction first in an opinion essay. This should include the different types of hooks, the opinion, and the thesis statement.
3. Teach students how to write the body of an opinion essay. This should also include each reason introduced by a topic sentence, 2-3 supporting details to support the reason, and a concluding sentence to conclude the paragraph and link back to the first reason in the topic sentence. This explicit teaching should be done for all body paragraphs.
4. Teach students how to write the conclusion which restates the writer’s opinion, provides a brief overview of the reasons, and gives a call to action.
5. And above all, remind students to edit their draft prior to publishing.
All this explicit teaching needs to be adequately supported by teacher modeling and ample student practice for each structural component of the opinion essay.
To conclude this post, structure provides focus and clarity of thought. Both of which we desire our students to have in order for them to turn out writing pieces that they are proud of and that we enjoy reading and – yes marking.
Need a collection of self-written mentor texts ( no need to spend on books ), print-n-go sheets, interactive notebook activities, Scavenger Hunts, flipbooks, anchor charts, posters, checklists, and marking rubrics to teach your students a step-by-step approach to writing an opinion essay effectively? Then access the Opinion (Persuasive) Writing Growing Bundle.
Teaching Opinion Writing digitally? Learn more here.
And if you’d like a set of free Opinion Writing Signal Words posters to display in your classroom, access the link in the image below.
Until Next Time…
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Opinion Writing Unit FIFTH GRADE
Grade Level: 5th Grade
My fifth grade opinion writing unit includes 8 weeks of done-for-you writing lessons about how to write a strong opinion essay . This unit contains detailed lesson plans, mentor texts, anchor charts, student writing tasks, and rubrics –everything you need to be a capable, confident writing teacher with students who love to write.
More about this resource
If teaching writing has ever made you cry, weep, tear out your hair, question your existence, or binge-watch reality television—because it’s just that frustrating and overwhelming—this writing unit is perfect for you.
If your students dread writing time more than meatloaf in the school cafeteria…this writing unit is perfect for them, too.
Teaching writing can be tough. Teachers tell me that their district-provided writing curriculum is:
- too complicated
Or worse, they don’t have any curriculum at all. Yikes!
But my fifth grade opinion writing unit makes teaching writing easy . It takes all the guesswork out of teaching writing and gives you the tools you need to teach engaging and effective writing lessons without breaking a sweat.
The ready-to-use lessons and activities in this opinion writing unit will teach your students h ow to use supporting facts, reasons, and examples, consider opposing viewpoints, write topic and concluding sentences, and structure paragraphs . And all you have to do is print and teach . The lesson plans are that simple. Seriously.
Student-friendly mentor texts make it easy
And best of all, my opinion writing unit makes writing fun for ALL your students – from reluctant writers to excited writers . The Student Success Path helps you identify where your students are on their writing journey and plan just-right lessons and interventions . Short, focused lessons keep students engaged. Simple, direct writing tasks help kids develop confidence. Conference materials, including outlines and topic cards, you can use to guide small group discussion make it easy for you to differentiate lessons.
Choice empowers students to write about things they care about and makes them more invested in their writing. And that’s a big deal because students who enjoy writing and get lots of practice perform better on standardized testing.
Plus, these materials are easy-to-use . Everything is organized in folders to help you find just what you need. A Quick Start Guide makes it simple to get started and provides tips on how to prep materials for long-term use.
The 2-week Starting Writing Workshop mini-unit will help you start your writing instruction on the right foot. Detailed teacher directions show you exactly how to use all the resources and activities.
How Our Writing Curriculum is Aligned with the Science of Reading :
- Structured writing routine: Our writing curriculum is organized into 4 genres. Each 8-week unit is carefully structured, beginning with foundational skills before moving into more advanced skills. Students are taught a systematic approach to writing including: brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing.
- Explicit instruction: Daily lessons begin with explicit instruction including access to examples via mentor texts, modeling, and directed practice. Each skill is broken down into bite-size pieces so that students can learn one skill at a time. Students practice skills independently, working on one sentence or paragraph at a time.
- Differentiation: Writing is differentiated through small group instruction that provides reteaching, additional practice, and support at appropriate levels.
- Daily opportunities to write: The majority of the writing lesson is reserved for independent writing time, providing students with large blocks of time to write and practice skills every day.
- Demonstrates the connection between reading and writing: Mentor texts provide concrete examples of writing skills and allow children to experiment with and apply sophisticated skills and language in their own writing. In addition, constructing their own writing pieces helps students recognize, connect, and understand these strategies when reading.
What’s Included:
- Detailed teacher directions and suggestions for simple implementation
- Unit-at-a-glance calendar for each unit
- 7 exclusive videos walking you through how to get the most out of these writing units
- 40 days of lesson plans that include guiding questions, materials, mini lessons, student work tasks, student share tasks, intervention, and several extension activities
- 14 original mentor text passages
- 24 opinion writing task cards (identifying whether a topic is an opinion)
- 24 opinion writing prompts task cards
- 11 teacher anchor charts (blank and filled in versions)
- Student anchor charts and printable for writing notebooks
- Conference and goal tracking forms
- Writing grades tracking forms
- List of 10 additional mentor text books (Remember, using them is optional, because I’ve included all the mentor texts you need)
- 6 different writing publishing papers
- Student writing notebook cover and dividers
- Teacher notebook covers and binder spines
- Multiple ideas for author share celebration
- DIGITAL writing notebooks on Google Slides
- Conferencing Materials – Conference outlines, a sample conference, and topic cards you can use to guide your small-group conferences
- Student Success Path – Identify where your students are on their writing journey
- Starting Writing Workshop Bonus – Two weeks of writing lesson plans to help build stamina and set your students up for writing success
Skills Covered:
Students learn h ow to craft a strong opinion essay using supporting facts, reasons, and examples, topic and concluding sentences, and structured paragraphs. Lessons include:
- Setting goals
- What is an opinion essay?
- Generating essay ideas
- Writing strong opinion statements
- Writing a lead
- Supporting your opinion with reasons
- Considering your audience
- Consider opposing opinions
- Supporting your opinion with examples
- Topic and concluding sentences
- Word choice
- Transitions
- Writing a conclusion
- Generating deeper topics (research based)
How to Use it in the Classroom:
A typical day of writing:.
I recommend you set aside 30-45 minutes for writing each day (or more if you have it). Check out the sample schedules below. Each day follows the same plan:
- Mini-Lesson (8-10 minutes): The day kicks off with a mini-lesson to teach a particular skill. The mini-lesson uses mentor text (remember, it’s included in the unit) and anchor charts. For the teacher version of the anchor charts, you can project and fill them out with the class, or print and display them in your classroom. The student versions are smaller so they can fill them out and keep them in their writing notebooks for reference.
- Work Time (18-20 minutes) : Students will apply the skill they just learned into their writing each day. The included writing tasks make it crystal-clear what to do during independent writing time–for you and your students. By the end of the unit, they will have completed two full masterpieces and many other independent writings.
- Share Time (2 minutes) : Students are encouraged to share a piece of their writing with a partner or with the entire class. This makes writing more meaningful to kids and holds them accountable.
Organization Made Easy:
- The opinion writing unit is organized into multiple folders and files so it’s easy for you to find what you need.
- A 40-day daily schedule so you know exactly what to teach each day.
- Detailed daily lesson plans make teaching writing easy.
Differentiation:
There are many ways to differentiate writing assignments:
- These daily writing prompts are intentionally short and sweet so that all students, even those below grade level, can feel successful. Most tasks can be completed in 1-2 sentences.
- More advanced writers can write longer responses, or work on a second masterpiece if they finish early.
- Students can complete fewer task cards or work with a partner; you can also provide support to students as they work on task cards.
- The process for teaching writing includes group conferencing time. These groups should be based on ability so that you can individualize your instruction to meet the specific needs of the group.
❤️❤️ WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS WRITING UNIT: ❤️❤️
- You’ll save hours of prepping and planning time. The daily lesson plans are easy to implement. All you have to do is print and teach.
- Mentor texts are included. You do not need to hunt down or purchase any additional books! (Unless you want to. Far be it from me to stand between a teacher and new books.)
- Digital anchor charts project onto your white board-so you don’t have to be Picasso or Renoir to anchor your kids in the lesson.
- Pre-printed student anchor charts make it easy for students to follow along without having to write every word and draw complicated diagrams.
- Digital student notebooks are perfect for 1:1 classrooms and a great way to save paper.
- These lessons work for all students, even students below grade level.
- Task cards incorporate movement, reinforce concepts, and make learning fun. Daily share time encourages students to take pride in their writing.
- Direct writing instruction provides a solid foundation of writing skills that leads to increased test scores.
- Aligned with the Science of Reading.
*****************************
More Fifth Grade Writing Units:
Personal Narrative for Fifth Grade
Informational Writing for Fifth Grade
Fiction Narrative for Fifth Grade
Frequently Asked
Yes. I also have personal narrative , informational essay , and fiction narrative writing units available.
This opinion writing unit is available for grade 5. I also have opinion writing units available for grades two , three , and four .
I prefer composition notebooks because they are sturdy and easy to use and store. But other teachers have used spiral bound notebooks or three-ring binders.
Yes. These writing lessons are based on Common Core standards.
The lessons for consecutive grade levels are very similar because the standards are similar. The biggest difference is that the reading level on the mentor text passages is modified to meet the specific grade level. Other differences include new examples in the lesson plans and anchor charts and new task cards. It is generally fine to use units that are one level above or below grade level. You might want to select the lower grade level to ensure that the mentor texts are easier for students to read.
Each unit includes eight weeks of materials. I recommend spending 30-45 on writing each day. The lesson takes 8-10 minutes and the rest of the time would be used for independent writing.
Students complete two masterpieces in each unit. But they may work on additional pieces if they finish daily assignments early.
My writing units are a standalone curriculum. They are not based on or aligned with any other curriculum. However, they are based on the writing standards. My curriculum is organized into units of study and formatted in the workshop model and hundreds of teachers have successfully used my writing units with their district provided curriculum.
My writing units are a standalone curriculum. They are not based on or aligned with any other curriculum. With that being said, I have hundreds of teachers who have chosen to use my units as a supplement to their Lucy curriculum because it is more manageable and engaging for students.
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- Comparing numbers
- Place Value
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- Subtraction
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- Drills & practice
- Measurement
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- Proportions
- Shape & geometry
- Data & graphing
- Word problems
- Children's stories
- Leveled Stories
- Context clues
- Cause & effect
- Compare & contrast
- Fact vs. fiction
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Opinion essay writing
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When I look back to my first experience teaching five paragraph essays to fifth graders, I can remember how terribly unprepared I felt.
I knew that the five paragraph essay format was what my students needed to help them pass our state’s writing assessment but I had no idea where to start.
I researched the few grade-appropriate essays I could find online (these were the days before Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers) and determined that there was a structure to follow.
Every essay followed the same basic structure. I taught the structure to my students and they did well.
I have been teaching five paragraph essay structure and everything that goes with it for several years now. I hope that after you read this blog post, you will have a good understanding of how to teach and grade five paragraph essays.
Once you’ve learned all about teaching basic essay structure, you’ll be ready to grow your writers from “blah” to brilliant!
Teaching five paragraph essays is just one part of teaching 5th grade writing. Click here to find out exactly how I teach writing to my 5th graders!
Start with Simple Paragraphs
We always start with simple paragraphs.
Yes, this is basic, but if your students cannot write excellent paragraphs, their five paragraph essays will be train wrecks. Trust me!
We spend a while cementing paragraph structure:
Topic Sentence
Closing Sentence
I give students topics, they come up with their own topics, we write together, they write with a partner or independently, the more variety, the better.
We have fun with simple paragraphs. Then, it’s time to move on to body paragraphs.
Organize and Write Body Paragraphs
Please refer to my five paragraph essay organizer below.
The three body paragraphs are absolutely crucial to the success of the five paragraph essay.
Some teachers have trouble teaching the structure of five paragraph essays because they start with the introduction paragraph.
Always teach the body paragraphs first!
I had a teacher say to me once, “What’s the point of just writing parts of the essay? They need to write the entire five paragraphs to get all of the practice they need.”
I understand that point. However, think of it as building a house. Should you test out the foundation and make sure it’s sound and sturdy before building on top of it? Absolutely! That’s what we’re doing here.
The three body paragraphs are the foundation of the essay.
Ask students to write out their three body paragraphs just like they have practiced…Topic sentence…Detail 1…Detail 2…Detail 3…Closing Sentence.
I “ooooh and aaaah” over their three paragraphs. Students are on their way to five paragraph essays, so be sure to build their confidence.
Teach the Introduction Paragraph
I have to say, this is my favorite paragraph to teach. The introduction paragraph is what draws readers into the essay and makes them want to read more.
We start with what I call a “hook.” The hook captures the readers’ attention and can come in many forms: asking a question, making a bold statement, sharing a memory, etc.
After the hook, I ask students to add a sentence or two of applicable commentary about the hook or about the prompt in general.
Finally, we add the thesis sentence. The thesis sentence always follows the same formula: Restate the prompt, topic 1, topic 2, and topic 3.
That’s all you need to write an excellent introduction paragraph!
I do suggest having students write the introduction paragraph plus body paragraphs a couple of times before teaching the closing paragraph.
Teach the Closing Paragraph
In the conclusion paragraph, we mainly focus on restating the thesis and including an engaging closing thought.
With my students, I use the analogy of a gift.
The introduction paragraph and body paragraphs are the gift and the conclusion paragraph is the ribbon that ties everything together and finishes the package.
When you talk about restating the thesis sentence, tell students that they need to make it sound different enough from their original thesis sentence to save their readers from boredom.
Who wants to read the same thing twice? No one!
Students can change up the format and wording a bit to make it fresh.
I enjoy teaching the closing thought because it’s so open to however students want to create it.
Ways to write the closing thought: ask a question, personal statement, call to action, or even a quote.
I especially like reading the essays in which a quote is used as a closing thought or a powerful statement is used.
Example of a full five paragraph essay
Let’s Talk About Color-Coding!
Who doesn’t like to color? This is coloring with a purpose!
Training your students to color-code their paragraphs and essays will make grading so much easier and will provide reminders and reinforcements for students.
When students color-code their writing, they must think about the parts of their paragraphs, like topic sentences, details, and the closing sentence.
They will be able to see if they are missing something or if they’ve written something out of order.
Color-coding is a wonderful help for the teacher because you can skim to ensure that all parts of your students’ paragraphs and essays are present.
Also, when you are grading, you can quickly scan the paragraphs and essays. Trust me, you will develop a quick essay-grading ability.
I start color-coding with my students at the very beginning when they are working on simple paragraphs. I add the additional elements of the color-code as we progress through our five paragraph essays.
This is the code that I use:
Let’s Talk About Grading Five Paragraph Essays!
Imagine a lonely, stressed teacher grading five paragraph essays on the couch while her husband is working the night shift.
That was me!
Seriously, guys, I would spend about ten minutes per essay. I marked every little error, I made notes for improvement and notes of encouragement. I reworked their incorrect structure.
Those papers were full of marks.
On Monday, I proudly brought back the essays and asked students to look over them and learn what they needed to fix for next time.
You can guess what happened… there were lots of graded essays in the trashcan at the end of the day.
I decided that my grading practices had to change. I needed my weekends back and my students needed to find their own errors!
This is my best advice:
STOP correcting every error!
Your students are not benefiting from marks all over their writing. They need to find those errors themselves so that they will remember their mistakes and change their writing habits.
Do a quick scan of each student’s writing as soon as it’s turned in to you.
If there are major problems with a student’s writing, call him/her over individually and show him/her what needs to be fixed or put the student with a competent peer editor who will help them fix mistakes.
If you have several students who are struggling with a skill, like closing sentences, do a mini-lesson on this topic.
You can do a mini-lesson with a small group. However, I prefer doing mini-lessons with the entire class. The kids who need help will get it and the rest of your class will receive a refresher.
It’s OK if there are some small spelling/grammar mistakes!
If the errors are few and they don’t take away from the meaning/flow of the essay, I don’t worry about them.
Our students are still learning.
Even your brightest star writer will have a few spelling/grammar mistakes from time to time.
Don’t discourage students from writing because of small errors.
Students who receive papers back with markings all over them don’t think, “Oh boy, my teacher has made it so easy for me to make all of these corrections.” They are thinking, “What’s the point in writing? I must be a terrible writer. Look at all of these mistakes.”
If your students are taking a standardized writing assessment, the structure and flow of their essays will be worth much more than perfect spelling.
Need more help?
I created this five paragraph essay instructional unit for teachers who are new to teaching five paragraph essays OR just need all of the materials in one place.
“Teacher Talk” pages will guide you through the unit and this unit contains all materials needed to help students plan, organize, and write amazing five paragraph essays! Click here to check it out:
I have a freebie for you! Enter your first name and email address below. You’ll receive three original prompts with five paragraph essay organizers AND two lined final draft pages!
Once your students are good essay writers…
These task cards will help your students stay sharp on their five paragraph essay knowledge. Students will review hooks (attention-getters), thesis sentences, body paragraphs, topic sentences, closings, and more. Each card contains a unique writing example!
I suggest using these task cards as a quiz/test, scoot game, individual review, or cooperative group activity.
Click on the image to view these task cards:
To save this post for later, simply pin this image to your teacher Pinterest board!
21 comments.
Wow! I really enjoyed reading this. I’ve always stressed over the thought of teaching writing, but your blog makes me think I can do it successfully. Putting your writing packet on my TPT wish list!
Thank you, Shannon! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. I am so glad that my blog post was helpful to you!
Thanks for the tips! When I taught 6th grade I taught this same subject matter, but struggled to get started. I wish I had this then!
I appreciate your comment! Teaching was much different before Pinterest, wasn’t it?!?
This helped me so much!🙂 thanks a lot, I imagined being one student of yours. I’d be so smart and good at essays! Would’ve been so much easier in person❤️❤️❤️
Thank you so much, Aizlyn!
Thank you so much for this! May I ask where I can see the rubric for scoring the compositions?
You are so welcome! Click on the resource link. Then, you will see the rubric in the preview!
Thank you so much,I am a parent and this really helped me be clear how to guide my son. God bless you always.,
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
you are welcome!!!
This looks great! Looking forward to using your tips and freebies with my 6th graders. 🙂 THANK YOU.
You are so welcome! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!
Can’t wait to use this with my class tomorrow! Thanks a bunch for sharing!!
You are so welcome, Amy!
Thank you for making it easy to teach an essay with clarity.
You are very welcome, Yamuna! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback 🙂
I am so happy I discovered your blog. I just started teaching grade 5 in September I have been searching for a simple method to hel me in guiding them in writing. I will be putting your method into practice in the coming week.
That’s wonderful, Cherry! Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Welcome to fifth grade 🙂
Beautiful lesson well explained! Thank you so very much .
Thank you so much, Cheryl!
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How to Teach Opinion Writing
In this post, I share 5 tips for How to Teach Opinion Writing and provide details about the Opinion Writing Units resources I have created for Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade students. Be sure to download 3 FREE opinion writing graphic organizers !
The Common Core writing domain focuses on three big types of writing: informative, narrative, and opinion writing. Each genre serves a unique purpose and follows a specific structure in which we must explicitly teach our students. In my last post I shared tips and resources for teaching Informative Writing and today I’m excited to move on to Opinion Writing.
Opinion Writing is one of my favorite genres to teach. Young students have opinions on just about EVERYTHING and they usually aren’t afraid to share them!! For this reason, they find the genre highly engaging!
Today I’m sharing 5 tips for teaching opinion writing, as well as a valuable resource that has everything you need to bring opinion writing into your kindergarten , first grade, or second grade literacy centers!
Tips for Teaching Opinion Writing
1. read opinion writing mentor texts .
Before you can ask your students to write in a genre that is new to them, you must first immerse them in it. So to begin your unit, you’ll want to share examples of opinion writing with your students. These mentor texts provide students with excellent examples of opinion writing.
As you read them aloud, highlight the way the author structures their writing. Identify the author’s topic or opinion and point out the reasons he or she gives to support their opinion. All of these things will help students better understand what type of writing we are asking them to do.
When you’re picking opinion mentor texts to share with your students there are a few things to consider . First, do you (the educator) think it is excellent? Second, is it easy for your students to understand? And finally, is it relevant to the type of writing you are teaching? If you answer “Yes!” to all three, then you’re good to go!
To help you out I’ve created a list of excellent mentor texts you can use when teaching opinion writing to kindergarten, first, or second grade students.
A List of Opinion Writing Mentor Texts:
- Duck Rabbit by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
- I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufmann Orloff
- Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
- Red is Best by Kathy Stinson
- Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings
- The Big Bed by Bunmi Laditan
I’ve saved all these titles on one board so you can easily take a closer look at these mentor texts. Click here to see this list on Amazon.
2. Model Your Own Opinion Writing
I know I say this a lot, but it’s worth repeating…. MODEL, MODEL, and then once again MODEL what you expect your students to do! It is a tremendously powerful instructional tool!
When teaching opinion writing you’ll first model how to choose a topic. When you generate ideas you can ask yourself, “What do I know all about?” “What do I care about?” “What do I wish other people believed?”.
If these questions feel too broad for your students you can use simple “would you rather” questions to get your ideas for an opinion piece. For example, “Would you rather have a dog or a cat?” This could lead to the topic, “Dogs are the best pet.” Keep it simple and choose a topic that is relatable to your students.
Next, model how you plan your writing using a graphic organizer. Show them how you open with a topic sentence that states your opinion. Next, come up with your supporting reasons. End with a closing sentence that restates your opinion.
Model how you use the graphic organizer to guide you as you write out your full piece.
Finally, reread your work aloud and show students how you catch silly mistakes such as spelling, capitalization or punctuation errors. You can also show how you add additional supporting reasons to make your writing more persuasive to the reader.
3. Use Anchor Charts
You want your students to know that when they write an opinion piece they are sharing their own opinion. They are not sharing true facts. Take time to review the difference between facts and opinions. Create an anchor chart that defines fact vs. opinion.
You’ll also want to review language that is specific to the genre. Remind students of the linking or transitional words that connect their opinion to their reasons.
Finally, you’ll want to create an anchor chart using the writing you model. This will serve as another example of excellent opinion writing. As a class, add labels to identify the topic sentence, supporting reasons and the closing sentence in your shared writing.
All of these anchor charts can be posted in your writing center. Encourage your students to refer back to them and use them as support as they write their own pieces.
4. Allow students to edit and share their writing
Provide a good writers checklist at your writing center. For opinion writing you’ll want the checklist to include items such, “Do I have a topic sentence that clearly states my opinion?” “Do I have supporting reasons ?” and “Do I have a closing sentence?”, as well as reminders to check for spelling, capitalization, and punctuation errors.
You can also create a rubric specific to the genre. Model how you use it to assess your own work and how it can be used to provide feedback to others.
Give students the opportunity to share their writing with others! Pair students with partners and let them read their pieces to each other. Encourage them to provide feedback using the editing checklist and the rubric as a guide.
5. Provide Daily Opportunities for Students to Write
As with all things, writing takes PRACTICE! Students need dedicated instructional time to learn the skills and strategies necessary to become effective writers, as well as time to practice what they learn. When you think about your daily instructional schedule, make sure you are giving your students ample opportunities to practice their opinion writing through whole-group instruction, small groups and/or independent practice in writing centers.
Opinion Writing Unit For Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade Students
Today I’m excited to share with you the details about my Kindergarten Opinion , 1st Grade Opinion , and my 2nd grade Opinion Writing units! I love them because they have ALL the resources you need to give your students the practice they need to master opinion writing.
These units were developed with standards-based research specific to each grade. You can use them within whole class or small group instruction, or as a literacy center activity where students can practice opinion writing independently!
What’s Included in these Opinion Writing Resources?
The kindergarten , first grade , and the second grade opinion writing resources each include information to help you unpack the unit and a mini-lesson you’ll teach to give your students a review of opinion writing. You’ll get a list of suggested mentor texts and online resources, printable anchor charts, graphic organizers, seasonal writing prompts, and conversational task cards to help get kids to share their opinion on different topics.
Kindergarten Opinion Writing Unit
Kindergarteners will probably need a review of fact vs. opinion so the kindergarten resource includes a printable fact vs. opinion anchor chart . You’ll also get charts with opinion writing sentence starters to help them organize their reasons and thoughts.
The kindergarten seasonal writing prompts come with traceable sentence stems and picture supported vocabulary word bank to assist young writers in brainstorming ideas and spelling words while writing.
Finally, you’ll get an editing checklist that is specific to opinion writing but also appropriate for the kindergarten level.
First Grade and Second Grade Opinion Writing Units
The first and second-grade resources include fact vs. opinion and linking words anchor charts that provide review and help them organize their ideas.
To help first and second-graders practice writing you’ll get 28 “Would You Rather” seasonal conversational opinion centers and 24 writing prompts. That’s more than enough to keep kids engaged in sharing their opinions all throughout the year!
The prompts are both PRINTABLE & DIGITAL. The digital version has been PRELOADED for you, with 1 click add them to your Google Drive or upload them to SeeSaw.
Each seasonal prompt printable paper includes a story-specific vocabulary bank to provide spelling assistance and help students get ideas for reasons to support their opinion.
Finally, you’ll also get a self-editing checklist and rubric that have both been made specifically for opinion writing. This rubric can be used as a self-assessment tool or as a guide for peer feedback.
I love these writing units because they can be used in so many different ways. They offer opportunities for students to practice opinion writing as a whole class, in small groups, as a literacy center activity, for homework, or as a meaningful activity for when they have a substitute teacher!
FREE Opinion Writing Graphic Organizers
Are you ready to begin Opinion Writing in your classroom? To help get you started, I am happy to offer you 3 FREE Opinion Writing Graphic Organizers! You can download them here .
The ability to state one’s opinion and support it with persuasive reasons is a valuable academic and LIFE skill! I hope the information and resources I’ve shared today will help to bring stronger opinion writing instruction and more meaningful practice to your kindergarten, first and second-grade classrooms!
Be on the lookout for my next post that will focus on the final genre… Narrative Writing! I’ll share information and tips for teaching narrative writing, as well as give you details about my Narrative Writing Units for kindergarten , first and second-grade students!
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The Best Student Writing Contests for 2023-2024
Help your students take their writing to the next level.
When students write for teachers, it can feel like an assignment. When they write for a real purpose, they are empowered! Student writing contests are a challenging and inspiring way to try writing for an authentic audience— a real panel of judges —and the possibility of prize money or other incentives. We’ve gathered a list of the best student writing contests, and there’s something for everyone. Prepare highly motivated kids in need of an authentic writing mentor, and watch the words flow.
1. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
With a wide range of categories—from critical essays to science fiction and fantasy—The Scholastic Awards are a mainstay of student contests. Each category has its own rules and word counts, so be sure to check out the options before you decide which one is best for your students.
How To Enter
Students in grades 7-12, ages 13 and up, may begin submitting work in September by uploading to an online account at Scholastic and connecting to their local region. There are entry fees, but those can be waived for students in need.
2. YoungArts National Arts Competition
This ends soon, but if you have students who are ready to submit, it’s worth it. YoungArts offers a national competition in the categories of creative nonfiction, novel, play or script, poetry, short story, and spoken word. Student winners may receive awards of up to $10,000 as well as the chance to participate in artistic development with leaders in their fields.
YoungArts accepts submissions in each category through October 13. Students submit their work online and pay a $35 fee (there is a fee waiver option).
3. National Youth Foundation Programs
Each year, awards are given for Student Book Scholars, Amazing Women, and the “I Matter” Poetry & Art competition. This is a great chance for kids to express themselves with joy and strength.
The rules, prizes, and deadlines vary, so check out the website for more info.
4. American Foreign Service National High School Essay Contest
If you’re looking to help students take a deep dive into international relations, history, and writing, look no further than this essay contest. Winners receive a voyage with the Semester at Sea program and a trip to Washington, DC.
Students fill out a registration form online, and a teacher or sponsor is required. The deadline to enter is the first week of April.
5. John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest
This annual contest invites students to write about a political official’s act of political courage that occurred after Kennedy’s birth in 1917. The winner receives $10,000, and 16 runners-up also receive a variety of cash prizes.
Students may submit a 700- to 1,000-word essay through January 12. The essay must feature more than five sources and a full bibliography.
6. Bennington Young Writers Awards
Bennington College offers competitions in three categories: poetry (a group of three poems), fiction (a short story or one-act play), and nonfiction (a personal or academic essay). First-place winners receive $500. Grab a poster for your classroom here .
The contest runs from September 1 to November 1. The website links to a student registration form.
7. The Princeton Ten-Minute Play Contest
Looking for student writing contests for budding playwrights? This exclusive competition, which is open only to high school juniors, is judged by the theater faculty of Princeton University. Students submit short plays in an effort to win recognition and cash prizes of up to $500. ( Note: Only open to 11th graders. )
Students submit one 10-page play script online or by mail. The deadline is the end of March. Contest details will be published in early 2024.
8. Princeton University Poetry Contest for High School Students
The Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize recognizes outstanding work by student writers in 11th grade. Prizes range from $100 to $500.
Students in 11th grade can submit their poetry. Contest details will be published this fall.
9. The New York Times Tiny Memoir Contest
This contest is also a wonderful writing challenge, and the New York Times includes lots of resources and models for students to be able to do their best work. They’ve even made a classroom poster !
Submissions need to be made electronically by November 1.
10. Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest
The deadline for this contest is the end of October. Sponsored by Hollins University, the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest awards prizes for the best poems submitted by young women who are sophomores or juniors in high school or preparatory school. Prizes include cash and scholarships. Winners are chosen by students and faculty members in the creative writing program at Hollins.
Students may submit either one or two poems using the online form.
11. The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers
The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers is open to high school sophomores and juniors, and the winner receives a full scholarship to a Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop .
Submissions for the prize are accepted electronically from November 1 through November 30.
12. Jane Austen Society Essay Contest
High school students can win up to $1,000 and publication by entering an essay on a topic specified by the Jane Austen Society related to a Jane Austen novel.
Details for the 2024 contest will be announced in November. Essay length is from six to eight pages, not including works cited.
13. Rattle Young Poets Anthology
Open to students from 15 to 18 years old who are interested in publication and exposure over monetary awards.
Teachers may choose five students for whom to submit up to four poems each on their behalf. The deadline is November 15.
14. The Black River Chapbook Competition
This is a chance for new and emerging writers to gain publication in their own professionally published chapbook, as well as $500 and free copies of the book.
There is an $18 entry fee, and submissions are made online.
15. YouthPlays New Voices
For students under 18, the YouthPlays one-act competition is designed for young writers to create new works for the stage. Winners receive cash awards and publication.
Scroll all the way down their web page for information on the contest, which accepts non-musical plays between 10 and 40 minutes long, submitted electronically. Entries open each year in January.
16. The Ocean Awareness Contest
The 2024 Ocean Awareness Contest, Tell Your Climate Story , encourages students to write their own unique climate story. They are asking for creative expressions of students’ personal experiences, insights, or perceptions about climate change. Students are eligible for a wide range of monetary prizes up to $1,000.
Students from 11 to 18 years old may submit work in the categories of art, creative writing, poetry and spoken word, film, interactive media and multimedia, or music and dance, accompanied by a reflection. The deadline is June 13.
17. EngineerGirl Annual Essay Contest
Each year, EngineerGirl sponsors an essay contest with topics centered on the impact of engineering on the world, and students can win up to $500 in prize money. This contest is a nice bridge between ELA and STEM and great for teachers interested in incorporating an interdisciplinary project into their curriculum. The new contest asks for pieces describing the life cycle of an everyday object. Check out these tips for integrating the content into your classroom .
Students submit their work electronically by February 1. Check out the full list of rules and requirements here .
18. NCTE Student Writing Awards
The National Council of Teachers of English offers several student writing awards, including Achievement Awards in Writing (for 10th- and 11th-grade students), Promising Young Writers (for 8th-grade students), and an award to recognize Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines.
Deadlines range from October 28 to February 15. Check out NCTE.org for more details.
19. See Us, Support Us Art Contest
Children of incarcerated parents can submit artwork, poetry, photos, videos, and more. Submissions are free and the website has a great collection of past winners.
Students can submit their entries via social media or email by October 25.
20. The Adroit Prizes for Poetry & Prose
The Adroit Journal, an education-minded nonprofit publication, awards annual prizes for poetry and prose to exceptional high school and college students. Adroit charges an entry fee but also provides a form for financial assistance.
Sign up at the website for updates for the next round of submissions.
21. National PTA Reflections Awards
The National PTA offers a variety of awards, including one for literature, in their annual Reflections Contest. Students of all ages can submit entries on the specified topic to their local PTA Reflections program. From there, winners move to the local area, state, and national levels. National-level awards include an $800 prize and a trip to the National PTA Convention.
This program requires submitting to PTAs who participate in the program. Check your school’s PTA for their deadlines.
22. World Historian Student Essay Competition
The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international contest open to students enrolled in grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools, as well as those in home-study programs. The $500 prize is based on an essay that addresses one of this year’s two prompts.
Students can submit entries via email or regular mail before May 1.
23. NSHSS Creative Writing Scholarship
The National Society of High School Scholars awards three $2,000 scholarships for both poetry and fiction. They accept poetry, short stories, and graphic novel writing.
Apply online by October 31.
Whether you let your students blog, start a podcast or video channel, or enter student writing contests, giving them an authentic audience for their work is always a powerful classroom choice.
If you like this list of student writing contests and want more articles like it, subscribe to our newsletters to find out when they’re posted!
Plus, check out our favorite anchor charts for teaching writing..
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Rutgers forsakes its students. Again | Opinion
- Updated: May. 28, 2024, 6:56 a.m. |
- Published: May. 28, 2024, 6:45 a.m.
- Star-Ledger Guest Columnist
By Amy Higer
Last Tuesday I received a shocking email from my supervisor in the Political Science Department at Rutgers.
The Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences was going to cancel my summer class -- a class I had taught regularly in my 25 years of teaching at Rutgers -- unless I agreed to teach it for 70 percent of my salary.
I had signed a contract in March and planned my summer around having this salary. The Dean said that if enrollment increased significantly, Rutgers would pay me the full salary—but that was unlikely, given that the first day of class is tomorrow, May 28. Worse still, I had 24 hours to decide whether I would accept these new terms. It was take-it-or-leave-it. Saying yes meant agreeing to receive roughly $4,000 less in salary. Saying no meant losing the work entirely, and this after I had turned down a summer teaching job elsewhere.
It turns out that I was not the only instructor to receive an ultimatum about summer courses like this. Apparently, the School of Arts and Sciences in New Brunswick had unilaterally decided to increase the minimum student enrollment for all summer classes to run, and for the first time ever, to base enrollment numbers on the salary of the instructor -- the higher the salary, the higher the minimum enrollment.
It then canceled dozens of classes -- many with higher enrollments than they had had in previous summers – and are oblivious to the damage.
Students take summer courses for many reasons, but most do so to graduate on time. It’s hard to overstate the harm these last-minute course cancellations cause students, but their educational needs apparently did not enter into the Dean’s calculus. While the administration allocates millions of dollars to athletic programs that spend lavishly, when it comes to education, it claims it is strapped for cash.
What is really going on here?
Last spring, I helped lead the first-ever faculty strike at Rutgers. It was an historic moment.
Faculty with the most job security and highest salaries stood with contingent faculty like myself, grad workers, and postdoctoral associates who had the least. Why? Because our strike was really a fight about the quality of education at Rutgers. It was about pushing back against an administrative mindset that views public universities as profit-seeking corporations rather than institutions to serve the public good.
So we went on strike—together – and it was extraordinarily successful.
this just in @njdotcom @rutgers @ruaaup_ptl @ruaaup_ptl https://t.co/eRP7jROVgR — Tina Kelley (@tinakelley) April 29, 2024
We didn’t win all our demands, but adjuncts got a 44% pay raise over four years. And longer-serving adjuncts like me won a faster path to promotion. I was promoted this spring. But now I’m seeing this came with a hidden cost. If I had not been promoted, my class would run with fewer students, and I’d be paid my full salary. In other words, I was being penalized for my promotion.
For months, Rutgers has been trying in multiple ways to claw back our contract gains with arbitrary decisions and measures touching virtually every aspect of our work.
While enrollments remain steady, the University suddenly announced last month that it would cancel dozens of writing classes in New Brunswick this coming fall and -- surprise! -- fire 36 out of 39 adjunct faculty who teach writing. Ignoring pedagogical standards, it has also increased class sizes throughout the University. And now it has canceled dozens of summer classes.
A year after we celebrated new contracts that we believed would make a better university for everyone, Rutgers has arrived at a crossroad.
What kind of public university does it want to be? One that delivers the best possible education to our students and values its educators? Or one that pays a football coach over $6 million a year while it demands pay cuts from its teachers -- when it doesn’t get rid of them outright?
The path Rutgers is now on will cause increasing harm, not only to adjunct faculty like me but to all of us: students and their parents, graduate workers, full-time faculty, and New Jersey taxpayers. It’s time for Rutgers to remember the primary mission of our university and put students first.
Amy Higer is an adjunct lecturer at Rutgers and Vice President of the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union.
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The Ethicist
Can i use a.i. to grade my students’ papers.
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on artificial intelligence platforms, and whether it’s hypocritical for teachers to use these tools while forbidding students from doing the same.
By Kwame Anthony Appiah
I am a junior-high-school English teacher. In the past school year, there has been a significant increase in students’ cheating on writing assignments by using artificial intelligence. Our department feels that 13-year-old students will only become better writers if they practice and learn from the successes and challenges that come with that.
Recently our department tasked students with writing an argumentative essay, an assignment we supported by breaking down the process into multiple steps. The exercise took several days of class time and homework to complete. All of our students signed a contract agreeing not to use A.I. assistance, and parents promised to support the agreement by monitoring their children when they worked at home. Yet many students still used A.I.
Some of our staff members uploaded their grading rubric into an A.I.-assisted platform, and students uploaded their essays for assessment. The program admittedly has some strengths. Most notable, it gives students writing feedback and the opportunity to edit their work before final submission. The papers are graded within minutes, and the teachers are able to transfer the A.I. grade into their roll book.
I find this to be hypocritical. I spend many hours grading my students’ essays. It’s tedious work, but I feel that it’s my responsibility — if a student makes an effort to complete the task, they should have my undivided attention during the assessment process.
Here’s where I struggle: Should I embrace new technology and use A.I.-assisted grading to save time and my sanity even though I forbid my students from using it? Is it unethical for teachers to ask students not to use A.I. to assist their writing but then allow an A.I. platform to grade their work? — Name Withheld
From the Ethicist:
You have a sound rationale for discouraging your students from using A.I. to draft their essays. As with many other skills, writing well and thinking clearly will improve through practice. By contrast, you already know how to grade papers; you don’t need the practice.
What matters is whether an A.I.-assisted platform can reliably appraise and diagnose your students’ writing, providing the explanation and guidance these students need to improve. In theory, such tools — and I see that there are several on the market, including from major educational publishers — have certain advantages. The hope is that they can grade without inconsistency, without getting tired, without being affected by the expectations that surely affect those of us who hand-grade student work.
I notice you haven’t raised concerns about whether the platform provides reliable assessments; you’ll have to decide if it does. (If it isn’t quite up to snuff, it might become so in a year or two, so your question will persist.) Provided the platform does a decent job of assessment, though, I don’t see why you must do it all yourself. You should review the A.I.-annotated versions of your students’ writing, check that you agree with the output, and make notes of issues to bring up in class. But time saved in evaluating the papers might be better spent on other things — and by “better,” I mean better for the students. There are pedagogical functions, after all, that only you can perform.
In sum: It’s not hypocritical to use A.I. yourself in a way that serves your students well, even as you insist that they don’t use it in a way that serves them badly.
Readers Respond
The previous question was from a reader who asked about professional boundaries. He wrote: “I am a retired, married male psychiatrist. A divorced female former patient of mine contacted me recently, 45 years after her treatment ended. Would it be OK to correspond with her by email? Or is this a case of ‘once a patient, always a patient?’”
In his response, the Ethicist noted: “The relevant professional associations tend to have strictures that are specifically about sexual relationships with former patients. … In light of the potential for exploitation within the therapist-patient relationship, these rules are meant to maintain clear boundaries, protect patient welfare, uphold the integrity of the profession and eliminate any gray areas that could lead to ethical breaches. But though you do mention her marital status, and yours, you’re just asking about emailing her — about establishing friendly relations. The question for you is whether she might be harmed by this, whether whatever knowledge or trust gained from your professional relationship would shadow a personal one. Yes, almost half a century has elapsed since your professional relationship, but you still have to be confident that a correspondence with her clears this bar. If it does, you may email with a clear conscience.” ( Reread the full question and answer here. )
As always, I agree with the Ethicist. I would add that the letter writer’s former patient doesn’t realize that the therapist is actually two different people — the professional and the regular person underneath. Therapists portray their professional selves to their clients. The former client may be disappointed upon meeting the therapist outside of the professional context. Additionally, the feelings she has toward the therapist may be based on transference, and they would need to address that. — Annemarie
I am a clinical psychologist. While the Ethicist’s description of professional ethical boundaries is correct, there is more to the story, and I disagree with his conclusion. A very big question here is why this former patient contacted him after 45 years. That is a question that is best explored and answered within the context of a therapeutic relationship. He would be well- advised to respond in a kind and thoughtful way to convey the clear message that he is not available for ongoing communication, and he should suggest that she consult with another therapist if she feels that would be helpful. — Margaret
In my case, it was the therapist who reached out to me, seeking to establish a friendship several years after our sessions ended. I was surprised, but he shared that he had since experienced a similar personal tragedy to one I had explored with him in sessions. Since it had been several years since we saw each other professionally, I responded. There was never any hint of romantic or sexual interest. Still, as he continued to reach out to me, clearly desiring a friendship, it never felt right to me. It did feel unprofessional, as his knowledge of me was borne out of a relationship meant to be professional, never personal, as warmly as we might have felt during our sessions. I ended up being disappointed in him for seeking out my friendship. — Liam
I am a (semi)retired psychiatrist who has been practicing since 1974. In my opinion, “once a patient, always a patient” is correct. Establishing any type of personal relationship with a former patient could undo progress the patient may have made in treatment, and is a slippery slope toward blatantly unethical behavior. As psychiatrists, our responsibility is to work with patients in confronting and resolving issues that are preventing them from having a reality-based perception of their life. With such an outlook, they are more capable of establishing satisfying relationships with others. An ethical psychiatrist is not in the business of providing such satisfaction to his or her patients. — Roger
I think there is a difference between being friendly and being friends with a former client. As someone who used to attend therapy with a therapist I think dearly of, she made it clear to me that it was OK to send her emails with life updates after our therapeutic relationship ended. But beyond that, I think it would be inappropriate and uncomfortable to pursue a friendship with her, and vice versa, because of the patient-provider relationship that we previously had and the power dynamic that existed between us. The letter writer didn’t share the content of the email his former patient sent to him, but if it’s just a friendly life update, I think it’s fine to write back and thank her for sharing. Beyond that, I feel like it would be unprofessional to meet or pursue a deeper relationship. — Meghan
Kwame Anthony Appiah is The New York Times Magazine’s Ethicist columnist and teaches philosophy at N.Y.U. His books include “Cosmopolitanism,” “The Honor Code” and “The Lies That Bind: Rethinking Identity.” To submit a query: Send an email to [email protected]. More about Kwame Anthony Appiah
Opinion Columnists | Opinion: DPS must focus on students, not a new…
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Opinion columnists | environmental groups to sue suncor over repeated air pollution violations, saying colorado has failed to regulate refinery, opinion columnists, opinion columnists | opinion: dps must focus on students, not a new bond for buildings.
Parents fear for their children’s safety. There are regular reports of weapons in schools . Fewer than one in five low-income elementary school students is reading at grade level.
Now is exactly not the time to give Denver Public Schools a billion dollars in new funding. The leadership of the district is running DPS into the ground.
It is shocking and inexcusable that there have been no significant changes in safety policies in the 15 months since the murder of East High School student Luis Garci a, or the preventable shooting of two school administrators .
Weapons continue to be a major problem in Denver’s schools while the public has even less visibility into what is being done to address these problems. Students found with guns on campus are allowed to return to school with daily weapon searches.
Student achievement in DPS cratered after the pandemic and has shown no signs of recovering, while many other Colorado school districts have bounced back. Only 13% of Denver’s low-income elementary and middle school students are reaching math proficiency and the growth numbers for high school math are getting worse relative to most school districts in the state.
The district had slow but steady increases in achievement for all groups of students whether Black, Latino, White, non-low-income or low-income for over a decade. DPS is now moving in the opposite direction with achievement becoming worse for nearly every group of students on math and literacy since coming out of the pandemic.
Denver, like most large cities is losing enrollment because of rising housing costs, gentrification, and families having fewer children. The negative impact on student learning is compounded significantly each year as needed classroom dollars are diverted to fund many half-empty school buildings. Denver’s surrounding districts, Jefferson County and Aurora have stepped up to address this fiscal problem by “right-sizing” their districts through program consolidation and school closure, ensuring more dollars go to teacher pay, staff, and classroom supplies than underused facilities.
Given the school board’s fiscal mismanagement and inability to address this fundamental structural problem, it makes no sense to give the district more money. DPS must have a plan to address its growing fiscal problems before receiving more funding.
Yes, our schools are underfunded, and teachers are underpaid. Buildings need to be upgraded with air conditioning. But first we need to make sure student safety and learning needs are being addressed while the board effectively manages their budget.
Despite last November’s election of new school board members with a clear mandate to have the district focus on safety, achievement, fiscal management while holding the superintendent accountable, little has changed, other than fewer drama-filled board meetings.
There is no new achievement plan, strategy to bring spending in alignment with declining enrollment, or any effort to ensure the superintendent is accountable for student success.
In fact, there is growing evidence the district’s downward spiral is accelerating with no substantive evaluation of the superintendent, senior leadership silenced, staff working in fear, and many of the best district’s best educators leaving.
It will take years for DPS to build a core of educators committed to serving students better.
Twenty years ago, DPS had falling student enrollment, declining test scores, and less than half of low-income students graduating from high school. Thanks to broad and deep community leadership combined with in-depth media coverage of the challenges in DPS, the school board changed, and a series of superintendents were able to get the district on an improvement path. These efforts from 2002-2019 resulted in student achievement, graduation rates and college admissions rising for all student groups.
With devasting problems growing once more, Denver voters are again at an important crossroads. Voters can demand the district address these clear problems before supporting the bond or they can allow themselves to be distracted by calls for needed air conditioning. I’ll be the first to call for a billion-dollar bond once the district has stabilized its budget and enacted policies ensuring a safe quality school environment for all students with clear measurable targets. But until this happens, we need to say “no, not now.”
Van Schoales is the former President of A+ Colorado, a former teacher, Denver School Principal, active Democrat and has never not supported an education tax increase or bond until now without a change by the DS board.
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COMMENTS
As fifth grade students transition from elementary school to middle school, they frequently become more adept at expressing their own thoughts and ideas—and in many cases, also even more eager to do so. You can nurture this important skill in your students with our set of 30 5th-grade opinion writing prompts.
In the process, these opinion writing prompts for 5th grade will activate critical thinking and sharpen writing skills. Additionally, these fifth grade opinion writing prompts help students to challenge their beliefs, analyze ideas, and possess a growth mindset. So pencil into your writer's workshop plans this week a few of these opinion ...
55 Opinion Writing Prompts For 5th Graders. I believe that libraries should be open twenty-four hours a day. Keeping libraries open would give people who work odd hours the opportunity to use the services offered. It also gives unhoused individuals somewhere to go when the weather is bad at night. In addition….
A: Opinion writing prompts offer a range of benefits to 5th graders, such as improving their articulation skills, fostering their ability to analyze multiple perspectives, enhancing their vocabulary and grammar, and strengthening their overall writing abilities. These prompts also encourage students to become more self ...
Diversify Topics: Rotate between different types of prompts. This variety keeps students engaged and helps develop a range of skills. Consider Current Events and Relevance: Incorporate prompts related to recent events or topics for opinion writing relevant to students' lives. This makes the writing exercise more engaging and relatable.
Teaching opinion writing to your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade students soon? Use the sentence starters and paragraph frames below in your lessons to help students structure their writing, use transitional words, stay on topic, and support their opinions. Templates like the examples below are a great way to introduce opinion writing.
Opinionated writing practice. These prompts give students practice in writing opinion essays. The emphasis is on providing reasons and evidence in a structured manner to back up the opinions that you put forward. Grade 5 opinion writing prompt. Winter or summer vacations?
Persuasive essays are those written to convince another person to agree with the writer or take action. These persuasive essay prompts inspire 5th graders to share their passions with an audience. Pets Day . You've just gone to work with your parent for "bring your child to work day.". Write an essay convincing your school to have a ...
11. The Perfect Pet by Margie Palatini. Elizabeth crafts a plan to convince her parents to let her have a pet, with unexpected—but pleasing—results. This is our favorite opinion-writing mentor text for introducing kids to win-win solutions and encouraging them to suggest them in their own opinion writing.
Persuading with words. These worksheets and writing prompts focus on expressing opinions and persuasive writing. Writing counter arguments: anticipate and write counter arguments. Writing advertisements: create an advertisement with text and graphics. Opinion essay writing: plan and write an opinion essay using our framework.
10 Prompts for 5th Grade Fiction Writing. Opinion writing prompts 5th grade to help encourage critical thinking and self-expression in young students. Here are ten 5th grade writing prompt ideas to get them started: Create a story about a mysterious package that arrives in the mail. Develop a narrative about a person who can time travel.
5th grade writing: narrative writing. A narrative is a story. Whether inspired by a book, real events, or your child's imagination, your child's story should start by introducing a narrator, characters, or a situational conflict. Fifth graders will be asked to use classic narrative devices like dialogue, descriptive words, and character ...
Civil Rights: The Later Years of the Movement. Worksheet. Cite and Explain Your Evidence #2: Literary Response. Worksheet. Supporting Opinions. Worksheet. Summer Writing Prompt #4: My Favorite Destination. Worksheet. Stand Up Like Malala.
Writing The Body of an Opinion Essay. We can teach our 3 rd, 4 th, and 5 th graders to adhere to structure when they write the body paragraphs of their opinion essay too.. Each body paragraph needs to have a reason introduced by a topic sentence, supporting details that support the reason, and a concluding sentence that sums up that body paragraph.If students are explicitly taught this ...
Research Reports. The skills involved in writing a research report are valuable for 5th graders. They need to be able to judge the reliability of a source and cite their sources properly. Research reports also teach students to organize their ideas, take notes, make an outline, write a draft, and create a final report.
Erin N., may 2023. My fifth grade opinion writing unit includes 8 weeks of done-for-you writing lessons about how to write a strong opinion essay. This unit contains detailed lesson plans, mentor texts, anchor charts, student writing tasks, and rubrics-everything you need to be a capable, confident writing teacher with students who love to write.
In these worksheets, students plan and then write an opinion essay. The planning framework includes an essay topic sentence, reasons, supporting details, counterarguments and conclusions. Worksheet #1 Worksheet #2 Worksheet #3 Worksheet #4 Worksheet #5 Worksheet #6. Worksheet #7 Worksheet #8 Worksheet #9 Worksheet #10. Similar:
We always start with simple paragraphs. Yes, this is basic, but if your students cannot write excellent paragraphs, their five paragraph essays will be train wrecks. Trust me! We spend a while cementing paragraph structure: Topic Sentence. Detail #1. Detail #2. Detail #3. Closing Sentence.
This lesson focuses on the components of opinion writing for a fifth grader.This is a series of videos that start at reading the passage and prompt in order ...
Tips for Teaching Opinion Writing. 1. Read Opinion Writing Mentor Texts. Before you can ask your students to write in a genre that is new to them, you must first immerse them in it. So to begin your unit, you'll want to share examples of opinion writing with your students. These mentor texts provide students with excellent examples of opinion ...
Articles by Grade level. Grades K-1 Articles; Grade 2 Articles; Grades 3-4 Articles; Grades 5-6 Articles; Topics. Animals; Arts; Books; Business; Careers; Community; Culture; Debate; Earth Science; ... Opinion. Debate Should Adventure Tourism Be Allowed? April 10, 2024 Traveling by submarine to view an underwater shipwreck. Trekking to the top ...
Jane Austen Society Essay Contest. High school students can win up to $1,000 and publication by entering an essay on a topic specified by the Jane Austen Society related to a Jane Austen novel. How To Enter. Details for the 2024 contest will be announced in November. Essay length is from six to eight pages, not including works cited. 13.
Students take summer courses for many reasons, but most do so to graduate on time. It's hard to overstate the harm these last-minute course cancellations cause students, but their educational ...
Fifth Grade Independent Study Packet - Week 2. . Workbook. Fifth Grade Independent Study Packet - Week 3. . Workbook. Summer Writing Prompt #2: What I Like About Summer. Worksheet. Fifth Grade Fall Review Packet - Week 1.
The Historical Commission also recognized the winners of the 2024 Fifth Grade History Essay Contest. Each student received an essay contest certificate and a bookstore gift certificate: · 1st Place: Aiden Patterson of St. Rose Grammar School, Belmar, for History To Be Proud Of;
Most notable, it gives students writing feedback and the opportunity to edit their work before final submission. The papers are graded within minutes, and the teachers are able to transfer the A.I ...
Goldilocks and the 3 jurors: Denver students put beloved fairy tale on trial The district had slow but steady increases in achievement for all groups of students whether Black, Latino, White, non ...
The five-paragraph essay is a mainstay of high school writing instruction, designed to teach students how to compose a simple thesis and defend it in a methodical, easily graded package.