Preparing for On-Demand Writing
This year, our most significant weakness has been including strong details to support our main ideas. In an opinion piece, we have some great main ideas, but often our paragraphs turn into one run-on sentence or a single weak detail. I found that even when I told students their ‘reasons’ were not strong, they didn’t ‘get’ it.
My solution? Provide writing topics that get my friends so hot and bothered, they forget all of the conventions/techniques/strategies we’ve learned throughout the year. I know. I said it. Let me explain.
Anything that gets my students in a tizzy is fair game – dress code, homework, year-round school, gender-specific schools. The most cruel prompt we’ve written about…
Focusing on Tone
TALK ABOUT PANIC. I refused to tell them if is was true or not…these letters were the most passionate pieces I have EVER seen from my kids. They were furiously writing and some serious hand-stretching was needed! But as I walked around the classroom, I could see my evil plan was working. I was seeing a TON of words being used, but not words that made my teacher-heart happy. I saw words such as LAME, hAtE, not cool, STUPID. Again, my evil plan was working.
Critiquing Our Opinions
As the 30 minute timer sounds, I gathered the letters. I pick a few that were exceptionally fiery and read them aloud. I assume the role of the Superintendent or the Board of Education or the Principal (whoever the prompt addresses) and ask students to read a letter I hand to them (the audience). This is comical and enlightening. If the Board of Education sits in front of you, how do you call them STUPID? If the Superintendent is looking you in the eyes, how do you call his plan LAME?
{Please note – Sharing writing out loud is a well established routine in out classroom. We do not do it as a call out, but we believe great writers learn from other writers. We ALWAYS find great things in other pieces, as well as, tips for our next writing. We also know that the author of each piece is our friend and could be sitting next to us. We are kind friends.}
After calling me (the audience), lame, stupid, not cool – it starts to sink in. We refer back to the reoccurring theme in our class that for better or worse, words have tremendous power. When we use words such as lame, stupid, hate, not cool – we send a message to our reader…No longer is the piece about iPads or the prompt, it is about us. We’ve become so involved, so upset, we have lost focus and any power we had.
We then take a step back and think about the kind of power we want our words to have. As a class, we develop a list of words that give us (the writer) the power back – words such as negative impact, not the best solution, disappointing, frustrated by, respectfully disagree. These words tell the reader, “I understand the opposition’s line of thinking. I am a mature writer and I will use my best words/most developed thoughts to show why my opinion matters.”
Revising our Ideas
Friends, this shift is powerful. Students leave still believing their ideas and opinions matter, but we learn that our ideas have to be matured and refined.
Then, I hand back the prompt and their writing. I ask, “Would the audience {Superintendent, Governor, Principal, Teacher, Parent, Classmate} believe your opinion has power?” Students then take a step back and refine their ideas. The transition is fantastic and students feel like powerful, accomplished writers.
We practice LOTS of topics that students want to immediately ‘jump’ on…so many that we have trained ourselves to take a step back. I also know that students may be given a prompt they care nothing about (pet leash laws, memorial parades, etcs.), and we practice those too….but we do focus on the prompt where students get ‘lost’ in their own writing. Here are another two of our “favorite” prompts where we’ve been reminded on crafting our words into powerful, credible ideas. These are a part of my On Demand Writing Prompts set were I provide prompts for opinion, narrative, and inform/explain writing, as well as, tips for each genre of writing!
Passage Based Prompts
From 2023 on in Kentucky, On Demand writing has been focused to opinion (6th grade) or argument (8th and 11th grades) passage-based prompts. Offering students multiple resources to ground their answers in, students are being asked to synthesize information, craft a thesis, and connect how evidence from the text support their arguments.
So, what are your favorite ways to craft strong arguments and ideas in opinion pieces? Do you have a favorite prompt or technetium? If so, I would love to hear about it!
Those are great writing prompts for fifth grade! I love how personal and situational you have made the experience for the students. I teach second and we're still working on stating our opinion and giving reasons! A favorite prompt at my level would be convincing the teacher where we should go on the next field trip.
What I Have Learned
Oooo…we did the field trip one in the fall and general consensus was Williamsburg! 🙂 It's so fun to hear 'kid reasoning'. Even in 5th grade, it's a work in progress! 🙂
In Hawaii, we don't have a writing exam, but our other state tests are driving me up the wazoo! We do have Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) that are a part of our evaluation this year, and one of our SLOs is on opinion writing. My kids would've loved your 1:1 iPad topic.
I like how you place a topic first, and then pose the question. My students only have the question. We've done ours on having more PE during the school week, someone or something that didn't live up to their expectations, and our current one is "what is one thing you can change about our school?" I explained to the kids that the change is something that can be implemented by them & not the administration or teachers. They said no bullying, changing their attitudes to be more positive, participating more in school, and keeping our school clean.
Leanna
lilismilee.blogspot.com
I love your prompt ideas! I'll definitely have to put some of them in action. Thank you! 🙂
You have some great prompts! This year it was really strange – the prompt that got our 4th graders writing the most was cats vs. dogs.
*facepalm* It drives me nuts when we prepare our kids with developed prompts that require higher-level thinking and relate to the real-world, and then, state tests choose cats vs. dogs….So sorry, friend!
Your technique for creating mature opinion writers is motivating! My students just received iPads with a 2:1 ratio last week! I definitely could see my students writing an opinion piece stating the reasons why they should have a 1:1 ratio! Thanks for a wonderfully motivating blog post.
Susan
Thanks, Susan! Congratulations about the iPads. You will absolutely love them, and they will be awesome motivating for your kiddos! I adore mine. 🙂
Passioninportableland
Wow! This technique is an awesome way to get students motivated. I am going to try this in my classroom!
Sara 🙂
The Colorful Apple
I just read your post (a tad late, I know), but WOW!! I love how excited your students became and how you turned their "kid language" into appropriate, strong language. Our next writing is persuasive; I'm going to definitely use real-life situations. Thanks, Catherine!!
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