Purposeful Writing: Kindergarten
Students will be able to share their opinion through drawing and writing.
- Gather students together for the start of lesson.
- Bring out two different art supplies (a set of paints/colored pencils would work well).
- Show the students both of the supplies and ask if there is one that they like using the best.
- Say, “Today we are going to practice sharing our opinion with others by trying to convince or persuade (a fancy way of saying convince) each other why our opinion should be listened to.
- Ask, “why would we want to persuade someone of something?” Answers might include: Convincing parents to get you a new toy, better rules at school, sharing why you think something is important so that other people agree/choose as well.
Explicit Instruction/Teacher Modeling(10 minutes)
- Tell students that they are going to think of why they think one of the art supplies is better than the other.
- Ask students to share with a partner the reasons that they prefer the colored pencils or the paints.
- Have students share their reasons using the sentence frame, “I like using the [blank] because [blank].”
- Write up the reasons on the whiteboard (or chart paper).
- Explain that to make your argument more convincing, you need to provide reasons. One way you can provide reasons is to use the word “because” to explain why you think something is important.
- Tell your students that they will now work together to create a persuasive letter to the school principal.
Guided Practice/Interactive Modeling(10 minutes)
- Write a letter outline on your whiteboard or chart paper that says,
“Dear [insert principal name here], We are asking for a new [blank] in the playground. Here’s why we should have one. Reason #1: Reason #2: Reason #3: Thank you for considering our request.
- Explain to your class that they are going to write a letter to the principal asking to buy a new piece of equipment for the kindergarten playground.
- Have students pair-share with each other what they would like to add to their playground (encourage them to think big!).
- Ask a few students to share their ideas. Record them on the board.
- Vote as a class on which idea to use, or write them on slips of paper and choose from a hat.
- Ask the students why they want the new playground equipment. Encourage them to state their reason using the phrasing, “We should get [blank] because [blank].”
- Record student ideas on the letter.
- Read entire letter aloud and ask students if they were the principal, would they be convinced? Why?
Independent Working Time(15 minutes)
- Go over the My Favorite Recess Activity worksheet instructions with the class and send them to work independently.
- Circulate around the room and offer writing/dictation and other support as needed.
- For students who need more support understanding the concept of a reason/supporting idea, work with them to create a shared piece of writing using the same topic as the worksheet.
- For students who need additional writing support, provide dictation as needed or write words on sticky notes for students to use.
- For additional practice for students who quickly finish the activity and/or need a more challenging activity, have students work on an additional piece of persuasive writing using the My Opinion About Ice Cream worksheet.
Collect the My Favorite Recess Activity writing worksheets and assess whether students were able to choose an activity and articulate why it is their favorite using drawings or words.
Review and Closing(5 minutes)
After the 15 minutes of independent work time has concluded, ask students to return to the rug with their worksheets. Review as a whole class by asking a few students to share their favorite activity and one reason why it is their favorite. Say, “wow, that is a great reason. If I wanted to try ____ activity and heard your reason for liking it, I would try it.” Discuss student questions as needed. Close by saying, “when we share our opinion or ideas with others, they are more likely to listen or be convinced by us if we give them reasons that support our opinion.”