Opinion Writing

About this resource

Ask a young child "which is better, dogs or cats?" and they will tell you, loudly. Ask them to write it down and they stall. This is a set of opinion writing worksheets for kindergarten through 2nd grade that starts where the child already is: a question with no wrong answer, a sentence starter ("I think ... because ..."), and room to draw, circle and write. Four layouts take a child from one sentence to a full draft.

EVERYTHING INSIDE (24 pages)

• 13 student pages: 12 opinion questions plus 1 word page ("I think", "because", "best" and 5 more words, printed big)
• I Think: 3 pages, a question, a picture box to draw in, and 3 lines with "I think" and "because" printed
• Pick One: 3 pages, two choices to circle (dogs or cats, summer or winter, the park or the library), then 3 lines to tell why
• Plan It: 3 pages, four labeled sections (I think, Reason 1, Reason 2, The end) with 2 lines each
• Draft It: 3 pages, 8 lines with four starters printed ("I think", "One reason is", "Another reason is", "So")
• 9 pages with sentence starters already printed; the word page and the 3 Plan It pages are left for the child's own words
• 1 writing log (one row for each of the 12 questions), 1 class grid (15 students), 1 filled example (an invented student)
• 1 family note with three ways to help at home, 1 phrase bank of 15 observable-language starters
• 1 binder cover and 6 divider tabs with a spine label to cut out
• Start Here and terms of use

Built For The Child Holding The Page

A big "My name" line, one short instruction with a small pencil icon, the question in large rounded letters, and lines with real spacing. Nothing on a student page is written for an adult, there is no score, and no student page needs scissors or glue. The twelve questions are everyday ones (the best pet, the best lunch, the best game at recess) and none has a right answer.

Type In, Or Print

The name and date lines, every ruled line, the log, class grid and family note are type-in fields in any PDF reader, so you can type a starter or a word onto a line before you print. The picture boxes and choice boxes are left for drawing and circling. Every page prints clean in black and white. This is a fillable PDF; it is not a Google Slides or PowerPoint file.

Who This Is For

Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade classrooms, self-contained and resource rooms, writing centers, small groups and tutors who want opinion writing practice a child can start on their own. Your district's own writing expectations decide how many reasons to ask for and when.

What This Is, And What It Is Not

Opinion writing pages with the record-keeping around them. There is no scoring and no rubric, and it is not a timed test, a screener or a clinical tool. It makes no claim about any student's age or rate of progress, and there is no IEP goal language or eligibility wording anywhere in the file.