Is It an Opinion or a Reason? Educational Resources K12 Learning, Verbal Communication, Writing, English / Language Arts Lesson Plans, Activities, Experiments, Homeschool Help

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Would you rather sing out loud or break out into a dance for every song you hear?

Whether you sing like no one is listening or dance like no one is watching, OWN IT!

Sharing how you feel about a particular topic may be frightening when everyone around you disagrees. However, with the right reasons, examples, and specific details, you can explain your opinion to anyone!

For example, we all have different things that we like. My favorite day of the week is Monday because it starts a new week. and I can set new goals.

I could use a word web graphic organizer like the one below to brainstorm more reasons or examples.

word web graphic organizer for the favorite day of the week

What is your favorite day of the week and why?

Use the Word Web Graphic Organizer under Downloadable Resources in the right-hand sidebar to brainstorm your favorite day of the week and why.

All the ideas that you think of represent different reasons that support your opinion.

How many different reasons can you think of?
Can you try to add a riddle about your favorite day of the week?

Have you ever tried to convince your family that you should be allowed to get a pet?

When you try to convince or persuade someone to change their mind, you prove your opinion with the reasons you provide.

As you watch and listen to the story I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman, pay attention to the reasons Alex provides to convince his mom they should get an iguana.

In I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman, Alex tries to convince his mom to let him have an iguana by presenting various reasons.

What are some reasons Alex gives to convince his mom to let him have an Iguana?

Create a list. Then, compare it to the list provided below.

They are low-maintenance pets.
Iguanas are vegetarian, so they won't eat expensive food.
He promises to take care of it himself.
He'll clean its cage every day.
He insists he will remember to feed it.
Having an iguana would make him feel happy.
It could be his best friend.
It would help him learn responsibility.
He would be more responsible than his friend, who has a dog.
It's his dream pet.

Wow! Alex sure does give a lot of reasons.

But are all of them good reasons, or are some of them just his opinion?

An opinion is what someone thinks or feels about something. It's like saying, "I like chocolate ice cream." It's your personal idea or feeling, but it might not be true for everyone.

A reason is why you think or feel that way. It's like saying, "I like chocolate ice cream because it's yummy." The reason explains why you have that opinion. It might be a fact like the ice cream tastes good or how you feel about it.

Look back at the 10 reasons Alex gave.

Which of these is his opinion and not a fact?

Great work!

Alex could make these three opinions better reasons if he added facts. For example, he could say that having an iguana would make him feel happy because he would have someone to play with every day.

Head over to the Got It? section for more work with reasons and opinions!