1     In  Common:  Effective  Writing  for  All  Students       Co   llection  of  All  Argument/Opinion  Samples,  K-­‐12     by The Vermont Writing Collaborative, with Student Achievement Partners, and CCSSO 2     Contents   Document  Overview  ...................................................................................................  3   Brief  User  Guide  for  On-­‐Demand  Argument/Opinion  Writing  ......................................  4   K-­‐5  On-­‐Demand  Argument/Opinion  Samples  ..............................................................  6   6-­‐12  On-­‐Demand  Argument/Opinion  Samples  ...........................................................  75   Brief  User  Guide  for  Range  of  Writing  Argument/Opinion  Writing  ...........................  117   K-­‐5  Range  of  Writing  Argument/Opinion  Samples  ....................................................  119   6-­‐12  Range  of  Writing  Argument/Opinion  Samples  ..................................................  186 3   Document  Overview     Common  Core  State  Writing  Standard  1:  Argument/Opinion  Writing   The  first  Common  Core  State  Writing  Standard  calls  for  students  to  "write  arguments  to   support  claims  in  an  analysis  of  substantive  topics  or  texts  using  valid  reasoning  and  relevant  and   sufficient  evidence."  The  following  collection  of  student  work  offers  a  series  of  samples  illustrating   what  effective  argument/opinion  writing  might  look  like  at  each  grade  level.     The  first  section  of  the  document  is  comprised  of  “On  Demand”  writing.  This  section  contains   pieces  written  in  response  to  a  uniform  text-­‐based  prompt.  The  second  section  is  made  up  of  “Range   of  Writing”  samples.  These  pieces  provide  examples  of  student  writing  for  “a  range  of  discipline-­‐ specific  tasks,  purposes,  and  audiences”  over  both  extended  and  shorter  time  frames.   Each  piece  in  the  collection  is  annotated  using  the  language  of  the  Common  Core  State   Standards  for  a  particular  grade  level  and  writing  type. 4             Brief  User  Guide  for  On-­‐Demand   Argument/Opinion  Writing 5   Brief  User  Guide  for  On-­‐Demand  Argument/Opinion  Writing     The  pieces  in  this  On-­‐Demand  section  represent  one  of  the  three  types  of  writing  named  in  the   Common  Core  State  Standards  for  Writing:  opinion/argument  writing.  Students  at  all  grade  levels  were  given   one  to  three  texts  and  a  writing  prompt  that  asked  them  to  form  an  opinion  or  a  claim  about  a  focusing   question.  Students  at  kindergarten  through  grade  five  were  given  the  focusing  question,  “Which  kind  of  pet  is   best,  a  cat  or  a  dog?”  At  grades  six  through  twelve,  students  were  given  the  focusing  question,  “Should  your   school  participate  in  the  national  ‘Shut  Down  Your  Screen  Week’?”     Because  students  needed  time  to  build  content  knowledge  from  the  texts  in  order  to  be  able  to  write,   the  process  took  anywhere  from  two  to  three  days  for  most  students.    Teachers  read  the  text  aloud  to   students  at  all  grade  levels,  to  ensure  that  all  students  could  access  the  text  when  they  needed  to  re-­‐read  the   text(s)  to  gather  evidence  to  develop  their  writing.  All  writing  was  done  on  their  own,  without  input  from  peers   or  teachers.   The  prompts  and  the  individual  pieces  based  on  them  are  arranged  in  grade  order.  Each  piece  has  a  file   number  for  easy  identification.  Every  piece  of  writing  includes  two  versions  that  have  been  transcribed  exactly   as  written  by  the  student  –  one  annotated  with  the  language  of  the  Common  Core  Standards,  and  one  un-­‐ annotated  for  a  variety  of  uses.  In  addition,  pieces  in  the  K-­‐5  collection  have  a  third  version  as  well;  this  version   has  been  revised  and  edited  for  major  errors  in  conventions  and  can  be  used  as  a  model  for  students.     Kindergarten  pieces  also  include  PDF’s  of  original  student  work,  including  student  writing  and  drawing.    This  is   because  kindergarten  students  may  use  a  combination  of  drawing,  dictating,  and  writing  to  satisfy  the   Standards.       Suggestions  on  how  to  use  these  pieces  are  available  at  the  end  of  the  introductory  document,  “Using   the  In  Common  Resource.” 6            K-­‐5  On-­‐Demand   Argument/Opinion  Samples 7   Grade K, Prompt for Opinion Writing Common Core Standard W.CCR.1 (Passage should be read aloud by the teacher) Bob and his friend Ann don't agree on which pet is best. Listen to find out what they each think. The Best Pet My friend Ann says her pet is better than mine! I have a brown cat named Fluffy. Ann has a black and white dog named Spot. We each think our pet is the best. I told Ann that cats are better pets because they are clean, quiet and very cute. Cats wash themselves with their tongues. You don’t have to walk them. They use a litter box. Also, cats are sweet and quiet. I think dogs are too noisy! They bark a lot. They don't clean themselves or use a litter box. Dogs need someone to give them baths, train them and walk them. Dogs are more work. Ann says that cats are no fun! She says that dogs are better to play with. Spot always wags his tail when he sees her. He can even do tricks. He barks when she says, “Speak”. He knows how to roll over! Ann says dogs are also better because they protect their owners. Spot always barks when there is someone at the door. It makes Ann feel safe. So, Ann thinks dogs are best. I guess Ann’s dog is pretty cool, but so is Fluffy. Maybe different kinds of pets are good for different people. Teacher Directions to Students (after reading): • What do you think? Which pet is best—a cat or a dog? 8   • Turn and talk to a partner about which pet you chose. Be sure to tell your partner WHY you picked that pet. Allow about 3 minutes for students to discuss their choices. • Now, use this paper to draw a picture of the pet you chose. I will help you write words under your picture to tell more about your choice. Kindergarten Opinion Prompt Teacher Directions • Read the story, present the question, and allow a few minutes for discussion with a partner. Give out lined or unlined paper. Then, use your typical classroom writing process to support students in completing the writing prompt. The piece should represent first draft writing (done in a single sitting). • The response should include a picture and whatever sentences, words, or letters the child can add. An adult may assist with sounding out or spelling words and/or transcribe the child's words if desired. • Please distinguish the child's independent production from words or letters produced with adult help by underlining any part of the writing done with teacher support. The writing sample will be most useful to other teachers if it is easy to tell where help was given. • We understand that, especially in the fall, most Kindergartners have had limited experience with writing. 9   File Name: OKFP The Best Pet Opinion/Argument Kindergarten, Fall On-Demand Writing- Uniform Prompt The Best Pet Tells the reader the MKIECYKDBbD topic he or she is writing about and states I like my cat because they are better than dogs.* an opinion or preference about the topic *dictated response In  this  Kindergarten  opinion  piece,  done  in  the  early  fall,  the  student  shows  a  basic   awareness  that  what  we  say  can  be  written  down.  Early  in  the  Kindergarten  year,   specific  letter/sound  association  has  typically  not  yet  developed,  yet  the  above  type   o f  experimentation  with  writing  plays  a  crucial  role  in  the  development  of  written   language. 10   File Name: OKFP The Best Pet Opinion/Argument Kindergarten, Fall Revised and Edited for Student Use The Best Pet I like cats because they are better than dogs.* *dictated response