Reading Opinion Texts Determining An Authors Opinion

B. Determining Reasons and Evidence: William Barton’s Letter (20 minutes)

* Direct students’ attention back to the first paragraph of William Barton’s letter. Ask them to reread this paragraph with a partner and locate the sentence that most clearly states William’s opinion. If necessary, remind them to refer to the Exploring Opinions as Readers and Writers handout. Focus students on the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart, specifically collaboration. Remind students that because they will work in pairs, they will need to collaborate.
* Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

“Which sentence in this paragraph most clearly states William’s opinion?” (“Father, I know my words will be hard for you to hear, but I feel I have no choice but to join the fight for independence from Great Britain.”)

* If productive, cue students to provide reasoning:

“Why do you think that?” (Responses will vary.)

* Invite students to underline and label this sentence with the word opinion on their letters.
* Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

“How do you know this statement is an opinion?” (It says what William thinks and believes about the American Revolution; someone could disagree or have a different point of view.)

* Direct students’ attention to the Exploring Opinions as Readers and Writers handout. Remind them that in informational writing, authors use reasons and evidence to support a point about a topic. Point out to students that this is true for opinion writing as well; authors use reasons and evidence to support a point they want to make, which is their opinion on a topic.
* Share that a reason is an explanation for why an author thinks something is true. It is why someone believes what he or she believes. Focus students on the following point on the handout:
* “Authors support their opinions (WHAT they believe) with reasons (WHY they believe).”
* Direct students’ attention to the second paragraph of William Barton’s letter. Ask students to reread this paragraph with a partner and locate the sentence that most clearly states a reason for William’s opinion, or why William believes the colonies should be independent from Great Britain. If necessary, remind them to refer to the Exploring Opinions as Readers and Writers handout.
* Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

“Which sentence in this paragraph most clearly states a reason for William’s opinion?” (“You say that we are British subjects, but we are not treated like we are part of Great Britain.”)

* Invite students to underline and label this sentence with the word reason on their letters.
* Share that authors support their reasons with evidence, or facts and details based on research or observations.
* Direct students’ attention back to the second paragraph of William Barton’s letter. Ask them to reread this paragraph with a partner and locate evidence William gives for his reason, or facts and details explaining how the colonists are not treated like British subjects.
* Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

“What evidence does William give to support his reason?” (“We are forced to pay high taxes on everything. We have to buy stamps for newspapers, paper, even playing cards! Yet, despite this, we have no say in government decisions. The king sends his own governors to rule us, and we have no representatives in the British Parliament.”)

* Invite students to label this part of the paragraph with the word evidence on their letters.
* Invite students to read the third paragraph of William Barton’s letter with a partner, identifying another reason for William’s opinion and evidence he gives to support his reason.
* Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

“Which sentence in this paragraph most clearly states a reason for William’s opinion?” (“Even our safety is threatened.”)

“What evidence does William give to support his reason?” (“The British soldiers have been sent here to control, not protect, us. British soldiers watch our every move and have even killed innocent people. There is no choice but to fight for our freedom! General Washington is a great leader, and I know he will lead our army to victory. War is not safe, but neither are our streets!”)

* Focus students on the Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart, specifically respect. Point out that throughout his letter, William showed respect even though he had a different opinion from his father.