Opinion writing teaches children to organize their thoughts and become persuasive writers. Language Arts and the Common Core standards describe how opinion writing matures from kindergarten onward. At first, children simply state an opinion. Then they learn to supply reasons to support the opinion. Over time opinion writing skills mature and they learn to present an introduction, a stated opinion, supporting statements and a conclusion.
Why Worksheets Are Important
Successful handwriting is a building block for strong opinion writing skills. When children write clearly, they think clearly. For children who struggle to write clearly during opinion writing activities, the problem might not be with the child’s ability, it could be a worksheet issue. Worksheets play an important role in developing neatly written, strong opinion writing pieces in elementary school. Giving children easy-to-follow worksheets encourages strong handwriting as well as organized and clear opinion pieces. A properly laid out worksheet is the foundation for teaching successful opinion writing skills.
Here’s a thought about opinion writing worksheets: Teachers must be careful when choosing them. Some worksheets are like junk food, they are appealing but bad for children. Here are some worksheet design issues to consider when choosing the right worksheet for your students:
Fonts & Teacher Alert
Fonts used on the worksheet should be easy to read with proper capitalization. Watch out for inconsistent fonts that set a bad example. They will be a bad example for children who are learning to write.
Text Boxes & Teacher Alert
If the worksheet has text boxes for the child to fill in with their supporting points, be sure that the box is large enough and includes plenty of long lines for the student to have adequate space on which to write. Blank boxes without lines can make it confusing for the child to know where to start writing, causing them to begin in the middle of the box and run out of space. Additionally, small boxes might not provide enough room—even for the child who can begin writing in the correct place inside the box.
Lines
Lines on worksheets should be long enough to accommodate the larger printing of young children who are still mastering letter formation and size. Inadequate line space on a worksheet can cause students’ handwriting to become cramped and messy—and even cause them to skip words as they write. Long lines allow children to fully express themselves with complete sentences and properly spaced words.
Our A+ Worksheet Maker gives teachers different options to create worksheets that provide children with plenty of space to form their words and sentences.
For extra practice outside of worksheet writing, try Double Line notebook paper and our writing journals.