Ooshie Opinion Writing

Overview

Across two 50-minute lessons, students write a persuasive text answering: Which Ooshie is the best? Lesson 1 begins with a cold write to show students’ independent writing skills, followed by oral discussion and vocabulary building. In Lesson 2, students use the OREO structure—Opinion, Reasons, Evidence/Examples, Opinion again—to plan, draft and edit a good copy for a familiar audience.

Learning intentions

Lesson 1 — Cold write and explore

• WALT write a short persuasive text for a familiar audience.
• WALT share an opinion and give reasons for it.
• WALT choose precise vocabulary to describe an Ooshie.
• WALT listen to others’ ideas and explain my preferences.

Lesson 2 — Plan, write and edit

• WALT organise a persuasive text using the OREO structure.
• WALT use reasons and examples to support my opinion.
• WALT write simple and compound sentences using topic-specific vocabulary.
• WALT re-read and edit my writing for punctuation, spelling and structure.

Success criteria

Lesson 1

• I can clearly name the Ooshie I think is best.
• I can give at least two reasons for my opinion.
• I can use describing words and Ooshie-related vocabulary.
• I can write sentences that begin with a capital letter and end with punctuation.

Lesson 2

• I can plan an opinion, reasons, examples and a concluding opinion.
• I can use linking words such as because, also and so.
• I can write a persuasive text that is easy to follow.
• I can re-read my work and make at least two useful edits.

Curriculum links

• Creating short persuasive texts for familiar audiences using simple structures, topic-specific vocabulary and appropriate multimodal elements.
• Re-reading and editing writing for spelling, sentence boundary punctuation and text structure.
• Applying learnt vocabulary and making conscious choices to suit the topic.
• Using comprehension and discussion strategies to identify information, compare ideas and explain preferences.
• Using language to appreciate texts and provide reasons for preferences.

Lesson structure (100 minutes across two lessons)

Lesson 1 — Cold write and vocabulary development (50 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook. Display several Ooshie images using the Ooshie comparison slides and ask, “Which Ooshie would you choose as the best, and why?” Students silently choose one and share an initial reason with a partner.

2. 5–12 min · Discuss persuasive writing. Teacher explains that persuasive writing gives an opinion and tries to convince a reader; model the difference between “I like this one” and “I think this Ooshie is the best because it is colourful and unusual.” Students identify the opinion and reason in the examples.

3. 12–30 min · Cold write. Teacher displays the prompt, “Which Ooshie is the best?” and reminds students that this is independent writing and that invented examples are acceptable if students do not have an Ooshie. Students write without a planning template, aiming for a short persuasive paragraph with an opinion and reasons.

4. 30–40 min · Vocabulary and oral rehearsal. Teacher uses the Ooshie vocabulary and discussion slides to introduce or revise words such as colourful, detailed, rare, interesting, funny, popular, favourite, design and character. Students choose three useful words and orally rehearse a sentence with a partner.

5. 40–47 min · Share and compare. Students read one sentence to a partner, then identify whether it states an opinion, gives a reason or provides an example. Teacher collects common strengths and next steps without grading the cold write.

6. 47–50 min · Reflection. Students complete a quick oral reflection: “One idea I could add to make my opinion stronger is…” Teacher explains that the next lesson will use OREO to organise ideas.

Lesson 2 — OREO planning, good copy and editing (50 minutes)

1. 0–7 min · Reconnect and model. Revisit the question using the OREO structure slides. Teacher models: Opinion—“I think the tiger Ooshie is the best”; Reasons—“It is colourful and recognisable”; Examples—“Its stripes make it easy to identify”; Opinion again—“That is why it is my top choice.” Students identify each part.

2. 7–18 min · Plan with OREO. Distribute the OREO Ooshie planning and editing sheet. Students choose an Ooshie and record an opinion, two reasons and a specific example for each reason. Teacher conferences with students, prompting, “What makes you think that?” and “Can you describe it more precisely?”

3. 18–25 min · Sentence building. Teacher models combining ideas with because, also and so. Students orally practise sentences such as, “I think the ___ is the best because ___.” They improve one basic sentence by adding a describing word or a second idea.

4. 25–40 min · Write the good copy. Students use their plan to write a neatly presented persuasive paragraph or short text for the class display. They include a title, opinion, at least two reasons with examples and a concluding opinion. Students may add a small drawing or labelled image of their chosen Ooshie.

5. 40–47 min · Re-read and edit. Students use the checklist on the OREO Ooshie planning and editing sheet to check capital letters, full stops, spelling of familiar words, clear sentence boundaries, linking words and all OREO parts. They make at least two edits, then read their writing quietly to a partner.

6. 47–50 min · Exit reflection. Students complete the final reflection on the OREO Ooshie planning and editing sheet: “My strongest reason is…” and “One edit I made was…”. Invite two students to share how their writing changed from the cold write to the good copy.

Resources

• Ooshie images or teacher-approved photographs
• the Ooshie comparison, vocabulary, modelling and OREO teaching deck
• the OREO Ooshie planning and editing sheet
• Ooshies for observation, if available and permitted by school policy
• Whiteboard and markers
• Writing books or good-copy paper
• Pencils, coloured pencils and erasers
• Visual vocabulary cards
• Headphones or text-to-speech device, where available

Assessment

• During discussion, listen for students stating an opinion, giving a reason and using topic-specific vocabulary.
• Collect the cold write as a baseline and compare it with the planned good copy for structure, sentence construction, vocabulary and editing.
• Use the OREO plan and final reflection to check whether students can organise ideas and identify an edit they made.

Differentiation

• Provide oral rehearsal, picture-supported vocabulary, a word bank and sentence starters such as “I think ___ is the best because ___” and “For example, ___”.
• Allow students to dictate ideas, use speech-to-text, type their good copy or work with an adult scribe. Offer dyslexia-friendly options: clear sans-serif font, larger print, generous spacing, cream or pale-coloured paper, minimal copying and text-to-speech.
• Reduce the writing demand for students needing support: one clear opinion, two reasons and one example, with the teacher or peer helping record ideas.
• Extend advanced writers by adding a third reason, anticipating a different opinion, using persuasive language such as clearly or most impressive, and including a labelled drawing or digital presentation.