Opinion Texts

Overview

In this first lesson of the unit, students activate prior knowledge about opinion texts, then connect it to The Magical Faraway Tree through a shared read-aloud and discussion of characters. Students practise sharing their own opinions using simple sentence structures.

Learning intentions

• Students will understand what an opinion text is and why people share opinions.
• Students will identify the purpose and audience of opinion texts (sharing a view with others).
• Students will practise speaking and writing simple reasons linked to a story character.
• Students will use topic-related words from the story to support ideas.

Success criteria

• I can say whether I like or do not like a character from The Magical Faraway Tree.
• I can give one reason for my opinion (because…).
• I can join words into a simple sentence with correct end punctuation.
• I can use at least one story vocabulary word (character, magic, tree, room, leaves, etc.).

Curriculum links

• Literacy: create and edit short imaginative/informative/persuasive texts using simple and compound sentences and common punctuation.
• Literacy: identify the purpose and audience of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts.
• Language: explore how language can be used for appreciating texts and providing reasons for preferences.
• Literacy: use comprehension strategies such as visualising and questioning to build meaning while listening.
• Literature: identify features of literary texts and give reasons for personal preferences.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook: “Agree or disagree?” Teacher shows 2 picture cards (e.g., “I think the tree is magical” / “I do not think the tree is magical”) and asks students to move to an “Agree” or “Disagree” spot. Students use thumbs up/down and quick partner talk.

2. 5–15 min · Direct teach: What is an opinion text? (I do) Teacher says: “An opinion is what you think. An opinion text shares your view and a reason.” Use a simple anchor chart:

• Opinion (I think…)
• Reason (because…)
• Audience (someone reading/hearing your view) Teacher models with a 2-sentence example about a character. Students repeat using choral responses. Students complete a quick oral sort: “This is an opinion” or “This is a fact” using teacher read statements.

3. 15–25 min · Shared read-aloud: Enter the Tree (We do) Teacher reads a short section (or summarises if book length is large) while showing illustrations of The Magical Faraway Tree. Students use a “Stop and Think” routine:

• Visualise: “What do you see?”
• Question: “What do you wonder?” Teacher prompts students to notice a character’s behaviour/feelings.

4. 25–35 min · Opinion discussion: character preferences (We do) Teacher selects one character (e.g., the tree, a child character, or a magical creature from the page) and asks:

• “Do you like this character?”
• “What is one reason?” Students do turn-and-talk with sentence starters on cards:
• “I think ___ is…”
• “I like/don’t like ___ because…” Teacher listens for clear opinion + one reason.

5. 35–50 min · Guided practice: Build a sentence (You do) Students choose ONE character and write/say an opinion sentence on a “sentence strip” (differentiated versions):

• Support (sentence frames): “I think ___ is ___. I like it because ___.”
• Standard: “I think ___ is ___. Because ___, I…”
• Advanced: “I prefer ___ because ___, and I think ___ would also like it.” Teacher circulates for conferencing, using a simple checklist: opinion word (like/think/prefer), reason (because), full stop.

6. 50–56 min · Dyslexia-friendly share: Colour-coded read Students read their sentence using a highlighter plan: Opinion word in one colour, reason in another colour. Teacher collects 3–4 volunteers (or pair shares for students who struggle with whole-class speaking).

7. 56–60 min · Exit ticket (quick check) Each student completes one emoji opinion chart (3 emojis on the board): 😄 like, 😐 unsure, 😞 don’t like. They add one short reason orally or by drawing 1 reason icon (heart/house/leaf/bolt) and a word if possible.

Resources

• The Magical Faraway Tree book/printed pages for the read-aloud
• Illustration cards (tree, characters, rooms)
• Agree/Disagree floor spots
• Opinion anchor chart (I think…, because…)
• Character picture cards
• Sentence strip templates (support/standard/advanced)
• Colour markers or pre-printed colour coding worksheets
• Emoji opinion chart (print for exit ticket)
• Class checklist poster for teacher

Assessment

• Formative: teacher observation during opinion turn-and-talk (opinion + reason).
• Formative: check sentence strips using the checklist (opinion language, because reason, punctuation).
• Exit ticket: emoji choice shows preference; reason icon/word shows understanding of “because.”

Differentiation

• Support for low academics/ADHD/ASD/dyslexia: chunk tasks into short time blocks, use visual cues (Agree/Disagree spots, colour-coded sentences), provide sentence frames and word banks, and allow oral responses instead of writing for some students.
• Use “I do we do you do” clearly: model once, practise together, then independent.
• Additional support: pre-highlight “I think” and “because” on the sentence strips; allow speech-to-text or teacher scribe for students who struggle with handwriting.
• Advanced learners: introduce “audience” by asking, “Who would want to hear this opinion? A friend, a reader, the author?” and prompt a second reason or a more specific preference word (prefer, enjoy, admire).
• Behaviour supports: movement allowed early (spot activity) and structured pair roles (Speaker/Listener) to reduce off-task behaviour.