Prioritizing Revision in an Opinion Letter Conference
Mrs. Patel's third graders are revising opinion letters about whether the school day should start later. Devon's draft begins, 'I think school should start later. First, kids are tired in the morning. Also, we should start later because everyone likes recess. Also, we need more time to eat breakfast. That is why I think school should start later.' He has two reasons that could be supported and one reason that is a preference, no evidence from the provided article, and repeated 'Also.' Mrs. Patel has a 25-minute writing conference. She knows Grade 3 opinion writing requires an opinion, reasons, linking words, and a conclusion, but she does not want to overwhelm Devon. She must choose one revision goal: add evidence, vary linking words, or strengthen the conclusion. She also wants Devon to do the revising, not her.
1. Which revision goal should Mrs. Patel choose for Devon: add evidence, vary linking words, or strengthen the conclusion? Justify with W.3.1 and the draft, and explain why the other goals are lower priority.
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Add evidence is the highest priority. Devon already has an opinion and multiple reasons, so he is not stuck at the beginning of opinion writing. But one reason ('everyone likes recess') is a preference, not a reason connected to the issue, and none of his reasons uses the provided article. W.3.1 expects reasons that support the opinion, and Grade 3 writers are learning to use facts and details. Varying 'Also' matters, but linking words are a surface feature; fixing them first would polish weak reasons. Strengthening the conclusion is also lower priority because his conclusion restates the opinion, which is developmentally appropriate at this stage. In a 25-minute conference, evidence gives Devon the most meaningful work: choose one reason, find a fact from the article, and explain how it supports starting later.
2. Write two conference questions that would help Devon revise without Mrs. Patel rewriting the letter for him.
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Question 1: 'Which of your reasons is a fact someone could check in our article, and which is just a preference?' This asks Devon to evaluate his own reasons rather than accept a correction. Question 2: 'What sentence from the article could you put after your strongest reason to show it is true?' This directs him to evidence without composing the sentence for him. If he chooses 'kids are tired in the morning,' I would point to the article and ask him to find the sentence about sleep or start times. Then I would ask him to write one sentence in his own words. I would not give him a finished linking word list until he has revised the content; otherwise he may add 'for example' to a reason that still lacks support.