You have spent weeks with the anchor text. You know the characters, the journey, and how it ends. Today you turn that into an opinion you can defend: not just I liked it, but I liked it because, with evidence from the text.
By the end of this lesson you bank a clear Opinion Draft of about 100–150 words in your Communication Portfolio. Next lesson you adapt that same opinion for speaking.
An opinion that holds up has three parts: a clear stance, named evidence, and a short link that shows how the evidence supports the stance. I liked it is a feeling. In a story about a boy minding his grandad, I liked it because he learns exactly how his grandad takes his tea is a judgement a reader can check. Honesty about what worked and what did not often reads stronger than pure praise.
| Term | What it means for you | Example (the grandad story) |
|---|---|---|
| Opinion | State it in one plain sentence before you prove it | I admired how quietly he looks after his grandad |
| Textual evidence | Quote or name it so a reader can find it | milk in first, two sugars, the mug with the chip |
| Justification | Say what the detail does, not only what it is | Getting the tea right without being asked shows he cares through small jobs, not speeches |
You will mark this practice extract next. Look for details a reader could point to, not a full plot retell.
She counted the coins again on the kitchen table. Twelve euro and the bus fare still short. The bag by the door was already packed: one change of clothes, the letter she had not opened, and the photograph of the house they used to live in. Her brother said she was mad to go. She said nothing. Outside, the rain had started, the kind that makes the road shine and the decision feel bigger than it is. By the time the bus pulled in she had put the photograph back on the mantelpiece and left the letter unopened on the table.
Quick warm-up only. Mark three moments in the practice extract that could support a clear opinion. For each one, name what kind of evidence it is and write one sentence on how a reader could use it. Aim for three solid marks, then move on: finishing early means more time for your Portfolio draft next.
This mark-up is practice only. Your Portfolio piece is the Opinion Draft on the anchor text in the next step.
Now write your Opinion Draft on the anchor text the class agreed. This is the communication piece that banks in your folder: a clear written opinion other readers can follow and check.
State a clear stance (positive, negative, or mixed), back it with three pieces of textual evidence, and link each piece to your view. Aim for 100–150 words when you can. If you are still building length, a clear stance line plus three short evidence sentences with links is enough for today and still counts as done.
One solid draft is the required output. Copy the finished draft into your Communication Portfolio as m1_l27_opinion_draft_<your-initials>.docx (or keep it in your paper folder).
Talk this through with the person beside you, or sit with it quietly:
If you want a longer note for future-you, put it in your Reflective Journal later: the moment your stance got clearer because of one detail in the text.
You're previewing this lesson. Get full access to this lesson and hundreds more — each one ready to teach, with interactive activities, printable resources and pupil progress tracking built in.