CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.1c

ELA3rd GradeText Types and Purposes

The Standard

Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and reasons.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students connect an opinion to each supporting reason with words that make the relationship clear. They select connectors that show a cause, result, or example.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students write a clear opinion and connect each reason to it smoothly. They choose words that correctly show a cause, result, or example.
Common Misconceptions: Students may list reasons without showing how they support the opinion. They may choose a connector that does not fit, or write an incomplete sentence such as, “I agree because.”
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: Write an opinion about school uniforms, give two reasons, and use two different linking words. Underline the linking words.

Lesson moves

Give pairs opinion, reason, and linking word strips to arrange into two logical sentences, then read each sentence aloud.
Ask, “Should homework be optional?” Students state a reason, then rewrite their response using because or therefore.
Play Linking Word Match by drawing opinion and reason cards, choosing a fitting connector, and reading the completed sentence for a point.
Examine a school lunch review, circle its connectors, then add one sentence linking the writer’s opinion to a specific example.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.1c, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

Learning progression

Mastery here sets students up for these next.

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