Unit Plan 15 (Grade 3 ELA): Crafting Strong Conclusions
Grade 3 opinion writing unit: a 5-day plan teaching strong conclusions, linking words—students write claims, reasons, and a polished paragraph ending.
Grade Level: 3
Subject Area: English Language Arts (Writing, Speaking & Listening, Language)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
This week focuses on writing strong endings for opinion pieces and using linking words to guide readers smoothly into those endings. Students study effective conclusion types, revise drafts to create a satisfying finish that echoes the opinion and reasons, and edit for capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. By Friday, students will publish a short opinion paragraph that includes a clear claim, reasons, purposeful linking words, and a polished concluding statement.
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…
- Write a concluding statement that restates the opinion and leaves the reader with a clear final thought or call to action.
- Use linking words/phrases to connect reasons to the conclusion so the piece reads smoothly.
- Plan, revise, and edit opinion writing to improve clarity, organization, and conventions.
- Apply capitalization, punctuation, and spelling rules to produce a clean final draft.
Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 3
- Writing: W.3.1d (provide a concluding statement or section)
- Writing: W.3.5 (develop and strengthen writing by planning, revising, and editing)
- Language: L.3.2 (command of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling)
Success Criteria — student language
- I end with a sentence that matches my opinion and gives a clear final thought.
- I use linking words to lead into my ending (therefore, overall, as a result, in the end).
- I can name one revision that made my ending stronger.
- My final draft shows correct capitals, punctuation, and spelling.