Writing prompt Grade 3 English Language Arts
Fix the Faucet? A Grade 3 Opinion Prompt on a Leaky School Sink
A grade 3 opinion writing prompt where students decide whether a fictional school should fix a dripping faucet right away, using a real fact about drip waste as support.
Objectives
- Students will write an opinion piece that states a claim and supports it with reasons.
- Students will organize an opinion piece with a clear beginning, ordered reasons, and an ending.
- Students will use a fact about water waste to support a written opinion.
Vocabulary
- Water conservation
- Using less water and using it wisely so there is enough for people and nature now and in the future. Small actions matter, since a faucet dripping once per second wastes roughly 3,000 gallons per year.
Also: drip
Teacher overview
At Pinehill Elementary (a fictional school used for this prompt), the sink faucet in Room 12 has been dripping for weeks, and the principal has asked the class to help decide whether it should be fixed right away or wait until the custodian's next repair visit. This prompt gives students one clear fact about dripping faucets to use as evidence, then asks them to write an opinion piece with reasons in order, the organizational pattern grade 3 opinion writing builds toward. The prompt keeps the reasoning simple and concrete, since third-grade opinion writing focuses on stating a position and backing it up, not on weighing an opposing view.
Prompt
Background: The EPA is a part of the United States government. It helps people save water. The EPA says a faucet that drips once a second can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water in one year. Each single drop looks tiny, but the drops add up fast. The custodian is the person who fixes things at Pinehill Elementary. He is very busy. He can only fix a few leaks each month. The principal has asked Room 12's class to help decide. Should the dripping faucet be fixed this week? Or can it wait a whole month, until the custodian's next visit?
Writing task: Write an opinion piece. State your opinion: should the school fix the faucet in Room 12 right away? Give at least three reasons for your opinion. Use the fact above and your own thinking. Put your reasons in order, from your first reason to your last. End with a sentence that restates your opinion.
Planning Organizer
| Category | Your notes |
|---|---|
| My opinion (should the faucet be fixed right away?) | |
| Reason 1 | |
| Reason 2 | |
| Reason 3 | |
| Ending sentence that restates my opinion |
From Water for Schools (waterforschools.org). This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely.
Exemplar & Rubric
Exemplar response:
I think Pinehill Elementary should fix the dripping faucet in Room 12 right away, not wait for the next scheduled visit. My first reason is that a dripping faucet wastes a lot of water over time. The EPA says a faucet dripping once every second can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water in a single year, and that adds up every single day the leak is not fixed. My second reason is that a slow drip almost never fixes itself and usually gets worse, so waiting a whole month could mean an even bigger leak by the time the custodian arrives. My third reason is that the dripping sound is distracting during quiet reading time, and it is hard for our class to concentrate with a steady drip in the background. For all of these reasons, I believe Pinehill Elementary should fix the dripping faucet in Room 12 this week instead of waiting.
Rubric:
| Criterion | Emerging | Developing | Proficient | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opinion/claim | No clear opinion is stated | States an opinion, but it is unclear or changes partway through | States one clear opinion at the beginning of the piece | States one clear opinion at the beginning and restates it at the end |
| Reasons & evidence | No reasons are given | Gives one reason with little or no support | Gives at least two reasons, with the water-waste fact used as support | Gives three reasons, each explained, with the water-waste fact used as clear support |
| Organization | Reasons appear in a random order with no clear structure | Reasons are listed but the order feels random | Reasons are presented in a sensible order from first to last | Reasons are presented in a clear order and the piece ends with a sentence that restates the opinion |
| Conventions | Frequent errors make the writing hard to follow | Some errors are noticeable but do not block meaning | Complete sentences with few errors | Complete, varied sentences with very few errors |
Differentiation
Support (below grade level)
Provide sentence starters for each Planning Organizer row, such as "I think the faucet should/should not be fixed right away because ___." Allow students to give only two reasons instead of three, and permit reasons to be written as short phrases before combining them into full sentences.
Extension (above grade level)
Ask students to add a fourth reason that considers the custodian's point of view (why a busy custodian might want to wait), and to explain in one additional sentence why their three original reasons still outweigh that point.
ELL supports
Pre-teach the words dripping, waste, and repair with a simple picture of a leaking faucet and a drop-by-drop measuring cup. Allow the Planning Organizer to be completed with short phrases rather than full sentences, and provide a word bank of connecting words (first, also, finally) to help order the reasons.