Writing prompt Grade 1 Social Studies & Civics
Hackberry Mill's One Summer Job: A Grade 1 Opinion Prompt
A grade 1 opinion writing prompt in which a fictional town can afford one job, a leaking pipe repair or a bridge painting, with an organizer, exemplar, and rubric.
Objectives
- Students will state an opinion about which town job should come first.
- Students will supply one reason for the opinion using the word because.
- Students will end the piece with one closing sentence and a labeled drawing.
Vocabulary
Key words: opinion, reason, leak, repair, closing
Teacher overview
Towns decide what to fix first because they cannot fix everything at once, and that question is within reach for a first grader. The prompt gives the fictional town of Hackberry Mill enough money for one summer job: repairing a pipe that leaks under Mill Street, or repainting the town bridge. Both choices are defensible, so the writing is scored on the reason rather than on the side taken.
Plan on three short sittings inside the forty-five minutes: read and discuss, fill the organizer, then draft. Read the prompt aloud twice and keep both jobs visible on the board while students write, since the whole task depends on holding two options in mind at once.
Prompt
Read aloud: The town of Hackberry Mill has money for one job this summer. The town can pick only one job. Here are the two jobs.
Job A: Fix the pipe. An old pipe under Mill Street leaks. It leaks all day and all night. The water runs into the gutter. Nobody gets to use that water.
Job B: Paint the bridge. The town bridge has old gray paint. Chips fall off when a truck rolls by. The bridge is safe, but it looks worn out.
The town asked the first grade class for help.
Your task. Which job should the town do first? Write your opinion. Give one reason for it. Use the word because. End with a closing sentence. Then draw the job you picked and add one label.
Planning Organizer
Fill in each box before you write.
| Part of my writing | What I will put there |
|---|---|
| My topic | Name the town and the choice it has to make. |
| My opinion | Name the job you think should come first. |
| My reason | Tell why. Use the word because. |
| My closing | End with one sentence that says it again. |
Use these sentence starters if you need them.
- "I think the town should fix the pipe first."
- "I think the town should paint the bridge first."
- "One reason is because"
- "That is why the town should start with this job."
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, written at grade 1 level.
The town of Hackberry Mill can pick one job this summer. I think the town should fix the pipe first. One reason is because the pipe leaks all day and nobody gets to use that water. The bridge is still safe with old paint on it. The town can paint the bridge next summer. That is why the pipe should come first.
Rubric. Score each row separately.
| Criterion | Emerging | Developing | Proficient | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topic | No mention of the town or the choice. | Names the town or a job, but not the choice between them. | Names the town and says there is one job to pick. | Names the town, the choice, and both jobs in one clear opening. |
| Opinion | No job is chosen, or both are chosen. | A job is named but no opinion word is used. | States one job clearly, using words such as I think. | States one job clearly and repeats the choice in the closing. |
| Reason | No reason is given. | A reason is given but is not about the two jobs. | Gives one reason tied to a job, using because. | Gives one reason tied to a job and adds a detail from the prompt. |
| Closing and conventions | No closing sentence; words are hard to read. | Ends abruptly; some capitals or end marks missing. | Has a closing sentence with most capitals and end marks correct. | Has a closing sentence that restates the opinion, with correct capitals and end marks throughout. |
Score the drawing informally: it should show the job the student picked and carry one readable label.
Differentiation
Support
Reduce the writing to two sentences, the opinion and the reason, and scribe the closing from dictation. Provide the opening sentence already written on the page. Offer two picture cards, one of a leaking pipe and one of a chipped bridge, so the student can point before writing.
Extension
Ask these students to add a third sentence that says what the town should do about the job they did not pick, such as when to schedule it or how to pay for it later. A second task is to write the one sentence the town would say to the neighbors who wanted the other job.
ELL supports
Pre-teach leak, paint, pick, and first with quick demonstrations: a dripping cup, a paint chip, a choice between two crayons. Post the two job labels with a small drawing beside each. Accept the opinion spoken in the home language, scribe an English version together, and have the student copy the because clause.
Extensions
Hold a two-corner vote in the room after the drafts are finished, with the pipe on one side and the bridge on the other, and count the class result. Then ask students whether hearing a classmate's reason changed anyone's mind, which introduces the idea that people share reasons before a town decides.