Last week, Mrs. Anderson’s fourth grade class at Coal City Intermediate School focused on understanding the concept of an author's claim in reading lessons. The students learned that an author's claim represents the author's opinion or stance on a particular topic.
To put this lesson into practice, the class participated in a Halloween-themed writing activity. Students were asked to make their own claims about what costume Mrs. Anderson should wear for Halloween. Suggestions included a spider, a ghost, Ms. Frizzle, and a dog. As part of the exercise, students supported their choices with evidence to back up their claims.
Mrs. Anderson noted that this activity would be developed into a writing assignment for the class.