Students are asked to give opinions and reasons in short responses (e.g., QUESTION #2: Which poem was your favorite? Why?) and to record why they chose three additional poems (QUESTION #3). Students keep a journal to record ideas and reflections, which can include opinion and supporting reasons. The activities require students to explain preferences and justify selections in writing or discussion.

Students are asked to state which poem they enjoyed most and explain why (Question #1), which requires them to give an opinion and supporting reasons. The wrapping-up question asks students to explain why nature is a popular subject for poets, prompting students to produce reasons for an opinion. Students read their poems aloud and discuss choices, which gives opportunities to articulate viewpoints and supporting ideas orally.

The lesson asks students to name their favorite poem and explain why (Question #1), which requires stating an opinion and giving reasons. The follow-up question about whether second person makes a poem more effective asks students to form an evaluative opinion and justify it. The Parent Plan notes students should select a writing focus and answer reflective questions that call for reasons.

Students are asked to state and justify opinions in multiple prompts (e.g., "Do you like the poem? Why or why not?", "What do you think about the poem?", and "Why do you think Jack does not want his poems read aloud...?"). Students complete written analysis pages that require answering open-ended questions and recording reasons (e.g., favorite line and why, responses to poem meanings). Students are prompted to discuss and review their answers with a parent, which provides opportunity to supply reasons for opinions verbally or in writing.

Students are asked to state opinions and support them with reasons in questions that ask "How do you know?" (QUESTION #1 and QUESTION #2). The wrapping-up discussion prompts ask students to decide whether Jack's attitude is changing and to explain how they know, requiring them to give supporting reasons. Parent Plan prompts ask children to explain their illustrations and the words from the poem that helped them draw it, which asks for justification of an opinion about the image.

Students identify opinions in Activity 1 by marking statements as fact or opinion and by writing opinion statements about The View from Saturday. In Activity 3 students write a 7–8 sentence thank-you note and are required to include at least three sentences that contain a conjunction (examples given include because, and, although, but). The student pages ask students to record two statements that are opinions, reinforcing identification and production of opinions.

Students are asked open-response questions that prompt opinions and reasons (e.g., "Why do you think the captain wouldn't listen to Annie?" and "Which story did you enjoy more... Why?"). Students complete a paragraph-organization activity that contains and requires them to arrange sentences with linking words/clauses (for example, "Because he didn't listen, the steamboat's hull was broken..."). Students are prompted to translate and use figures of speech and to write contextual sentences, which practices composing sentences that could include linking phrases.

Activity 2 (Transitional Words and Phrases) provides explicit lists of transitions (including cause/effect words such as "as a result," "consequently," and conclusion words like "therefore") and directs students to write a summary using at least five transitional words or phrases, some at sentence beginnings and some within sentences. The Transitional Words student page categorizes transitions (cause/effect, emphasize, compare/contrast, etc.) and includes examples such as "specifically." The parent prompts (e.g., "Ask him which story he liked better and why") ask students to state a preference and give reasons verbally.

Students are asked to state and support opinions in discussion questions such as, "Do you think Phillip should have left the house when his mother told him not to? Why or why not?" and directions require students to "record answers that are more than one word in complete sentences." Students also answer comprehension questions that prompt explanations (e.g., describing what was happening to the town and how life differed for Phillip's mother).

The lesson asks students to answer discussion questions that require opinions and reasons (e.g., "Do you think he really believes this? Why or why not?"). The Skills section requires students to "draw inferences… and support them with text, evidence, and experience," and students must write sentences describing characters and complete a shark-research web listing main ideas and related details. Several activities ask students to explain or support ideas in writing or discussion (character descriptions, Part B sentence completions, and the Shark Research web).

Students are prompted to give opinions and reasons in discussion and comprehension questions such as 'Do you think Timothy has been honest with Phillip? Why or why not?' and 'Why do you think Timothy told Phillip that it is a beautiful cay...?'. Students complete writing tasks (a pretend diving journal and the Survival page) that require them to describe uses of resources and explain how those uses would aid survival, which invites reasoning to support their statements.

Students are prompted to choose five items for a hurricane survival kit and "describe why you would include each one," which requires stating opinions and supporting reasons on the Student Activity Page. Students are asked to write two journal entries from Phillip's perspective describing the island and his feelings toward Timothy, tasks that ask for expressed viewpoints and supporting descriptions. The survival kit page explicitly labels spaces for "Reason:" next to each item, prompting students to provide justification for their choices.

Students are asked to finish an essay that explains how Timothy and Phillip's relationship changed, which requires stating ideas and supporting them. Students are prompted to answer "Would you recommend it to a friend? Why or why not?" and to write five questions including some that require opinion, which asks them to give reasons for an opinion. Students are also asked to explain the book's theme and support that idea with evidence from the text, practicing justification of a claim.

Students will write a short inscription and a formal eulogy that require stating opinions about Timothy and giving reasons for how he changed the narrator's life. In the eulogy students must describe how they and Timothy depended on each other, what they learned, and how the experience related to Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream, which requires providing supporting information. The rubric asks for reflection, lessons and personal changes, and emphasis on important words and phrases, which prompts students to organize and explain their ideas orally and in writing.

Students are asked opinion-style discussion questions (e.g., "Do you think her assumptions about Americans are right? Why or why not?") and are instructed to answer questions in complete sentences, prompting them to give reasons. Students complete clause lessons that identify dependent markers (including causal marker "because") and practice combining dependent and independent clauses, which models linking ideas and reasons. Students also practice recognizing cause-and-effect relationships in text and inserting commas when dependent clauses precede independent clauses.

Students are asked to decide which family member they are most similar to and explain why in the Wrapping Up section, which requires stating an opinion and giving reasons. The Discussion prompts ask students to describe Dina's personality and how they are similar to her, which again asks for an opinion supported by reasons. The comprehension question about ways Dina was dependent on her family asks for explanatory answers that can include reasons.

Students are asked in Activity 3 (Should I Stay or Go?) to make two lists of reasons for Dina to stay in New York or to return to Germany and to decide which choice is best, with a prompt line reading "I think Dana should because" that requires stating an opinion and giving reasons. The activity directions and parent prompts ask students to explain the decision they think Dina should make and why, which asks for linking an opinion to supporting reasons in writing and oral explanation. The planning activity (Talent) asks students to describe a talent, outline a plan, and record the response, which requires giving a claim (plan) supported by reasons or evidence of response.

Students are asked to explain why they selected five important items to save in Activity 3, which requires stating opinions and supporting reasons. Discussion questions (e.g., "Do you think Dina should have gone back to the apartment? Why or why not?") prompt students to give an opinion and justify it with reasons. The Skills section also asks students to respond using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes, implying opportunities to state and support viewpoints.

Students are asked in Option 2 to "select a season you think you would enjoy most and describe why in your journal," which requires stating an opinion and giving reasons. The discussion question "Do you think this author is interesting? Why or why not?" prompts students to give an opinion and supporting reasons orally. The Life Application prompt asks students to "write about something you are passionate about," which can lead to opinion-based writing with reasons.

Students are asked to answer QUESTION #2: "Do you think Sam should have left his home? Why or why not?", which requires stating an opinion and giving reasons. In Activity 1 students must summarize Smokey the Bear's fire-safety rules on a poster, selecting and condensing important information and explaining choices to a parent. The parent plan prompts discussion about how the student selected information to include on the poster, which elicits reasoning tied to a viewpoint about what is most important.

Students are asked opinion-style questions that require reasons, such as "Would you enjoy living a life like Thoreau and Sam chose to live? Why or why not?" and "Why do you think Bando stayed with Sam for so long?". Several comprehension questions ask students to explain and support answers (e.g., "Did Sam enjoy spending time with Bando? How do you know?"), which requires providing reasons. Students are asked to write a summary of the reading, which gives an opportunity to express judgments or interpretations in writing.

The lesson includes a discussion prompt asking, "Do you think Kit would have jumped in the water if she had known how the other people on the boat would respond? Why or why not?", which requires students to state an opinion and give reasons. Several comprehension questions and parent-guided discussion items ask students to explain characters' actions and motivations, prompting students to provide reasons to support their answers.

Students are asked to give opinions and reasons in discussion questions such as "Do you think Kit will ever fit in with the Puritans? Why or why not?" and "Do you think Kit should stay in Connecticut? Why or why not?". Students are instructed to take notes in a journal about what they learn about the Connecticut Colony and to complete a Barbados vs. Connecticut comparison chart that requires them to state reasons for placing descriptions in each column.

Students are asked to make a list of the men's complaints about the new governor in Activity 2, which requires identifying specific reasons for their anger. A discussion question asks, "Do you think the colonists had a right to be upset with the governor? Why or why not?", prompting students to state an opinion and provide supporting reasons. Wrapping Up directs students to "review the reasons the men of Connecticut were so upset," reinforcing the practice of connecting beliefs with reasons.

Students are asked orally to give opinions and reasons when prompted to say which character is their favorite and why and whether the book title is appropriate. Discussion prompts ask students to answer evaluative questions such as "Do you think Nat's punishment was too severe? Why or why not?" which require stating an opinion and supporting it with reasons. The reading questions and activity reflections provide spaces where students can write explanations that include reasons for their answers.

Students are asked to make up three arguments to defend Kit and to "provide support to defend each argument," which requires stating opinions and backing them with reasons. Several short-answer questions ask students to state their opinions (e.g., "Do you think Kit should have tried harder to change... Why or why not?"), prompting students to connect claims with reasons. The parent suggestions encourage students to "sound convincing to persuade your listeners," implying practice in presenting linked claims and supports.

Students are instructed to write an introductory paragraph with a topic sentence that "states why settling in the location you chose is a good idea" followed by three supporting sentences related to that topic. The lesson requires students to create topic sentences for each body paragraph and to provide supporting details and concluding sentences, which has students state a claim and give supporting reasons. Organizers (Topical Organizer and Flow Chart) and the rubric prompt students to include supporting details and stay focused on the topic, encouraging reasons that back up their topic sentence.

Students are asked to give opinions and reasons in the Discussion Questions (e.g., "Do you think the old man should give Hugo his notebook back? Why or why not?" and "Do you think Hugo is a thief? Why or why not?"). In the travel itinerary activity students must describe each place and explain why it is an important place, which requires giving reasons to support a claim about importance. Several activities (Option 2, discussion prompts, and wrapping-up questions) therefore require students to state opinions and provide supporting reasons.

Students are prompted to give opinions and reasons in several places: the Wrapping Up asks students to predict how the automaton will change Hugo's life and to reflect on desperate decisions in the Life Application. Discussion questions ask students to judge whether Hugo should have stolen parts and to explain why or why not. Activity 2 and other writing prompts require students to write first-person statements and predictions that involve stating positions about Hugo's life and choices.

Students are asked to state and support opinions in Question #1 (Do you think Hugo should have agreed to work to earn back his notebook? Why or why not?), which requires giving a viewpoint and reasons. The Wrapping Up prompts ask students to give an opinion and explain it (Do you think Hugo can do the same? Why or why not?), encouraging justification. Activity 3 (Two Versions) asks students to compare and analyze differences and similarities, a task that can involve stating claims and supporting them with evidence.

Students are prompted to state opinions and give reasons in Question #1 (Do you think Isabelle and Hugo should have told Mama Jeanne and Papa Georges... Why or why not?). The "Two Thieves?" activity asks students to answer several opinion-and-reason questions (e.g., "Do you think Prometheus was a thief? Why or why not?" and "Why do you think Hugo would appreciate the story of Prometheus?"). The "Purpose" writing task asks students to write about purposes for characters and family members, which requires stating ideas and supporting them with reasoning.

Students are asked to recommend the book to a friend and explain why or why not in the 'Introducing the Lesson' prompts, which requires stating an opinion and supporting it. The 'Book Award' activity directs students to "provide three reasons the book deserves the award" and includes numbered lines labeled "Reasons the book deserves the award," prompting students to give reasons. Activity 1 asks students to write an "exciting synopsis" and justify casting and poster choices, which can require stating opinions with supporting details.

The lesson explicitly teaches use of transitional words and phrases, stating that "Writers can vary sentence beginnings by starting sentences with prepositional phrases or transitional words or phrases." The Sentence Beginnings activity requires students to rewrite a paragraph and begin at least one sentence with a transitional word or phrase, giving examples such as "Furthermore,..." and "On the other hand...." The parent plan and review prompts also direct students to practice varying sentence beginnings and using transitional words.

Students are prompted to give opinions and reasons in discussion questions such as "Do you think Lucy should go with her family? Why or why not?" Activity 1 asks students to pick the character they are most similar to and "explain why," requiring them to state an opinion and support it. Activity 2 asks students to write questions for Lucy and then write answers based on what they think her responses would be, which can include stated opinions and supporting reasons. The Parent Plan lists "Examine reasons for characters' actions," indicating students will identify and articulate reasons.

Students are directed to state a position and provide three reasons in the introduction and to restate position and reasons in the conclusion. The included "Recycling" example and body paragraphs contain sentences that connect reasons to the position using phrases such as "If we do not recycle," "When we recycle," and "When we make the decision to recycle." Organizers require topic sentences, supporting evidence, and concluding sentences for each body paragraph, which implies students will produce sentences that relate opinion and reasons.

Students are prompted to give opinions and reasons in Question 1 (e.g., explain whether they have felt like Calvin and, if so, when and why). The parent prompts ask students to predict who Mrs. Whatsit is and explain why, and Activity 1 asks students to describe two complex ideas and then share their explanations, with a parent suggestion to "discuss the words and phrases he used to explain them." Several prompts require students to state reasons to support their responses.

Students are given a focused "Transitional Words and Phrases" activity that lists transition categories (To Conclude, To Compare, To Show Time and Sequence, To Emphasize) and provides example words and sample sentences. Students rewrite sentence sets using transitional words and are asked to write three related sentences and then combine them using transitions. Parent guidance asks adults to read and evaluate how effectively the student used transitional words and phrases.

Students practice identifying transitional words and phrases in Activity 2 by circling transitions in a chapter summary (examples in the summary include 'On the contrary,' 'Next,' 'Then,' and 'Finally'). In Activity 3 students are directed to add transitional words or phrases to a paragraph and rewrite it, with the Parent Plan showing inserted transitions such as 'However' and 'Then.' The lesson also asks students to review a list of transitional words and phrases from a prior lesson.

Students are asked to "provide three supporting reasons" and to "support each point with statistics, experiences, or quotations," which requires connecting reasons to an opinion. The student activity also instructs to "conclude by restating your position and linking reasons," explicitly asking students to make links between opinion and reasons. Students must "use at least one participle phrase in your speech" and are prompted to add "convincing and interesting words" during revision, which targets word-level sentence construction.

Students are asked to list "Reasons For" and "Reasons Against" the Civil War on the "To Fight or Not to Fight" sheet and to answer "Do you think the Civil War should have been fought? Why or why not?", which requires stating an opinion and supporting reasons. In Activity 3 students must write a short letter to Lincoln explaining why he should keep up the fight to end slavery, giving personal examples or events as support. Activity 4 asks students to record opinions and facts and to identify persuasive techniques in political speeches, engaging students with argumentation and reasons.