This was written by Kara, Storyworks Jr.’s Executive Editor, and Julia in the story is her daughter. Kara’s not sure Julia would give away her candy again!
SHUTTERSTOCK
Should You Give Up Your Halloween Candy?
Some kids swap sweets for cash. Would you?
Learning Objective: Students will take a side on an engaging topic while practicing opinion writing.
Lexiles: 460L, 790L
Guided Reading Level: N
DRA Level: 30
Featured Skill:
Key Ideas and Details,
Topic:
Health,
Common Core Standards
TEKS Standards
Can’t-Miss Teaching Extras
Behind the story
Sweet tooth
Some of your students probably have a “sweet tooth.” They might find it interesting that some people are actually born with a sweet tooth! What does this mean? Some people are simply born less sensitive to sugar, so they need more of it than others in order to taste the same amount of sweetness.
Donate candy here
Should any students express an interest in donating their candy to U.S. troops, you can share more details on the program here. All candy needs to be received by November 15.
Too much sugar
We hope that the shocking fact about kids eating 50 lbs. of sugar each year made an impact on your students. You can follow up by listing some of the biggest and most surprising sources of added sugar: ketchup, bread, sweetened yogurt, and pasta sauce.
More About the Article
Key Skills
main idea and supporting details, opinion writing
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
1. PREPARING TO READ
• Have students preview the text features. Ask:
• What is the topic of the debate? (Prompt students to use the debate title and the heading on the chart as clues.)
• What are the two opinions people might have about this topic?
2. READING THE DEBATE
• Depending on the reading level of your students, read the debate as a class or break the class into groups.
• Have students read the debate a second time. Prompt them to highlight evidence supporting each side as they come across it. Using two different colors of highlighters would be useful here.
3. DISCUSSING
• As a class or in groups, have students discuss:
• Which opinion has the best evidence to support it?
• Is one side stronger than the other? Why?
• What is your opinion? What evidence helped you form your opinion?
• For more advanced readers: Do you think the author has an opinion on this issue? What is your evidence?
4. WRITING
• Have students complete the chart in the magazine or our full-page printable chart.
• Guide students to write an essay on the debate topic, using the chart they filled out.
5. CHECK COMPREHENSION
• Have students complete our comprehension quiz.
Text-to-Speech