Justifying An Opinion

Also a hard thing for young children to do. How often do we hear "because" as a response to why a child believes a certain way? Another project spinning off the Wizard of Oz; in the story the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow debate the importance of needing a brain or a heart. Both make intriguing arguments. I asked the students to choose a side and then justify their opinion-to give a reason for that belief. This is the first time we have done anything like this, so they will get better, but I thought it was a pretty good first attempt-we may have some future lawyers in this bunch!