Reeza
opinion writing (stack reasons — TREE)
Loading audio…
Press play to listen along. The line being read lights up as you go.
Show full transcript
Loading transcript…
Reeza was a fox with strong opinions and an even stronger way of sharing them. She never just said "I think so." She stacked up reasons, one on top of another, like a sturdy little tower. She called her tower TREE.
"An opinion without reasons," Reeza said, "is just a wish. With reasons, it's an argument."
A young writer declared, "Dogs are the best pets!" and stopped. Reeza tilted her head. "Okay — WHY? A topic sentence tells what you believe. That's the T in TREE. Now stack the R — the Reasons." The writer thought: dogs are loyal, dogs are playful, dogs help you exercise.
Three reasons. The tower had a base.
"Now the first E — EXPLAIN," said Reeza. "Say more about each reason." Dogs are loyal — they wait by the door all day. Each reason grew a little branch of its own. The argument got taller and stronger.
"And the last E — ENDING. Say your opinion again, firm and proud." So, for all these reasons, dogs are the best pets.
A lab-mate worried her opinion was "wrong" because a friend disagreed. Reeza's ears softened. "An opinion isn't wrong — it's yours. What matters is whether you back it up with reasons." She showed how the linking word because turns a feeling into a reason: "I like fall because the leaves change."
You don't have to be right to have a good argument. You have to have reasons.
By the end, the young writer had a whole opinion piece, standing tall on three explained reasons.
"My tower didn't fall over!" she laughed.
Reeza's tail swished, warm with pride. Having an opinion had once felt risky — what if someone disagreed? But learning to stack reasons under what she believed made her opinions feel steady, like something she could stand on. And standing up for what she thought, with good reasons, felt strong and free.
Hear it as an audio drama
A short play starring Reeza, from WriteRise. Different voices, same idea. Listen any time after you read.
Loading audio…
Read the drama script
- Narrator: From Spark and Anvil and Writerise — this is Reeza, in chapter 1 of the Writerise cast.
- Narrator: This drama uses an AI-generated voice. Voiced via Gemini 2.5.
- Narrator: Reeza is a lively raccoon who loves a good, fair argument — the kind built on reasons.
- Reeza: When you write an opinion, don't just SAY what you think. Back it up. Give your reason, then a WHY for the reason. Stack them up strong.
- Narrator: A young squirrel wrote: "Recess should be longer. The end."
- Squirrel: That's my opinion. I'm done.
- Reeza: It's a great opinion — but why should anyone agree? Give me a reason.
- Squirrel: Because... kids need to move?
- Reeza: Good reason! Now the why — WHY does moving matter? Because moving helps us focus better after. See? Opinion, reason, why. That's a tree that stands up.
- Narrator: The squirrel added two more reasons, each with a why.
- Squirrel: Now it sounds convincing!
- Reeza: Because you gave real reasons, not just a shout. State what you believe, stack your reasons, and people actually listen. That's what makes Reeza, Reeza.
- Narrator: You've been listening to a Spark and Anvil chapter, written by the Spark and Anvil writing team for ages 9 to 14.
- Narrator: Apps stay free forever.
- Narrator: Curriculum aligned to Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards.
- Narrator: Released under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 for educational reuse. Visit Spark and Anvil for the full transcript.
Reading together with a grown-up? A card for the grown-up
For the grown-up: ask one question, then wait. When they answer, add one word to what they said. Tap the button when they have said something — that is one turn each, a circle. Nothing is recorded or kept.
Let them finish it
Say “Reeza: “Say what I think, then stack my reasons …” and stop. Let them finish it.
Now wait. Count slowly to five in your head. Their answer is worth the quiet.
Circles together: 0
The WriteRise ensemble
Reeza is one of the friends in WriteRise. Each friend shows you one idea by how they act; meet them all and you have the whole subject.
-
Penna
Planning / POW — a quail who maps her notes into a plan before writing; planning IS the writing strategy
-
Willow
Narrative / WWW — a weaver bird who weaves the who/where/what/how of a story; story elements ARE narrative
-
Facta
Informative — an owl who gathers facts under one main idea; main-idea-with-details IS informative writing
-
Snippa
Revising / editing — a beaver who snips and reshapes a draft to say more, clearer; revising IS improving
-
Cheeri
Self-regulation — a cricket who sets a goal and cheers herself on; self-talk IS SRSD self-regulation
-
Ms. Quilby
The workshop keeper — a calm heron who frames each strategy and never red-pens a draft
