Instructional Strategies

Discuss the differences between fact and opinion and give examples.

• Starting with the examples, ask the students what clues are in the text that can alert the reader to whether it is a fact or an opinion.

• Students add other clues from their own experiences.

Discuss why it is important to distinguish fact from opinion.

Show the students a list of statements that they will evaluate as fact or opinion.

• If the statement is fact, students determine where they can find information to verify it (e.g., encyclopedias, dictionaries, Wikipedia, news reports, goggle).

• Students write their proof by the statement.

• Work with the students for the first three to four statements.

• Students circle the clues in each statement.

• Students complete the rest of the statements independently, in small groups, or in pairs.

For a supplement to this activity, copy paragraphs out of the students' textbooks. Have the students work in pairs to underline opinion statements in red and factual statements in blue.

After completing the task, the students discuss their responses.