Curated OER
Expressing Your Views to the Letter
Analyze the motivation, purpose, and value of letters to the editor by examining letters written in response to the violence at Columbine High School. For homework, middle and high schoolers write their own letters to the editor about an...
Curated OER
Distinguish Fact from Opinion in Passage
Is it a fact or is it an opinion; readers need to know. Second graders learn a new technique to determine if a sentence or reading passage is fact based or opinion based. They read and then ask evidence based questions to determine if...
Curated OER
Fact V. Opinion
Students use statements out of newpapers to distinguish between facts and opinions. They discuss these differences as well.
Curated OER
Reading Comprehension
After listening to a story learners engage in a kinesthetic activity to answer comprehension and critical thinking questions. Finally, the students identify three main facts about the story. Extensions include a fact and opinion...
Curated OER
Scapegoating and Othering
Scapegoating and "Othering" is the focus of a series of activities that ask groups to consider how these behaviors contribute to hatred and intolerance. Groups are given a scenario and discussion questions based on the situation. Whether...
Prestwick House
Reading Nonfiction: Analyzing Joseph McCarthy's "Enemies from Within" Speech
Looking for a lesson that teaches class members how to analyze nonfiction? Use Joseph McCarthy's famous "Enemies from Within" speech as a instructional text. Worksheet questions direct readers' attention to the many historical...
Curated OER
A Way with Words
How do facts and opinions impact the news? After reading "How to Cover a War" from the New York Times, middle schoolers evaluate the claims in the article. They also consider the media's responsibilities in reporting during wartime....
Curated OER
Fact or Opinion
For this writing worksheet, students write facts and opinions about a given topic. Students use a graphic organizer to organize their information.
Curated OER
Fact and Opinion
Students determine the difference between fact and opinion. They identify facts and opinions in a report. Students discuss the porportion of fact and opinion in a report. Students write a profile of the place they live and evaluate facts...
Curated OER
Fact and Opinion Race
Third graders differentiate between fact and opinion. They determine if a statement is a fact or an opinion. Students race to be the first team to make it to the finish line while determining if statements are facts or opinions.
Curated OER
Facts and Opinions in a Variety of Genres
Here is a instructional activity dedicated to helping learners understand the differences between facts and opinions. They examine the first page of several books from the class library to determine if the book is fact or opinion based....
Curated OER
"The Clever Monkey"
Second graders complete a variety of activities related to the book "The Clever Monkey" by Rob Cleveland. They answer story comprehension questions, and rewrite the story. Students also complete a comprehension and fact or opinion...
Curated OER
Fighting Fake News
Fake news. Alternative facts. Internet trolls. In an age of Newspeak, it's increasingly important to equip 21st century learners with the skills needed to determine the legitimacy of claims put forth on social media, in print, and in...
Curated OER
School Newspaper
Fifth graders run a school newspaper on a school website and discover how to use various literary forms as they relate to the writing process. In this school newspaper instructional activity, 5th graders synthesize information from...
Curated OER
Fact or Opinion?
Third graders design a political cartoon. In this fact and opinion activity, 3rd graders examine political cartoons and distinguish fact from opinion. Students create a political cartoon on the topic of their choice.
Curated OER
Form an Opinion Based on Facts
Explore fact and opinion through higher level thinking and literacy. Kids listen to the beginning of A Picture Book of Helen Keller by David A. Adler and identify facts in the text. They follow along as the teacher models how to form an...
Curated OER
It's a Matter of Opinion
Dissect the parts of an advertisement with your class. Middle schoolers discuss advertisements and locate the hook in them. Then, they create an advertisement for a business, in which they include the name of the business, an...
Prestwick House
Understanding Language: Slant, Spin, and Bias in the News
We live in a time of fake news, alternative realities, and media bias. What could be more timely than an activity that asks class members to research how different sources report the same topic in the news?
Curated OER
Lesson 2: Distinguish Fact from Opinion in Books
An important part of reading informational text is being able to discern fact from opinion. The class reads chapter one from the book, Penguins by Lynn M. Stone. They analyze specific sections of the text to determine if what...
Curated OER
Distinguishing Fact and Opinion
Students pick up clues in the wordage of a sentence to determine if it is factual and give reasons for their feelings. They explain difference between statements of hard fact as found on the front page of a newspaper from that of an...
Curated OER
Fact and Opinion Detectives
Third graders see how to distinguish facts from opinions in a child's news magazine. After a lecture/demo, 3rd graders utilize a sample story and a worksheet which gives them practice in distinguishing fact from opinion.
EngageNY
Identifying Author’s Opinion and Evidence: The Value of Sports in People’s Lives, Part II
Context matters! Using the intuitive resource, pupils decipher context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words from an informational text. Also, in small groups, they practice identifying the author's opinion and supporting...
EngageNY
Identifying Author’s Opinion and Evidence: The Value of Sports in People’s Lives, Part I
Just like instant replay, it's time to take a closer look! Pupils work together to add ideas to a Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart. They then put their knowledge to the test as they read an informational article about the...
Curated OER
Fact vs. Opinion
Students explore fact versus opinion in reading material. They listen to sentences and use hand signals to identify if the sentences are facts or opinions. After reading a story, they vote on sentences for facts and opinions and stae a...