Reintroduce: Fact and Opinion

From FreeReading

What to Do

Prepare

Choose a book that appeals to early readers. Make sure that the book has both facts and opinions in it. If such a text proves hard to find, you may choose to write a short story or an essay instead. Make copies of the Fact and Opinion Chart for each student. Make a large version of the Fact and Opinion Chart on the board or chart paper.

Model/Instruct

1. Review the meaning of fact and opinion.

Who can remember what a fact is? What is an opinion?

2. Record students’ answers on the chart paper or board and clarify as necessary.

That’s right. A fact is a true statement. No one can argue with a fact. An opinion is one person’s thought or idea. A different person might have a different opinion.

3. Explain why identifying facts and opinions is useful to readers.

Good readers are able to identify facts and opinions. They can use facts to tell what is true about a topic. They can use opinions to understand how a character thinks. Thinking about facts and opinions helps readers understand books better.

4. Show the cover of the book.

Today we will be reading _________________________ by __________________. Who can give me an opinion about the cover? Who can give me a fact about the cover?

Call on students to share facts and opinions about the cover of the book.

5. Direct students to the large copy of the Fact and Opinion Chart graphic organizer.

We are going to write down the facts and opinions that we find in this book. We will write the facts in this column and the opinions in this column. Remember, we are writing opinions that we find in the book, not our own opinions.

6. Read the book, stopping at facts and opinions.

First, let’s write down the title of this book on our Fact and Opinion Chart. We’ve already come across some facts and opinions. Let’s write them on our Fact and Opinion Chart. What is one fact? What is one opinion?

Call on students and record their answers on the large Fact and Opinion Chart.

Practice

7. Direct students to their copies of the Fact and Opinion Chart.

You are going to write down more facts and opinions from this book on your own Fact and Opinion Charts.

While I read the book, listen carefully for facts and opinions. I will pause to give you time to write down the information on your Fact and Opinion Chart.

8. Read the book, pausing to allow students to write down facts and opinions on their graphic organizers.

9. Finish the book.

10. Ask students to turn to a partner to share facts and opinions they have written down.

Now we will share with a partner. Turn to a partner and take turns telling your partner the facts and opinions that you found in the book.

11. Hold a class discussion about how identifying facts and opinions helps the reader to understand the material in the book.

Adjust

For Advanced Students:

Encourage these students to write more than one thing in the boxes perhaps including facts and/or opinions about the characters, setting, and events.

For Struggling Students:

Some students may struggle with identifying opinions. In this case, it may be helpful to provide students with key phrases that often indicate opinions:

• I think…
• It seems to me…
• I believe…

For ELL Students:

Before reading the book, explain the meaning of any key vocabulary or concepts that they need in order to follow the book. Provide these students with the key phrases above to help them identify opinions.

Related activities

• All Comprehension Activities