Scott Foresman Reading Street

SKILLS

STRATEGIES IN CONTEXT

Fact/Opinion
Monitor/Fix Up

Test

Selection Test,
Unit 4

Reteach/
Review

TE: 3.4 111b, DI•55; 3.5 193b, 229, 265, DI•53;
3.6 353b, DI•54

PB: 3.2 33, 37, 38, 63, 67, 68, 86, 96, 123, 127, 128

Practice

TE: 3.4 86–87, 3.5 170–171, 3.6
332–333

Introduce/
Teach

Fact and Opinion

	Recognize facts and opinions.
	Monitor and fix up comprehension to differentiate between facts and opinions.

INTRODUCE

Write the following sentences on the board: Lots of flowers bloom in spring and summer. Tulips are the prettiest flowers. Ask students which sentence they think is a fact and which they think is an opinion and why. (Fact: Lots of flowers bloom in spring and summer. Opinion: Tulips are the prettiest flowers. Possible responses: facts are true or can be proven false; opinions are statements about someone's feelings or thoughts.)

Have students read the information on
p. 86. Explain the following:

To tell if a statement is a fact, you don't need to actually prove it; you just need to figure out if it can be proven. Think about where you would check to prove a statement.
Determining whether a statement is a fact or an opinion can help you monitor and adjust, or fix up, your own understanding.

Use Skill Transparency 19 to teach fact and opinion.

TEACH

SKILL Use paragraphs 1 and 2 to

model how to recognize statements of fact and opinion.

MODEL When I read, I ask myself if the statements are facts or opinions. The

statements in the first and second paragraphs of the selection are facts; they can be proven. I could check in a book or a Web site about health, or ask the school nurse.

STRATEGY Use paragraph 4 to

model how to monitor and fix up to identify facts and opinions.

MODEL The author states
that swimming is a great way
to have fun while you

exercise. I know that not everyone who knows how to swim enjoys it. The word great also is a clue that this is the author's opinion.

PRACTICE AND ASSESS

SKILL Students should indicate that

they could check health textbooks, books on swimming, books about exercise, or they could talk to an expert, such as a swimmer or a doctor.

STRATEGY Students should explain

whether they agree with the statement.

WRITE Have students complete

steps 1 and 2 of the Write to Read activity. You might consider using this as a whole class activity.

then… use Practice Book 3.2 p. 33 to provide additional practice.

If… students are unable to complete Write to Read on
p. 86,

Fact and Opinion

Available as Skill Transparency 19

AMERICA'S CHAMPION SWIMMER: GERTRUDE EDERLE

Strategy
Monitor and
Fix Up

Skill
Fact and Opinion

A statement of opinion tells someone’s
ideas or feelings. Words that tell
feelings, such as should or best, are
clues to opinions.

A statement of fact tells something that
can be proved true or false. You can
prove it by reading or asking an expert.

Fact and Opinion

Exercise is important for good health.
When people do not exercise, their
muscles become soft and weak.

Skill: What
reference could you
use to see whether
these statements
are true?

Swimming is one of the best ways to
exercise. When swimming, you must move
against the water. This makes muscles
stronger. It takes more energy to move through
water than it does through air. So swimming
helps people lose fat. All this also helps your
heart get and stay strong.

Strategy: Monitor and Fix Up

Sometimes you may be confused by
facts that you do not understand. Asking
an expert whether a statement of fact is
true might help. You can also use a good
reference book, such as an encyclopedia.

Strategy: This
sounds like an
opinion. Do you
agree? What makes
you think so?

If you do not know how to swim, you should
learn how—now!

Swimming is also a great way to have fun
while you exercise. You can cool off on a hot
summer day and play water games with your
friends. Swimming races are an exciting way to
beat the heat.

Many people get hurt playing soccer, football,
or basketball. Not in swimming! It’s one of the
safest ways to exercise.

Choose one fact from your
chart. Use a reference to
prove it true or false. Write
the reference and what
you learned from it.

Read “Swim!” Make a chart
like the one above. Write two
statements of fact and two
statements of opinion that
you read.



	Close
	Access Content Beginning/Intermediate For a Picture It! lesson on fact and opinion, see the ELL Teaching Guide, pp. 127–128. Advanced Before students read "Swim!", have them share what they know about exercise, and swimming in particular, with the class. Fact and Opinion Explain to students that to determine whether a statement is a fact or an opinion, they first need to decide whether it can be proven. To do this, they should think about how to check the statement. Reference books, such as encyclopedias or textbooks, reputable Web sites, and experts, are good sources. Point out that sometimes students can verify facts themselves by measuring or observing. Ask pairs of students to discuss how they could verify the two sentences in the introduction. Practice Book 3.2 p. 33 with \| without Answers