Guiding Comprehension

Fact and Opinion • Literal

Find one statement of fact and
one statement of opinion on
p. 92.

Fact: Women were not allowed in clubs or restaurants and could not vote. Opinion: Many people felt a woman's place was in the home.

then… use the skill and strategy instruction on
p. 93.

If… students are unable to distinguish between facts and opinions,

Fact and Opinion

Compare and Contrast

• Critical

Text to World Think about life for women today. In what ways was life different for women in 1906?

In 1906, women couldn't go to some clubs or restaurants, and they couldn't vote in most states. Today, women can do all of those things.

Use the key words early twentieth century, American history, or a combination of both to find more information about what life was like in 1906.

SKILLS

STRATEGIES IN CONTEXT

Fact and Opinion

TEACH

Explain to students that a statement of fact is a statement that can be proved to be true or false, and a statement of opinion is a statement of someone's beliefs, or how they feel about something.
Suggest ways they can prove a statement of fact to be true or false. (Possible responses: We can check resource books, such as encyclopedias or textbooks; we can observe something; we can weigh and measure something; we can consult an expert, and so on.)
Model identifying statements of fact and opinion on pp. 92–93.

MODEL The first sentence on p. 92 says, "In 1906 women were kept out of many clubs and restaurants." If I looked in an encyclopedia or online, I would see that this was true. This sentence must be a statement of fact. The second sentence can also be proved, so it's a statement of fact too. The third sentence says, "Many people felt a woman's place was in the home." I can't prove that women belong at home. Also, I see the word felt. That tells me what people thought and felt. The last sentence gives an opinion.

PRACTICE AND ASSESS

Have students reread pp. 92–93 to find and verify one statement of fact. To assess, check that the sentence they picked can be proved true or false.

"America's Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle"
by David A. Adler

Student Edition
Unit 4, pp. 90–105

This Snapshot is from a biography about Gertrude Ederle. A biography gives facts about a real person's life.

President Calvin Coolidge called her "America's Best Girl" in 1926. She had a huge parade in her honor, the mayor of New York praised her, and she was known all over the world.
Gertrude Ederle was born in 1906. She grew up in New York City with five brothers and sisters. When she was seven she fell into a pond and almost drowned, so her father decided to teach her to swim. No one could have guessed how much she would love it.
When she was thirteen, Trudy took swimming lessons. Two years later she won a big race. The next year she swam a 21-mile course from Manhattan to New Jersey. She beat the men's record--and newspapers began to notice her.
In 1924, her eighteenth year, Trudy Ederle made the U.S. Olympic team and won three medals. By 1925 she had set twenty-nine U.S. and world records. Her next challenge? To be the first woman to swim the English Channel. She almost made it.
In August 1926, more determined and better prepared, she tried again. Her sister covered her with heavy grease to keep her warm in the cold Atlantic current. A tugboat followed her to make sure Trudy was safe. A second escort boat carried reporters and photographers.
Trudy started from the coast of France at around 7:00 a.m. She kept swimming through rain and wind. Twenty-foot waves and strong tides stirred the water against her every stroke. She was exhausted, but she continued. Finally, around 9:30 that night, her feet touched the land of England. People waded into the water to welcome her. Her father wrapped her in a warm robe.
Trudy Ederle broke the record of five men by almost two hours. She swam the Channel in 14 hours and 31 minutes. Newspapers around the world pictured her. She herself said, "I knew if it could be done, it had to be done, and I did it. All the women of the world will celebrate." And they did. So did the men.



	Close
	Fact and Opinion To help students recognize and understand the difference between fact and opinion, have them write the three sentences in paragraph 1, p. 92 on a sheet of paper. Make sure they leave enough room after each sentence to write more information. Then have them work together in small groups to research the information in each sentence. If they can verify the facts in the statement, then the sentence is a statement of fact. If they cannot, then the sentence may be a statement of opinion. Change Many individuals have inspired change in society. Consider, for example, Rosa Parks, who has been called the "mother of the civil rights movement." One day, in 1955, when Mrs. Parks was returning home from a long day at work as a seamstress in Montgomery, Alabama, she was ordered to give up her seat to a white passenger. Tired, Mrs. Parks refused. The bus driver had her arrested, and she was tried and convicted of violating a local law. Her simple act inspired a citywide boycott of public transportation by African Americans and eventually led to changes in the laws in America, bringing greater equality for all.

"America's Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle" by David A. Adler

"America's Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle"
by David A. Adler