Scott Foresman Reading Street

PROVIDE PRACTICE

Partners can read nonfiction selections and use a T-chart to list statements of fact and opinion.
Have small groups read newspaper editorials. Students can list opinions and their supporting arguments.

Graphic Organizer 25

DEFINE FACT AND OPINION

Explain a statement of fact can be proved true or false. A statement of opinion is someone's judgment, belief, or way of thinking about something. It cannot be proved true or false, but it can be supported or explained.

GIVE EXAMPLES

Write three statements on the board:

Charlotte's Web was published in 1952. E. B. White wrote Charlotte's Web. You should read Charlotte's Web.

Ask: Which sentences are statements of fact? (the first two) How can you tell? Elicit ways the facts could be verified, such as looking at the book or asking the school librarian. Talk about other ways to check statements of fact (observing, weighing, measuring, asking an expert).

Ask: Which sentence is a statement of opinion? (the third one) Point out the judgment word should. Explain opinions often contain judgment words such as should, I think, cute, and best.

Fact and Opinion

When students can identify statements of fact and opinion, they are able to make critical judgments concerning what they hear, read, and write. Use this routine to help students recognize statements of fact and statements of opinion and distinguish between them.

Devine, Thomas G. Teaching Reading Comprehension. Allyn and Bacon, Inc., 1986.1992, p. 238.

Thomas G. Devine,
Teaching Reading Comprehension

"Students will—and should—argue about the difference between fact and opinion . . .; they will often dispute one another about inferences . . . . The point of such discussions is to help students sensitize themselves to the kinds of statements they encounter and make them aware of the inferences of others."

Research on Fact and Opinion