Fact and Opinion

I used this game with my 2nd graders. This game really makes them think! First you put two columns on the board..A and B. Then you have sentences written on sentence strips before hand. For example one strip might say Pizza is the Best food and another might say the sun is yellow. You have about 6 opinion sentences and 6 fact sentences. Then you start the game by saying this is an A and put it in the A column. Then you have them try and figure out where the others will go based on the first one. After about 3 or 4 they will begin to realize that all the things in the A column are true and all the things in the B column are how you might feel about something but it doesnt have to be true for everyone. Then you have the students each write a sentence on an index card that would fit in either the A or B column and come up front and place it in the right one. I know this sounds confusing but the kids love it!

Here's what I used to intro. the webquest.

One way I teach fact and opinion to my kids is I make it into a game. We try to trick each other with making statements and than the other person has to prove if it is a fact or opinion. Sometimes it gets into a heated discussion which tells me the students are really trying to understand. We start with outrageous examples like "A horse is the best animal in the world." Than we make it more tricky. I just think practice and experience with student and real life examples works best.

I bring in different objects and the students tell me a fact and then an opinion about the object. EXAMPLE: a teddy bear---FACT--The teddy bear is brown. OPINION--The teddy bear is cute. apple--FACT--An apple grows on a tree. OPINION--An apple is the best fruit.

I also put students in pairs. I say a word and the student on the right of the pair writes a fact using my word and the student on the left writes an opinion using my word. Example: elephant---Fact--An elephant has a long trunk. Opinion--An elephant's ears are ugly.

We also do Fact / Opinion acrostics. Students write their name down the side of a piece of paper. They decide if their acrostic is going to be fact based or opinon based. They then write phrases for each letter of their name. SAM--Opinion---Snails make good pets/anchovies are good on pizza/my mom is the prettiest mom in the world.

Hope these ideas spark something for you!

I've found that third graders really respond to a theme of spiders when talking about facts and opinions. I usually start by having the kids tell me how they feel about spiders - invariably someone will say "they're scary," and someone else will say "they're cool", which may spark an entire classroom "discussion," depending on your class.

We talk about these opinions and how it's ok for one person to think one thing about spiders, and another to think something different. These are opinions - what people think.

(I've done this different ways - one would be to start a t-chart on chart paper - facts and opinions. Fill in the opinion side first)

For facts on the first day, we list basic facts we know about spiders - "this is true about spiders no matter how you feel about them" - they have 8 legs, some spin webs, you get the idea.

I usually have the kids make their own t-chart using the things we've written down plus some of their own from other non-fiction books about spiders.

Then (here's my favorite part) we make "pockets" by taping two squares of copy paper on half a sheet of construction paper - one pocket for facts and one for opinions. The children cut up their statements from their t-charts and file them in the correct pocket. They decorate the pockets and paper with pictures of spiders, webs, etc. This is a great reinforcement tool, as the children can switch sets with each other and file each others' facts and opinions.

I've also done an envelope fold about spiders - related words, facts, how spiders make me feel, definition, decorations.

The kids really get engaged with this one because it's a topic that's sure to draw some sort of emotion. I do it early in the school year - Halloween is perfect - and we refer to it throughout the year.

Sorry it was long - hope you got some ideas!

I just taught this. First, I had the kids volunteer to do silly stuff that we could prove as fact or opinion. Then, I dressed up as Judge Judy. We set up a mock courtroom-- jury and all. Then, I had prepared a play that we acted out deciding between facts & opinions. It was very & my vice-principal loved it!

We also did a judge worksheet for independent practice! Deciding if testimony was fact or opinion.

I am a Michigan Football fan and I live in Ohio. I turn this into a lesson. With the premise set that a fact can be proven true or false and an opinion is what someone feels.
I give them cards with "opinion" [written] on one side and "fact" on the other- I make a statement and they make a choice.

Example:
Michigan is better in football than Ohio ever thought of being. (opinion) Michigan has gone to the Rosebowl more than Ohio, (fact) they will really have to think these through and we laugh the entire lesson- boys love it especially!

For fact and opinion, we watched commericals the first day, and I had the kids write down 2 facts and 2 opinions from each commerical. The next day, the students made a commerical about something (toothpaste, food, etc.) and included at least 2 facts and 2 opinions. The third day, I videorecorded their commericals. The fourth day, I showed their commericals on the TV and had the students write down each fact and each opinion from their classmate's commericals. I used this to assess them. They LOVED it!!

I am teaching this on Monday. I am going to hand out either a blue or red card to each of my students. On the blue cards I have written a fact and on the red cards I have written opinions. I am going to have the red cards on one side of the room and the blue on the other. I will have them read their cards to each other in their group and try to figure out why I put them together. When we come back as a whole group, they should be able to tell me that the all the red cards are opinions and blue cards are facts. Then I will have them tell me what the difference between the two are and go from there as far as what I have to directly teach them about fact and opinion. Good Luck!!!

What about a "2 Corners" game? You will hang signs with the words Fact and Opinion in two corners of your room. You write statements with facts and opinions on index cards-enough for each child to have one. Each child reads his/her statement and must decide if it is fact or opinion. Once they decide, they walk to their corner of the room. I allow students to wispher to a neighbor in their corner to check to see if they are in the right spot. We then go over each statement and decide if everyone is in the right corner. I make the students tell me the clue words that helped them figure out why they chose the corner they chose. The kids in my room always like playing and we actually play several rounds; changing up the cards. I usually make enough for 3 games. Hope this helps!

In order to reach my different learning styles, I have a totally verbal/kinestetic lesson on fact/opinion. We stand around the room, and I pass a soft indoor ball to someone, and say either fact or opinion...whoever I throw to must then make the correct type of statement, i.e. fact statement or opinion statement, and then pass to someone else and ask for a fact or opinion...If the wrong type of sentence is given, that person sits down...last one standing wins.

I've used several different subjects to introduce both 4th and 5th grade to fact and opinion: endangered species, hunting, soft drinks, snack foods at school, smoking....Let's use snack foods as an example.

When students first enter the room I have a "new" set of classroom rule(s) posted on the whiteboard. Let's use snack foods, for instance.

Snack foods will no longer be allowed on the school campus, be it in vending machines or lunch boxes. Any parent caught aiding and abetting their child in their pursuance of a snack will be forever barred from holding a public office.

Reasons for the new "rule":
1. Snack foods cause unhealthy children. Related illnesses are obesity, hyperactivity, emotional problems.
2. Snack foods promote stealing. If you want one and don't have one you will steal to get one.
3. Snack foods causes jealousy. Students hate other students who get to have snacks.
4. Snack foods cause bad grades. A student becomes so obsessed with snack foods that they don't study.

And on and on...I allow the new rules to sink in, telling the students I am quite busy now but we will discuss the rules later. Usually the heated discussion leads students to understand the difference between "fact" and "opinion". Of course,I guide them along the way.

Hope this helps.

On 3x5 cards write down facts and opinions. Then give a card to each child. Have the students walk around the room and ask each other the statement on their card and decide if it is a fact or an opinion. Do for 3-5 mins. Then afterwards dicuss each card as a whole class asking students to respond whether its a fact or opinion.

This is something I have done with my students. They really seemed to enjoy it. I wrote ten different sentences on pieces of construction paper. I then divided the paper into to sections, fact and opinion. I posted the sentences all around the room. The students then had to go around and sign their name on the side of fact or opinion, whatever they thought it was. We then dicussed each sentence as to why it was a fact or an opinion. There were some that surprised the students. It was fun! Hope this helps!

One that I've done is have the "fact" side of the room and "opinion" side of the room. I'll make a statement, students decide which side of the room to stand on. Then I'll have a couple from each side explain why they chose that side. (That way they can't just go there because they are following a friend!*8)

Depending on how much you have already taught fact and opinion, for review I use individual F and O signs. Using index cards, I have written fact on one side (in one color) and opinion on the other side (using a different color) then stapled to a popsicle stick. We read a descriptive piece and stop at the end of each sentence. Students hold up their sticks with the side they think the statement represents. This is a quick review for me to see who gets it and who doesn't, plus they like holding up the signs. You could also have students write one of each kind of statements, put them all in a bag, and draw from the bag, allowing the class to practice on their own statements with the signs. :o

This is something that I used recently. (I'm only in methods so I'm still in college, but the kids loved it.) It was for a fourth grade class but it could work anywhere.

1. The teacher will check for prior understanding of fact vs. opinion. (3 minutes) Hold up sentence strip defining opinion. Have the definition written on one side and the word 'opinion' on the other side. Read the definition and see if the students know whether you are defining fact or opinion. Do the same for the 'fact' sentence strip.

2. Further explain the difference between fact & opinion using examples from the story. (5 minutes)

FACT - Most guinea pigs live for about five to eight years. (pg. 188)
FACT - The correct way to pick up a guinea pig is with one hand over its shoulders and the other supporting its bottom. (pg. 190)

The teacher will use these sentences and point out that a fact is a statement that can be proved or disproved through reading, observing, or asking an expert. The teacher will then ask the students why they think that the two statements are facts.

OPINION - They’re (guinea pigs) are awfully easy to keep, because they aren’t fussy. (pg. 187)
OPINION - And that brings me to what’s best of all about having guinea pigs – baby guinea pigs. (pg. 192)

The teacher will use these sentences to show the students that an opinion tells what a person thinks or feels about a subject The teacher will point out to the students, key words that can identify an opinion statement. (easy, best, fun, great) The teacher will then ask the students if they can think of any words that might identify an opinion statement.

3. The teacher will check for comprehension by having children hold up cards with "F" for fact and "O" for opinion after the teacher reads a sentence to the students.(3 minutes)
4. The teacher and students will read (or reread) the story, "I Love Guinea Pigs" by Dick King-Smith and become 'fact or opinion detectives' paying close attention to the story and identifying fact and opinion statements.(10 minutes)

The teacher will model (orally) questions that the students need to ask themselves. "I wonder if that can be proved somewhere else?" (Like on the Internet or a reference book) "That statement sounds like the author is sharing what he/she thinks. I don’t think the statement that was just made can be proven."

5. The students will then find and write two fact statements on their sentence strips and two opinion statements from within the story.(5 minutes)

6. The teacher and students will then discuss their sentences. (2 minutes)