Discerning Fact From Opinion

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

First, we need to know how fact and opinion are defined. You can't identify facts and opinions without first knowing what those terms mean.

Using these definitions, let's look at the statement from above again:

Cheeseburgers are better than chicken nuggets.

• Is this a fact or an opinion?

• But why is it an opinion?

Food preferences are different for every person, and there is no true or false expression of this preference.

Some people love a good burger. Some prefer chicken nuggets. And some are vegetarian! This is just an individual judgment based on what the speaker likes.

Watch FACTS VS. OPINIONS VS. ROBOTS by Michael Rex | Official Book Trailer, from Penguin Kids, for a quick review:

Signal Words

Statements often give us clues to determine if they are facts or opinions. These clues are called signal words, and when you see them in the sentence, they can indicate what kind of statement it is.

Keep in mind, signal words are not enough to take a fact at face value!

Many people can make errors in the way they write or speak about supposed facts. It is necessary to follow up on facts you encounter to verify that they are accurate and true.

This is why factual information also has a source where it was found. If you are interested in the fact or plan to repeat it somewhere, you have a responsibility to fact-check the information to make sure it is correct before you share it.

• Ready to test your fact-from-opinion know-how?

Move on to Got It? to find out!