Recognizing the difference between facts and opinions is a skill that is often evaluated on state reading tests. In my experience I've found that students often get confused trying to determine whether a statement is factually accurate, and that is not the skill that is evaluated. Therefore, I teach students that a fact is any statement that can be proven: "there are 10,000 feet in a mile." Even though this statement is incorrect, I teach students that this is still a fact, even though it is not true. When students define a fact as any statement that can be proven to be true or false, they will concern themselves less with whether the statement is accurate and focus more on whether each statement can be proven. Hence, they will better be able to identify facts and opinions.
I hope these worksheets and resources help you teach your students to reliably distinguish between statements of fact and opinion. Learn more about teaching fact and opinion?
Fact and Opinion LessonHere is a short PowerPoint slideshow teaching students to distinguish between facts and opinions. It also includes a 10 question practice activity at the end of the lesson.
Here is a worksheet to help students master fact and opinion. It is double-sided and contains 25 statements. Students determine whether each statement is a fact or opinion, and then they explain their answers. Suggested reading level for this text: Grade 4-8.
button for the online version of Fact and Opinion Worksheet 1. Press this button and try the online activity." />
Here is another double-sided fact and opinion worksheet with 25 more problems. Students read each statement, determine whether it is a fact or opinion, and then explain their answers. Suggested reading level for this text: Grade 5-9.
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Here is another double-sided fact and opinion worksheet with 25 more problems. Each item on this worksheet is related to athletics, which gives it a fun sports theme. In addition to identifying whether the statement is a fact or opinion, students explain how the statement might be proven if it is factual. Suggested reading level for this text: Grade 4-8.
button for the online version of Fact and Opinion Worksheet 3. Press this button and try the online activity." />
Here is another double-sided worksheet with 25 more fact and opinion questions. This time the questions are themed around pizza, so it's fun and educational. Students determine whether each statement is a fact or an opinion, and then they explain their answer. Suggested reading level for this text: Grade 4-8.
button for the online version of Fact and Opinion Worksheet 4. Press this button and try the online activity." />
Here's another 25 questions on fact and opinion. This time students read statement about cars and determine whether each statement is factual or not. Then they explain their answers. Suggested reading level for this text: Grade 4-8.
button for the online version of Fact and Opinion Worksheet 5. Press this button and try the online activity." />
Do you want more fact and opinion questions? You're in luck. Here are 25 more. This time students will read dance-themed statements and determine whether they are facts or opinions. They will also explain their answers. Suggested reading level for this text: Grade 4-8.
button for the online version of Fact and Opinion Worksheet 6. Press this button and try the online activity." />
W.1 - Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
W.1.2 - Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.
W.2.2 - Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.
W.3.2b - Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.
W.4.2b - Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.
W.5.2b - Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.
W.6.2b - Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
W.7.2b - Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
W.8.2b - Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
W.9-10.2b - Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic.
SL.4 - Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
SL.2.4 - Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.
SL.3.4 - Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.
SL.4.4 - Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
SL.5.4 - Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
SL.6.4 - Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
SL.7.4 - Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
your material that you shared here. its very helpful to me as teacher. they can be some sources to improve my material as reading lecturer
I agree that a fact is able to be proven either correct or incorrect. The weight to verifying then falls to the individual. In our current culture, we need to raise students who are able to delineate between what is written as a fact and is true, what is written as a fact and is false, and what is written as an opinion based upon fact that must be verified as either true or false before adopting it as one’s own opinion.
What we call “information” is everywhere. We gain information from looking at the sky, from tasting objects, from reading books. However, even most information is subjective. For example, we know from looking at a thermometer that the air is at a certain degree (either Celsius or Fahrenheit), but is the temperature warm, hot, or just comfortable? That depends on how our individual body reacts to temperature. We can measure the direction and speed of the wind, but is it a mild breeze or a stiff wind? That depends on how we react to wind, and whether we find that amount of wind to be useful (such as in sailing) or a nuisance (especially when it’s blowing in our face). We can taste a particular bottle of wine, but is the wine bitter, sweet, dry, acidic, full-bodied, or oakie? Does a dish have too much salt or not enough? That depends on our taste buds. While the information may be the same for everyone, the opinion about the information may be quite different depending on each person’s preferences.
Facts are not subject to subjectivity—which is why there are so few of them. A fact is something that can be proven, over and over and over by using different proofs. For example: Every living thing on the earth needs water to survive. Every living thing on the earth will eventually die. These are pretty well proven facts. However, what about information that may be a little less certain?
The speed of sound is 343 meters per second (1,125 ft/s). At least, it is in dry air at 20 degrees C (68 degrees F). How do we know that? Because many scientists, using different methods, have measured it. No matter who does it, or how they do it, the results always come out the same—as long as the instruments have been calibrated properly and the conditions are similar. Naturally, the speed of sound varies at different temperatures, so we must take that into account when discussing the ‘fact’ of the speed of sound. It also varies when passing through solids or liquids, so we would have to consider the circumstances as well if we wanted to be perfectly objective.
On the other hand, an object pulled by the force of gravity accelerates at 32 ft/sec/sec. The equation for the force of gravity is F = mg, with the general result being that all objects fall at the same rate, regardless of their mass. Gravity on the moon and on other planets would have different values of acceleration due to the different sizes and densites of those bodies, but the effects of the force are similar. Of course, we’re assuming no other influencing factors, such as a parachute slowing down the object due to wind resistance. So, we can pretty much take the acceleration of a falling object on Earth as a fact.
What’s a factoid? Something that sounds like a fact, but is actually only a generalization of accepted information. For example, the world is round. Really? Actually, the basic shape “approximates an oblate spheroid, a sphere flattened along the axis from pole to pole such that there is a bulge around the equator.” (Milbert, D. G.; Smith, D. A.) It also has such an irregular shape that the highest peak, Mount Everest, is 8,848 meters above local sea level and the deepest ‘canyon’ is the Mariana Trench, 10,911 meters below local sea level. Why “local”? Because even sea level varies from place to place and from time to time. ‘Sea level’ is also a factoid. The sky is blue. Well, it appears that way during certain atmospheric conditions.
Finally, to contradict Scott, I will cite Shakespeare: “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” Hamlet, II,2. What you ‘know’ may be based on information, but what you think about it is merely opinion.
The fact/opinion distinction, as used by most teachers, is hopelessly confused. The distinction can be refined but hasn’t been except by some philosophers. Also, there seems to be no clear motivation behind trying to teach this material in the first place. Finally, those of you who teach that all value judgments are mere opinion are doing the world a terrible disservice. Do you really believe that it is a matter of opinion whether it is wrong to torture a baby “just for fun”? And if you don’t think its ok for your students to cheat their way through your courses, don’t you in truth believe it is NOT just your opinion that it is wrong?
I think that “do not torture babies” is an opinion that is held by the current majority, for very good reason. But, nonetheless, this is cultural. Aztec ceremonies could get pretty gruesome, but they did those things because they thought that they were right.
Fact or Opinion Worksheet 1 contains a typo.
No. 7: Chicken has more protein carrots
* Chicken has more protein than carrots
