Lesson: Is That a Fact?
In this lesson, students learn the difference between facts and opinions, and distinguish between opinions that are entirely subjective and ones that can be supported by facts. They then learn how to construct and evaluate arguments.
Grade range: 4-6
Teacher Material: https://textbook.mediasmarts.ca/discoveringstudent/chapter/facts-versus-opinions-2/
Student Material: https://textbook.mediasmarts.ca/discovering/chapter/facts-versus-opinions/
Time Frame
One class period (45-60 minutes) | Two or three class periods (90-120 minutes) | ||
Activities |
Facts versus Opinions Arguments How Do You Know?
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Facts versus Opinions Arguments How Do You Know? Truthseeking Trio
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Preparation:
Make sure that students are able to access the interactive activities.
A printable version of this lesson is available at https://mediasmarts.ca/teacher-resources/is-that-a-fact.
If you would like to have students complete the “How Do You Know?” activity on paper, download and photocopy the handout.
Learning Outcomes
Big ideas/key concepts: Students will understand that…
Media are constructions
- Arguments use facts to support opinions
Media have social and political implications: Arguments can convince people to change their opinions
- Each medium has a unique aesthetic form: Arguments can be judged based on whether the supporting facts are true and on whether or not they truly support the opinion
Key questions:
- What is the difference between facts and opinions? Which opinions can’t be debated and which can’t?
Frequent student misconceptions: To be a fact, something has to be true; All opinions are equally true
Essential knowledge: Students will know…
- Finding and verifying: We often need to research extra questions to find out whether or not a fact supports an opinion
- Making and remixing: Arguments are a media form that follows a particular structure to use facts to support opinions
Performance tasks: Students will be able to…
- Access: Access sources of information to research a question
- Use: Develop a well-supported argument
- Understand: Identify the difference between facts and opinions and what makes an opinion more valid or convincing than anothe
- Engage: Consider difficult questions, including by questioning their own thoughts and beliefs
Curriculum Connections
Strand A: Literacy Connections and Applications
A1 Transferable Skills
A1.1 Receptive and Expressive Communication
explain how transferable skills can be used to support communication in various cultural, social, linguistic, and domain-specific contexts, and apply them when reading, listening to, viewing, and creating texts of various forms
A1.2 Student Agency and Engagement
evaluate and explain how transferable skills help them express their voice, be engaged in their learning, and plan the next steps to develop their capabilities and potential
A2 Digital Media Literacy
A2.3 Research and Information Literacy
gather, evaluate, and use information, considering validity, credibility, accuracy, and perspectives, to construct knowledge, create texts, and demonstrate learning
A2.4 Forms, Conventions, and Techniques
demonstrate an understanding of the forms, conventions, and techniques of digital and media texts, consider the impact on the audience, and apply this understanding when analyzing and creating texts
A2.5 Media, Audience and Production
demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships between the form, message, and context of texts, the intended audience, and the purpose for production
A3 Applications, Connections, and Contributions
A3.1 Cross-Curricular and Integrated Learning
explain how the knowledge and skills developed in this grade support learning in various subject areas and in everyday life, and describe how they enhance understanding and communication
Strand C: Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts
C1 Knowledge About Texts
C1.6 Point of View
Grades 4-5: identify the narrator’s point of view, including first, second, or third person, in a variety of texts, and describe the advantages and disadvantages of the approach used in each story
Grade 6: identify the narrator’s point of view, including first, second, or third person, in a variety of texts, providing evidence, and explain how using an alternative point of view would change each story
C3 Critical Thinking in Literacy
C3.2 Making Inferences
Grades 4-5: make local and global inferences, using explicit and implicit evidence, to extend their understanding of various texts
Grade 6: make local and global inferences, using explicit and implicit evidence, to develop interpretations about various texts and to extend their understanding
C3.3 Analyzing Texts
Grade 4: analyze various texts, including literary and informational texts, by identifying main and supporting ideas, sequencing the events of multiple plots, and explaining cause and effect
Grade 5: analyze various texts, including literary and informational texts, by identifying main and supporting ideas, sequencing the events of multiple plots, recording relevant information, and explaining cause and effect
Grade 6: analyze various texts, including literary and informational texts, by identifying main and supporting ideas, evaluating the quality of information and its relevance for a specific purpose, and formulating conclusions
C3.5 Perspectives within Texts
Grades 4-5: identify explicit and implicit perspectives communicated in various texts, explain how these perspectives are conveyed, give some evidence of any biases the texts may contain, and suggest how such biases could influence an audience
Grade 6: explain explicit and implicit perspectives communicated in various texts, including narrative texts, provide any evidence that could suggest bias in these perspectives, and suggest ways to avoid any such bias
C3.6 Analysis and Response
Grades 4-5: explain how various topics, such as diversity, inclusion, and accessibility, are addressed in texts, and describe what insights or messages are conveyed
Grade 6: explain how various topics, such as diversity, inclusion, and accessibility, are addressed in texts, analyze the insights or messages conveyed, and identify different positions presented
Strand D: Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts
D1. Developing Ideas and Organizing Content
D1.1 Purpose and Audience
identify the topic, purpose, and audience for various texts they plan to create, and explain why the chosen text form, genre, and medium suit the purpose and audience, and how they will help communicate the intended meaning
D1.2 Developing Ideas
generate and develop ideas and details about various topics, such as topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion and to other subject areas, using a variety of strategies, and drawing on various resources, including their own lived experiences
D1.3 Research
Grade 4: gather information and content relevant to a topic, using a variety of sources and strategies, and record the sources of information
Grade 5: gather and record information and content relevant to a topic, using multiple textual sources; verify the reliability of sources, using simple criteria; and record the creator and source of all content created by others
Grade 6: gather information and content relevant to a topic, using multiple textual sources; summarize the information; verify the reliability of sources; and record the creator and source of all content created by others
D1.4 Organizing Content
Grades 4-5: select and classify ideas and collected information, using appropriate strategies and tools, and sequence content, taking into account the chosen text form, genre, and medium
Grade 6: classify and sequence ideas and collected information, using appropriate strategies and tools, and identify and organize relevant content, taking into account the chosen text form, genre, and medium
D1.5 Reflecting on Learning
Grades 4-5: describe the strategies and tools that helped them develop ideas and organize content for texts of the chosen forms, genres, and media, and explain how they helped them improve as a text creator
Grade 6: explain and compare how the strategies and tools used helped them develop ideas and organize content for texts of the chosen forms, genres, and media, and how they helped them improve as a text creator
An opinion that is supported by relevant facts.
A statement that can be conclusively proven or disproven.
Something that can’t be proven conclusively.