1、Strategies for Reading Fact and OpinionEvery man has a right to be wrong in his opinions.But no man has a right to be wrong in his facts.-the difference between facts and opinions.strategies to distinguish facts from opinions.how to check factual statements.clue words for opinion statements.RPDP Sec
2、ondary LiteracyMany readers never question what they read.They tend to accept everything they read as fact.“If its in print,it must be true,”they say.Whats wrong with this thinking? between Fact and Opinion1.Not everything in print is true.1.Many people misread what is factual because they do not:di
3、stinguish between fact and opinion.make inferences.pick up on the authors bias or tone.or use their own prior knowledge.A fact is a statement that is true.Facts can be proven.Anyone who is checking will find or see the same thing.There can be no other reasonable point of view.How can you check or pr
4、ove that a statement is a fact?Look it up in a book.Check records or statistics.Ask eye witnesses.Weigh it or measure it.Fact!Very often Reading passages that contain statistics or numbers are based on facts because they can be checked.Here are two examples:Chengdus current population is over one mi
5、llion people.Jaime paid$25,000 for his new truck.$25,000Can you check records or statistics to look up the population of a city or a state?Can you check Jaimes sales receipt to find the amount he paid for the truck?If you answered yes to both questions,youre correct.Therefore,both statements are bas
6、ed on fact.Facts can always be proven to be true or false.An opinion expresses feelings and depends on someones judgments or values.An opinion is a statement made by someone who believes it is true.An opinion is actually a point of view.Opinions tell how the writer thinks or feels about something.Op
7、inions express a belief an idea a feeling should if probably might perhaps tooCommon Clue Words for Opinions feel soon believe think maybe idea1.Words that predict the future2.Value words-depend on someones judgment and cannot be proven:easydifficultgoodbadbeautifuluglysimplewonderfulMore Clue Words
8、bestgreatprettyworstAs a reader,you can train yourself how to tell the difference between fact and opinion by asking two simple questions:Can I check it out or prove it?Now?Can there be any other point of view?If you answered yes to the first question and no to the second,this is a fact.Let s look a
9、t some examples.Statements that contain words like good,bad,or great,which show personal values,are opinions:“We played a great game against Tanghu High School.”Let s look at some examples.Statements reporting other peoples opinions are facts:“The head teacher said our students are very polite and r
10、espectful.”The opinion itself is not a fact,but the statement reporting what someone says or believes is a fact.OpinionStatements by the writer that something is necessary,or wanted,or liked are opinions:“Everyone can enjoy our new menu in the cafeteria.”OpinionPredictions are opinions:“Students wou
11、ld welcome a change in the school uniform policy.”“Everyone would be happy to see that old hotel go.”There is a difference between predicting the future and talking about something that is already scheduled or planned.Graduation will be held in June.This statement is a fact because we can verify rig
12、ht now that graduation is scheduled for the month of June.When you read facts,make it a habit to look at the source of the information.When you read opinions,be sure theyresupported with facts experience accounts of experts other reliable sources (1)Starfish are among the most wide-spread of marine
13、animals.(2)In spite of their name,starfish are not really fish at all,since they are invertebrates and do not have backbones.(3)Starfish come in many colors and usually have five arms,or rays.(4)When starfish are dried out,they make beautiful ornaments and necklaces.Which sentence is an opinion?(1)S
14、tarfish are among the most wide-spread of marine animals.(2)In spite of their name,starfish are not really fish at all,since they are invertebrates and do not have backbones.(3)Starfish come in many colors and usually have five arms,or rays.(4)When starfish are dried out,they make beautiful ornament
15、s and necklaces.How did you do?Which sentence contains an opinion?A.Mario and I went camping last weekend.B.We saw several wild animals.C.The weather was terrible.D.We had a hole in our tent.Mario and I went camping last weekend.We saw several wild animals,including a snake and a fox.The weather was
16、 terrible.It rained every night.We had a hole in our tent,too.Which sentence contains an opinion?A.Mario and I went camping last weekend.B.We saw several wild animals.C.The weather was terrible.A.We had a hole in our tent.Mario and I went camping last weekend.We saw several wild animals,including a
17、snake and a fox.The weather was terrible.It rained every night.We had a hole in our tent,too.How did you do?Which sentence contains an opinion?A.The dog jumps on people.B.Ive gone to dog-training lessons.C.The dog knocked my boss over.D.The dog is wonderful.Although Ive tried to train my dog not to
18、jump on people,she persists in this habit.Ive gone to dog training lessons.The trainer even works with her.When my boss came to my house,my dog knocked him down.Shes a wonderful dog,but she makes my life difficult.Which sentence contains an opinion?A.The dog jumps on people.B.Ive gone to dog-trainin
19、g lessons.C.The dog knocked my boss over.D.The dog is wonderful.Although Ive tried to train my dog not to jump on people,she persists in this habit.Ive gone to dog training lessons.The trainer even works with her.When my boss came to my house,my dog knocked him down.Shes a wonderful dog,but she make
20、s my life difficult.How did you do?A.Hes shorter than Air Force regulations permit.B.Jason will make a poor pilot.C.He gets sick whenever he boards a plane.D.No one would want to fly with him.Jason wants to become a pilot in the Air Force,but the Air Force has turned him down.Some of the possible re
21、asons are given below.Decide which of these is a fact and which is an opinion.A.Hes shorter than Air Force regulations permit.B.Jason will make a poor pilot.C.He gets sick whenever he boards a plane.D.No one would want to fly with him.Jason wants to become a pilot in the Air Force,but the Air Force
22、has turned him down.Some of the possible reasons are given below.Decide which of these is a fact and which is an opinion.How did you do?RPDP Secondary LiteracySo remember to do a little detective work when figuring out the difference between fact and opinion.Today we discussed-Fact vs.OpinionChecking for FactsOpinion Clue WordsExamples
