Telling Apart a Fact and an Opinion
Philo stands at a colorful marketplace bulletin board covered with handwritten signs and posters, holding a red marker in one hand and a green marker in the other, carefully sorting statements into two columns labeled FACT and OPINION
- Explain the difference between a fact and an opinion in your own words
- Identify whether a statement is a fact or an opinion using clue words and checkability
- Compare two statements on the same topic and label each as fact or opinion
- Explain why opinions are not wrong even when people disagree
- Identify how a single argument can mix both facts and opinions together
Key terms
- Fact
- A statement you can check and prove.
- Opinion
- What someone prefers, values, or believes.
- Clue word
- A word like best that signals an opinion.
- Checkable
- Able to be measured, counted, or tested.
Facts You Can Check
A fact is something you can check to see if it is true. You can look it up, count it, measure it, or test it. "A week has seven days" is a fact because anyone can count and agree. Facts do not change based on how you feel about them. When people use good evidence, they all reach the same answer about a fact.
Opinions And Clue Words
An opinion shows what someone likes, values, or believes. "Summer is the best season" is an opinion, because someone else might love winter, and both are okay. Clue words like best, worst, should, beautiful, and I think often point to an opinion. Opinions are not wrong even when people disagree. They just depend on each person's own taste, not on something everyone can check.
Worked examples
Sort a sentence into fact or opinion.
- Read the sentence: "Pizza is better than sandwiches."
- Ask if it can be checked and proven, or if it depends on what someone likes.
Answer: It is an opinion, because better depends on personal taste. Someone else might love sandwiches more, and no test can prove who is right.
Activity
Sort each statement into the FACT bucket or the OPINION bucket by dragging it to the right side
Practice
Write one fact and one opinion about your favorite animal.
Find a clue word that tells you a sentence is opinion.
Common mistakes to avoid
- A sentence with a number is a fact.A number can sit next to an opinion, like calling something the greatest ever.
Check your understanding
Which of the following is a FACT?
Maya says, "Our school library has 2,000 books, so it must be the greatest library ever." Which part of Maya's statement is an OPINION?
Your friend says, "I think chocolate ice cream is better than vanilla — that is just a fact." What would you tell your friend?
Recap
A fact can be checked and proven, so people using evidence agree on it. An opinion shows what someone prefers and is not wrong when people disagree. Clue words help, and many sentences mix both together.
Reflect
Why is it helpful to tell a fact apart from an opinion?