Melanie Tuma

September 2015
Writing an Informative Text Unit Day 2: Fact vs. Opinion
- Lesson Objectives:
Given a paragraph that contains both facts and opinions, students will underline 3 facts with
100% accuracy.

- I Can Statements:
I can state the difference between a fact and an opinion.
I can find facts in a text.

-2nd Grade Language Arts Standard:

CCSS.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.

-Formative Assessment:
One formative assessment in this lesson is when students gather to share their groups
definition for fact and opinion. At this time, the teacher can see if students were able to
successfully analyze the given sentences to determine what fact and opinion mean. If
students were unable to determine the definitions, the teacher can give the definitions and
explain possible ways that students could have come up with the definitions. Another
formative assessment in this lesson is when the students practice finding facts as a whole
group. In this activity, students are read sentences and they have to hold up their fingers to
show whether the sentence is a fact or opinion. This activity allows the teacher to see if
students are able to apply the definitions of fact and opinion. It will tell the teacher if any reteaching is needed before giving the summative assessment.

-Summative Assessment:
Students are given a worksheet called Find the Facts, which contains a paragraph that
includes both facts and opinions. If the student is able to underline at least three facts in the
paragraph, the student has met the learning objective. The purpose of this assessment is to
help students find facts in a text so that when they do research for an informative writing
piece, they will be able to distinguish fact from opinion.
-Informative Text poster
-Facts and Opinions
-How to Act in a Group Discussion Poster
-Fact
-Opinion

-You Decide-Fact or Opinion

-Find the Facts

Melanie Tuma

Procedures

-Before the Lesson:

Teacher places students in small groups (groups of three or four).
On a notecard, teacher writes the names of each person in the
group and assigns three students in the group a job. The job title
should be written next to the students name. Job A is read the
facts and opinions, job B is write down the definitions, and job C is
share the definitions. At the start of the lesson, the teacher gives
each group their notecard, a Facts and Opinions sheet, and a blank
sheet of paper.
-Goals and Objectives:
Teacher reads I can statement for the lesson.

-Review and Connect with Prior Knowledge:

Teacher reminds class that the focus of the week is how to write
informative texts. Teacher reviews first step of writing an
informative text: writing a topic sentence (teacher points to
Informative Text poster as she reviews). Teacher says, The next
step to writing an informative text is to collect facts, so today you
will be learning what a fact is.

Scaffolding,
Supports, &
Differentiation
-Use of group work
allows students to
practice using
academic language,
learn from each other,
and practice social
development skills.
-ELL Students:
Students will be
placed in groups with
high level readers.
-I can statements
will be written on
board for students to
refer to throughout
lesson.

-Structured Discovery Directions:

1. Teacher projects a list of facts and a list of opinions on the
board. See Facts and Opinions for a copy of what will be
projected.
2. Teacher explains that each group will have two goals for
the assignment. They must figure out a definition for a fact
and figure out a definition for an opinion. To do this,
students must read all of the facts and think about what
each sentence has in common. Students should look at the
types of words that are used and think about what the
sentence says. Teacher suggests students do the same
process for the opinion sentences.
3. Teacher asks class what their two goals are and gets a
choral response in return.
4. Teacher explains the group notecard and student jobs. Job
A reads the facts and opinions aloud to the group, job B
writes down the definitions the group came up with after
their discussion, and job C shares the groups two

- Teacher writes the

two group goals on
the board for the class
to refer to.

-Teacher holds up and

points to notecard
when talking about it
to provide a visual
reference.

Melanie Tuma
definitions with the class later on. Teacher emphasizes
that even though person A, B, and C have jobs, everybody
in the group needs to help come up with the two
definitions.
5. Teacher explains that she expects students to follow the
rules on the How to Act in a Group Discussion poster.
Teacher points to poster and reads each rule aloud.

-Teacher Observations:
While students work, teacher walks around and listens to
discussions. Teacher asks groups what they have discovered so
far.

-Whole Group Discussion of Discoveries:

Teacher calls students to the carpet and calls on person C from
each group to share their groups definitions. Teacher writes
definitions on board and asks student how their group came up
with the definition. Correct definitions are discussed if not already
brought up.

-Teacher Models Finding Facts:

Teacher displays the Facts and Opinions sheet on the board and
reads two facts and two opinions to the class. Using the definition
the class came up with, teacher explains why each sentence is
either a fact or opinion.

-Student Whole Group Practice of Finding Facts:

Teacher displays You Decide: Fact or Opinion sheet on board and
reads each sentence aloud. Students hold up 1 finger if the
sentence is a fact or 2 fingers if it is an opinion. Teacher explains
why each sentence is either a fact or opinion using the definition
the class came up with.

-Summative Assessment:
Students go back to their desk (no longer in groups). Teacher
passes out Find the Facts assessment and reads the directions
aloud.

-Wrap Up:
Teacher wraps up the lesson by saying, Now that you know what
a fact is, you will be able to write facts to inform people about a
topic. Tomorrow you will learn about writing a concluding
sentence, and then you will be able to begin research for your first
informative text.

-Teacher writes
student jobs on the
board for the class to
refer to.
-If needed, teacher
guides students in
achieving the goals by
asking questions such
as: Do you agree with
all of the opinion
sentences? Do you
agree with all of the
fact sentences? What
kinds of words do you
see used in most of the
opinion sentences? Is
there a way to prove
the fact sentences?
Can you prove the
opinion sentences?
-If students are not
explaining the
reasoning behind
their thinking during
their discussion,
teacher can give a
sentence structure to
use, such as I think ___
because ____.

-ELL Students:
During assessment,
teacher reads
paragraph aloud to
ELL students. While
reading, teacher
models one to one
match and points to
the words so that
students will be able
to underline the facts.