How to Teach Children to Distinguish Between Facts and Opinions
The difference between fact and opinion is relevant these days. And in recent years, it has become increasingly clear that this is a difficult concept even for some adults, let alone children. Therefore, no matter when and if your child’s school decides to close the difference, parents are encouraged to reinforce the lesson at home.
Let’s start with the basics.
What is the fact?
A fact is simply something that can be proven true or false:
- A dog is a mammal.
- Ariana Grande is a singer.
- There are seven continents.
- The grass is green.
All of these are easy to obtain: they are not only facts, but you can verify their truth . But what about statements like:
- Parrots live underground.
- Harry Styles is a seashell.
- North Dakota is a country.
- Chicken nuggets are liquid.
Your gut may rebel against calling these statements “facts” because, as you say, the facts must be true. And yes, this is, of course, one of the definitions of “fact”. But when you talk about facts, not opinions, sometimes the fact turns out to be false.
The point is whether it is possible to verify the information, even if in the process you verify it as false. Rob Laird teaches English at Freeport High School in Illinois, and when he comes to the conclusion that factual statements don’t have to be true, he says it blows the minds of his students a little.
“You can actually say something and be wrong,” he says. “It may be a mistake or a lie, but you are really imagining it.”
The trick to explaining this, Laird said, is to explain the relationship between facts and opinions. The question arises:
What is the opinion?
Meanwhile, opinion is something that cannot be proven, true or false:
- Baseball is a terrible game.
- Pink is a great color.
- Anna is better than Elsa.
- Minecraft is weird.
I personally can think of it, and I can have really good reasons why I think of everyone, but that doesn’t make them facts, because they are unprovable. In addition, you may have good reasons to think that:
- Baseball is the best sport.
- Pink is an ugly color.
- Elsa is better than Anna.
- Minecraft is a lot of fun.
The misconception here is that opinions can seem really obvious – and this is how Laird makes the connection between facts and opinions.
The relationship between the two
Let’s take a soccer example: let’s say New England’s record is 13-3 and Cleveland’s record is 3-13. Now consider the statement, “New England is better than Cleveland.” Is this fact or opinion?
Most of Laird’s students say “fact” incorrectly.
“Why did you say that?” The laird will ask his class, which will reply, “Because New England has won a lot more games.”
“New England has won more games,” says Laird. “It’s a fact,” and he supported the view that the New England – the best football team. “You use facts to form opinions. While this is quite obvious – no one would argue that Cleveland is better than New England – this is still an opinion. You still need to use the facts to back it up. “
How and why to compare facts with opinions
While the essence of this lesson is ideal for high school students, Laird says, the basics can be introduced as early as fourth or fifth grade. Thisshort video from No-frills Teaching is a simple introduction to facts and opinions (without the more complex nuances of false facts they learn as they get older):
You can also find a collection of worksheets on this Pinterest board , prepared by Dana Monaghan, speech therapist and educator and founder of Teach Tutors , an information and resource site for peer-to-peer mentoring.
The lesson is especially important today because many people do not know where to get reliable factual information.
“This is the # 1 problem that I see in both adults and children,” says Laird. “How do I know if this information is accurate?”
These tips for detecting fake news , which are often opinions disguised as facts or facts that are not true, include the importance of source verification and fact-checking websites. Laird also offers the CRAP test (a hit among his students):
- C : Is the information up to date ?
- R : Is the information reliable ?
- A : Was the information provided by a reputable source?
- P : What is the purpose of the information? To present facts or to convince you?
When Laird forces his English or journalism students to write a reasoned essay or column, he instructs them to choose a topic but refrain from forming an opinion for now. Do your research first, he said, and then use those facts to form your opinion.
“I think what people are to blame on social media, what students are often to blame, they have an opinion and they dig for facts to support their opinion,” he says, “and it is difficult for them to change their minds.” thinks so because they come with a lot of bias. “