Revising: Fact Vs

Revising: “Fact vs. Opinion in Persuasive Writing” (1-2 days) Mini-Lesson: (Day 1) Begin by telling students that advertisers know that we can be persuaded to believe that we need or want something. In order to do that, they use words and pictures that we associate with feelings – good or bad. For example, no one was born needing to smoke cigarettes. Yet, many people smoke. How do you think they got started?” T charts responses. Remind students that people know smoking is dangerous to one’s health, yet many still smoke. Emotions are powerful. Sometimes feelings are more powerful than facts; that is why it is important to be able to tell the difference between fact and opinion. Practice distinguishing between facts and opinions out loud. Use 8 fact & opinion statements. Next, read “Smoking Kills” article and discuss issue in article as well as facts & opinions presented. (Day 2 – Teacher Reviews Fact vs. Opinion. Students can apply the lesson to their own writing pieces. After doing research on the internet, students can make sure they have included not only opinions, but also facts in their writing pieces.) Materials: “Smoking Kills” article, fact & opinion statements, chart paper, writing paper Student Write Time: Students can pretend someone is pressuring them to smoke, a friend, or older brother/sister. They have said, “no,” but they continue to invite them to smoke. They can create a t-chart: Facts About Smoking vs. Opinions About Smoking. They can then use their T-Chart to write 3 statements that are facts and 3 statements that are opinions about smoking. (Day 2 – Students can apply lesson to their own writing pieces. Students may continue looking for facts about their persuasive topics.) Author’s Chair: Selected students will present their fact & opinion paragraphs or t-charts 8 Statements (Fact & Opinion)

1. Second-hand smoke is unhealthy. (fact) 2. There’s no harm in trying smoking – it’s easy to quit. (opinion) 3. Smoking can cause lung cancer. (fact) 4. Smoking keeps a person from gaining weight. (opinion) 5. A good way to relax is to smoke a cigarette. (opinion) 6. More people die from smoking than from car accidents. (fact) 7. Whether or not to start smoking is a personal choice. (fact) 8. In movies, the starts look more glamorous or cool when they are smoking. (opinion)