Funding for the VITAL/Ready to Teach collection was secured through the United States Department of Education under the Ready to Teach Program.
Loading StandardsStudents identify facts and opinions about manatees in a written text and a video text.
It is important for learners to be able to recognize differences between facts and opinions so they know what to believe and what to consider as someone's perspective. Separating fact from opinion is central to interpreting information intelligently.
50-minutes
1. Make a transparency of the Manatee Fact and Opinion chart plus individual copies for each student. Also copy the Manatee Transcript handout for each student.
2. Tell students they're going to watch a video about manatees. Before viewing the video, link to the Sea World Web site to view photographs and see information about manatees to help activate students prior knowledge.
3. View the video and ask students to look for which ideas are facts and which ideas are opinions.
4. Then brainstorm about manatees. Record students ideas on the transparency. Ask students to share ideas and to identify them as a fact or opinion and explain why.
5. Next, distribute the written text, which is an edited version of the Manatee Transcript handout. Ask students to read the text, focusing on facts and opinions.
1. Students underline the facts and circle the opinions on the Manatee Transcript handout text.
2. Students choose what they consider the most important and interesting facts and opinions about manatees and write them on the Manatee Fact and Opinion chart.
Portfolio: The Manatee Fact and Opinion Chart may be added to student portfolios to provide evidence that they have met this performance indicator.
Standards
