Lindsay Pombier

Reading Lesson Plan

Title: Fact and Opinion

Subject/Grade Level/ Date(s): Reading (fact vs. opinion); 2nd grade; 4/10/18

Time Requirements: 45-50 minutes

Materials List:
 Anchor chart paper
 White board slates and white board markers
 Fact and Opinion worksheets

Type of Lesson: Whole group lesson; cooperative learning

Connection to Standards:
2.RF.4: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
a. Read on‐level text with purpose and understanding.
b. Read on‐level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.
c. Use context to confirm or self‐correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
2.RL.10: By the end of the year, proficiently and independently read and comprehend literature,
including stories, dramas, and poetry, in a text complexity range determined by qualitative and
quantitative measures appropriate to grade 2.
2.RI.5: Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes,
electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.
2.W.1: Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an
opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect
opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.

Instructional Objective:
Students will be able to comprehend a piece of literature by reading and rereading a short story.
Students will be able to differentiate fact from opinion by reading a short story and identifying facts
and opinions within the passage.
Students will be able to demonstrate their own opinions by answering would you rather questions.

Active Instructional Plan:

· Anticipatory Set: Since the students have previously worked with fact and opinion, I will begin the
lesson by asking the students what they remember about both facts and opinions. I will ask questions
such as what is a fact, what is an opinion, can you given me an example of each, etc. The students will
first be asked to discuss each question with a partner in a ‘buddy buzz’ format. Then, I will call on a
couple students who will share with the class as a whole. This will begin a discussion about their prior
knowledge surrounding facts and opinions.
· Questions:
 During the anticipatory set:
o What is a fact?
o What is an opinion?
o Can you give me an example of a fact?
o What is an example of an opinion?
 During modeling:
o How can we tell whether a statement is a fact or an opinion?
Lindsay Pombier

o Are there any context clues that can help us decide whether something is a fact or an
opinion?
 During guided practice:
o How did you decide whether the statement was a fact?
o How could you tell that the statement was an opinion?
 During independent practice:
o Why did you select fact/opinion for that sentence?
o Why would you rather…?
o Is this ‘would you rather’ statement an example of a fact or an opinion?
 During closure:
o What is one thing you learned during this reading lesson?
o What new information did you gain about facts/opinions?
· Modeling: During the “I do” portion of the lesson, I am going to go through the information
presented on the anchor chart. I will clearly define a fact as something that is true and something that
can be proven. I will give the following examples of facts: You are in second grade; Mrs. Rosales is a
teacher. I will then define opinions as someone’s thoughts, feelings, or emotions. Opinions can change
while facts remain the same. I will also give the following examples of opinions: Math is the best
subject; the book is good. This portion of lesson allows the instructor to reiterate how to differentiate
between facts and opinions by activating prior knowledge. I will explain how we can tell if a statement
is a fact or an opinion.
· Guided Practice: During the “we do” portion of the lesson, I will read several statements to the
group of students as they sit on the classroom carpet. In order to ensure active participation, all students
will write on their individual white board slates whether each statement is a fact or an opinion. My
statements for this portion of the lesson will focus on pollination as this was a recent science unit in the
classroom. I will state the following facts: Bees, hummingbirds, and bats are all examples of
pollinators; Pollination allows plants to reproduce. I will state the following opinions: Pollination is
cool; Honeybees are the most interesting pollinators. After students write their answer, the students will
all raise their white boards into the air so I can see their answers. If there are a mixture of different
answers, then I will have the students talk with a partner as a buddy buzz. Then, students can alter their
answer based on what their peers told them. We will go over each statement and decide how we know
when a statement is a fact or an opinion.
· Independent Practice: During the “you do” portion of the lesson, the students will be given an
activity to complete at their tables. Each student will have their own worksheet; however, they may
work with their peers to complete it. The front of the worksheet will feature a short story about a trip to
the zoo that students will be instructed to read through twice on their own. This is a common practice
within the classroom that the regular teacher has previously established. After reading the passage
twice, the students will be given several sentences from the story which they will have to determine as
facts or opinions. Students will also be asked to provide one additional fact and opinion from the story
that they must write out themselves. For students who finish that part of the activity, there will be
additional work on the back of the worksheet. The back of the worksheet will feature two ‘would you
rather’ questions where students select one option and then explain why they chose that option. When
introducing the worksheet, the students will be given sentences starters such as “I would
rather…because...” The two questions will be as follows: would you rather live in a place that is always
hot or live in a place that is always cold; would you rather walk on the moon or explore the ocean.
· Closure: At the end of the lesson, I will bring the students back together for a short discussion with
the whole class. We will read through the passage and state whether each sentence is a fact or an
opinion. Then, I will ask for a couple students to share their opinion writing from the ‘would you
rather’ portion of the activity. I will close the lesson by asking each table to discuss the following two
questions: what is one thing you learned during this reading lesson; what new information did you gain
about facts/opinions. Then, one student from each table will share what their table discussed with the
entire class.
Lindsay Pombier

Assessment/Evaluation:
One form of informal assessment will be conducted during the guided practice section of the lesson.
The students will each write whether a statement is a fact or an opinion on their individual white board
slates. Students will then be asked to hold their slates into the air where the instructor can quickly scan
the answers determining whether or not the class has a grasp of the concept. During independent
practice, the instructor will also monitor the students and note when mistakes are made. Instructor will
determine if students understand how to differentiate between facts and opinions during the final
discussion/closure as well.

Modifications/Differentiation:
The lesson will include several modifications and differentiations in order to support all learners. To
begin with, the anchor chart is one differentiation tool which I will go over verbally with the entire
class. It will be available for students to use as a reference throughout the entirety of the lesson. It can
aid students in spelling words such as fact and opinion, explaining what a fact/opinion is by providing
the definition of each term, etc. The chart also incorporates images for learners who have difficulty
reading the text. The worksheet also features aid for different levels of learners. The passage is short
and uses words that are friendly to most second graders. The ‘would you rather’ portion of the
worksheet includes pictures for students who may have difficulty reading the statements. The instructor
will also be available during independent practice in order to aid students who have questions, need
help reading, etc.
Lindsay Pombier
Lindsay Pombier

FACT OR OPINION
Read the following passage TWO times:

Rosa went to the zoo with her parents on Saturday. The family
left their house at 10 am, and they drove for thirty minutes. Rosa
was very excited when they got to the zoo! She had a lot of fun
looking at all of the animals. Rosa thought that the panda bears
were really cute. The lions looked wild, and the monkeys were silly.
Rosa’s favorite animal was the giraffe. She even got to see the
giraffe during feeding time. On the drive home, Rosa fell asleep
because she was so tired. Rosa thought the zoo was very
interesting!

Describe the following sentences from the passage as facts or opinions. Circle
your answer.

1. Rosa went to the zoo with her parents. fact opinion

2. The panda bears were really cute. fact opinion

3. The monkeys were silly. fact opinion

4. Rosa saw the giraffe during feeding time. fact opinion

5. On the drive home, Rosa fell asleep. fact opinion

Write one other sentence from the passage not listed above and decide whether
it is a fact or an opinion. How do you know if it is a fact or an opinion?
Lindsay Pombier

Would You Rather?

Circle which option you would prefer. Then, write why you made
that choice.

Would you rather… OR

live in a live in a
place that is place that
always hot? is always
cold?

I would rather

because

Would you rather… OR

walk on the moon? explore the ocean?

I would rather

because