Facts and Opinions
Have you ever had an argument with a friend about which flavor of ice cream is best? Maybe you said chocolate is the best and your friend said strawberry. Who is right? Here is the secret: you might both be right! That is because which flavor tastes best is an opinion — not a fact. Today we are going to find out exactly what makes something a fact and what makes it an opinion. This is one of the most useful thinking skills you will ever learn!
Facts: Things That Can Be Checked
A fact is something that is true and can be checked. It does not change based on what you feel or think. Facts are the same for everyone. Here are some examples of facts: A spider has eight legs. You can count them! Water freezes at zero degrees Celsius. Scientists have measured this many times. The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean on Earth. Maps and measurements confirm it. Notice something about all of these: you could check them. You could look them up, measure them, observe them, or count them. That is what makes them facts.
Ask yourself: can this be checked? Can it be measured, counted, or looked up by anyone and found to be true? If yes — it might be a fact!
Opinions: What Someone Thinks or Feels
An opinion is what a person thinks, feels, or believes. Different people can have different opinions about the very same thing — and they can all be right for themselves. Here are some examples of opinions: Pizza is the most delicious food ever. Blue is a beautiful color. Summer is the best season. You cannot look these up in a science book and prove them. They change depending on who you ask. One person might say pizza is delicious and another might not like it at all — neither person is wrong!
Sort each sentence into the right category.
Terms
Definitions
Drag terms onto their definitions, or click a term then click a definition to match.
One really helpful trick is to look for clue words. Opinion clue words are things like: I think, I believe, in my opinion, the best, the worst, beautiful, awful, amazing, terrible, should, love, hate. Fact clue words are things like: research shows, scientists found, according to measurements, the record is, officially, it has been proven. Of course, not every sentence has these clue words. So you still need to ask yourself: can this be checked by anyone? If yes, it leans toward being a fact.
Some sentences sound like facts but are really opinions. 'This is the most important book ever written' sounds serious, but it is still an opinion — people disagree about what is most important. Always ask: can this be measured or proven?
Which of these is a FACT?
Luis says: 'In my opinion, recess is the best part of school.' Is this a fact or an opinion?
Fill in the missing word.
Fact-or-Opinion Sorting Game
- Write 10 sentences on slips of paper — mix facts and opinions about everyday things like food, animals, weather, and school.
- Here are some starters: 'Carrots are orange,' 'Carrots taste terrible,' 'Dogs are bigger than mice,' 'Dogs are nicer than mice.'
- Mix up all the slips.
- Trade with a friend or family member. Each person sorts the slips into two piles: Facts and Opinions.
- Compare your sorted piles and talk about any sentences you disagreed on.
- For the fact sentences, see if you can find a way to actually check each one.