Subjects: Arts & Humanities, Civics, Holidays, Language Arts, Social Studies, U.S. History
Grades: 3-5, 6-8
In this lesson, adapted from an activity on Education World, students will reinforce their understanding of fact and opinion while learning about the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
- First, go over the differences between fact and opinion with your students. Explain to them that facts are verifiable, or real or true, and opinions are beliefs or judgments that are not verifiable. Reinforce this concept with the following brief group activity.
- Choose a book or movie that your class recently watched or read and ask students to reflect on the book or movie and share what they know about it or remember about it. Jot down their statements and thoughts, then move to a simple two-column graphic organizer. In the example below we used and edited the Poster Maker template ORG023.
- Take each statement from the previous conversation and ask the class to decide whether each statement is a fact or an opinion, then write each statement in the correct column on the graphic organizer. If students are more familiar with the concept, you may choose to let them work in groups to determine fact or opinion then come back together as a class to review.
- Next, have students apply their understanding of fact and opinion to a brief online biography of Martin Luther King Jr., found here. Read the biography aloud, then distribute a printed copy to each student along with this fact or opinion worksheet. Have students complete the worksheet individually or in small groups.
- To assess, enlarge the worksheet with your Poster Maker or discuss each statement as a class, determining any problematic sections of the worksheet. This will hopefully open up a larger discussion about Martin Luther King, Jr., as your class learns about and celebrates his legacy.
For an answer key as well as the lesson's alignment to National Standards, visit Education World's original posting.
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