Lessons & Units :: Fact and Opinion 2nd Grade Unit

Lesson 2: Distinguish Fact from Opinion in Book

Lesson Plan

Penguins | 630L

Penguins
Learning Goal
Distinguish fact from opinion in a book.
Duration
Approximately 50 minutes
Necessary Materials
Provided: Guided Practice, Independent Practice Worksheet
Not Provided: Penguins by Lynn M. Stone, chart paper, markers

  • Teacher Modeling

    will review what we learned in Lesson 1 about identifying fact and opinion statements from a passage. I will give several examples of facts and several examples of opinions to remind students of the differences. For example, “Boats float in the water.” is a fact. It can be proven true. “Boats are fun to ride.” is an opinion because not everyone agrees and it can not be proven true. I will explain that today we will read a nonfiction text and distinguish facts from opinions. I will read Chapter 1 of "Penguins are Special Birds” in Penguins by Lynn M. Stone.

  • Think Check

    Ask: How did I distinguish a fact from an opinion? Students should respond that you read the text and thought about if the information was something that can be proven to be true or if it was someone's thoughts or feelings.

  • Guided Practice

    will read the sentences on chart paper (see Guided Practice Worksheet in Teacher and Student Materials below) from the chapter and determine if each statement is a fact or an opinion. We will discuss how we know each sentence is a fact or an opinion. Facts can be proven true. Opinions usually contain some kind of adjective or descriptive word.

    TIP: You may choose to organize the Guided Practice as a whole class sorting activity. Before teaching the lesson write out the sentences on sentence strips. During the lesson, have students place each sentence under the correct heading— “fact” or “opinion”.

  • Independent Practice

    will read (or listen as I read) Chapter 5, “Penguin Parents,” and determine if sentences from the chapter are facts or opinions. You will explain how you know these are facts or opinions (Student Independent Practice is provided below). Note: You will need to copy Chapter 5 for each student before the lesson begins so the students can use it for Independent Practice.

Build Student Vocabulary upright

Tier 2 Word: upright
Contextualize the word as it is used in the story “On land, they (penguins) walk upright on stubbly legs.”
Explain the meaning student-friendly definition) Upright means a standing or straight position. When the author says that penguins walk upright, she means that penguins walk in a standing position, similar to humans.
Students repeat the word Say the word upright with me: upright.
Teacher gives examples of the word in other contexts A dog does not walk upright. A dog walks using all four legs. The walls of the house are no longer upright because of the earthquake. They all fell down.
Students provide examples When do you stand upright? Start by saying, “I stand upright when ____________.”
Students repeat the word again. What word are we talking about? upright
Additional Vocabulary Words down, waddles

Build Student Background Knowledge

Introduce the book by explaining that you are going to read about penguins. Even though they do not fly, penguins are considered birds. They share characteristics of flying birds, like being born with feathers, beaks, and laying eggs. The only difference is that penguins do not fly, they swim. They are not alone—ostriches, emus, and kiwis also do not fly. Share some pictures of these flightless birds.

Texts & Materials

Standards Alignment

(To see all of the ReadWorks lessons aligned to your standards, click here.)

User Comments

Thank you so much for sharing, this information is very useful being a first year teacher. Thank You!

Submitted by cfrederick_1831142 on 1/13/16

Thanks for the materials. They are very helpful.

Submitted by ari693_1183543 on 1/19/15