A fact can be checked and proved. An opinion is what someone thinks or feels, and other people may disagree. Telling them apart is one of the most useful reading skills there is — especially online and in adverts.
What your child will learn
- Tell a fact from an opinion
- Spot words that signal an opinion, such as best, worst and should
- Recognise an opinion presented as if it were a fact
- Notice when writing is one-sided
Could you check it?
Ask “Could I prove this?” “The Nile is in Africa” can be checked on a map. “The Nile is the most beautiful river” can’t — it depends who you ask. Words like best, boring, delicious and should are opinion signals. Adverts often state opinions very confidently: “Everyone loves it!”
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. An opinion is…
- what someone thinks or feels
- something that has been measured
- a kind of number
- always wrong
Show answer
Answer: what someone thinks or feels. Opinions differ from person to person.
2. Which of these is an opinion?
- Pizza is delicious.
- Pizza is baked in an oven.
- Pizza came from Italy.
- Pizza is made with dough.
Show answer
Answer: Pizza is delicious.. Delicious is a feeling, not something you can prove.
3. Which of these is a fact?
- Monday is the worst day.
- Mornings are boring.
- Weekends are too short.
- A week has seven days.
Show answer
Answer: A week has seven days.. You can check it on any calendar.
Tips for grown-ups
- Read a review together and highlight facts in one colour and opinions in another.
- Take turns giving one fact and one opinion about the same thing.
- Look at an advert and ask, “Which parts could be proved?”