CONCEPTS OF COMPREHENSION: FACT AND OPINION 4th GRADE UNIT

Lesson 2: Direct Teaching Chart

Note:
This is an example chart.
The bold text should be filled in by the teacher during Direct Teaching. (I)

Using Facts to Support Opinions

Article: ____________________________________

What is the subject of the Curfews for kids under 18

editorial?

What is the author’s opinion? Having a curfew for kids under 18 will not make the
town of Avon safer or cleaner.
A curfew is unfair.

Facts that
support the
opinion

Fact 1 98% of all crime in Avon in the past year was committed by
people over the age of 18.
Source: City council reports on crime
Fact 2 Avon has the lowest vandalism rate in the state, with only 2
acts in the past year.

Source: City council crime reports

Fact 3 Only 1 act of vandalism was committed by someone under 18.

Source: City council reports on crime

Fact 4

Source:
Fact 5

Source:

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 CONCEPTS OF COMPREHENSION: FACT AND OPINION 4th GRADE UNIT

Lesson 2: Guided Practice Chart

Note:
This is an example chart.
The underlined text should be filled in by the students and teacher during
Guided Practice (We). The chart should reflect your students’ discussion.
Using Facts to Support Opinions
Directions: Fill in the boxes below using information from the commentary that you
were given to read.
Article: ____________________________________
What is the subject of the School uniforms
editorial?

What is the author’s opinion? School uniforms are not that bad.

Facts that
support the
opinion

Fact 1 Students this age spend about $50 a week on clothes and
accessories.
Source: The New York Times article
Fact 2 Uniforms make everyone look the same.

Source: Ms. Roberts

Fact 3 If you are not wearing cool clothes, people make fun of you.

Source: Billings Middle School

Fact 4 Last year over 60 students were robbed for money, clothes, and
jewelry.

Source: Billings Middle School

Fact 5

Source:

© 2010 Urban Education Exchange. All rights reserved

 CONCEPTS OF COMPREHENSION: FACT AND OPINION 4th GRADE UNIT

Lesson 2: Independent Practice

The Billings Middle School Badger News

Cigarettes Are Drugs!

It must be spring at Billings Middle School, because all four grades are taking a
quarter of Health from Mr. Robinson. The focus of Health this quarter is drug addiction.
Mr. Robinson said, “I try to give students the awful truth about how drugs can affect their
lives. I want them to have all of the information about addiction, so that when they have
to make decisions about whether or not to take drugs, they make the right decision.”
As part of his class, Mr. Robinson gives the students a survey to find out what
they think about drugs and addiction. The results were surprising. Almost 65% of
students did NOT consider cigarettes a drug.
Well, those students are wrong. Dead wrong. According to Webster’s
Dictionary, a drug is “a substance that affects bodily activities, often in a harmful way.”
Tobacco is definitely a substance that affects the body in a harmful way. Here are the
facts:
 Tobacco kills more Americans than AIDS, other drugs, murder, fires, and
car accidents combined.
 Cigarettes will eventually kill one third of the people who use them.
Not only is smoking harmful, tobacco companies are trying to sell cigarettes to
younger people. Students Working Against Tobacco is Oklahoma’s youth movement
aiming to empower young people “to resist and expose big tobacco’s lies while
changing current attitudes about tobacco.” According to information on their website,
tobacco companies are actively looking for younger customers. The following
information helps support this conclusion:
 Tobacco advertisements are often placed at a child’s eye level.
 Over 80 percent of all adult smokers started smoking before they turned
18.
 Tobacco companies make $1.8 billion from under-age sales.
So, now that you have the facts, you can make the healthy decision. DO NOT
SMOKE!

© 2010 Urban Education Exchange. All rights reserved

CONCEPTS OF COMPREHENSION: FACT AND OPINION 4th GRADE UNIT

Lesson 2: Independent Practice

Name: ____________________________________ Date: ______________

Using Facts to Support Opinions

Directions: Fill in the boxes below using information from the editorial that you were given to
read.
Article: ____________________________________
What is the subject of the
editorial?

What is the author’s opinion?

Facts that
support
the
opinion

Fact 1

Source:
Fact 2

Source:
Fact 3

Source:
Fact 4

Source:
Fact 5

Source:

© 2010 Urban Education Exchange. All rights reserved

CONCEPTS OF COMPREHENSION: FACT AND OPINION 4th GRADE UNIT

Lesson 2: Direct Teaching

Jeremy Adams
3 Avon Court
Avon, MA 91234

Avon Daily News

Letter to the Editor
1 News Street
Avon, MA 91234

May 22, 2007

Dear Editor:
I am writing in response to the article about a new curfew for kids under 18 that
will be going into effect next Tuesday. The article was based on the opinions of adults,
and I think that these adults should listen to what kids have to say about this important
issue.
According to the article, the city council wants to have a curfew because they feel
it will make the city of Avon a safer place to live. They say that when kids are in their
own houses after dark there will be less crime, and that the city will be cleaner because
kids will not be able to vandalize walls and sidewalks.
I do not believe that having a curfew for kids under 18 will make the town of Avon
safer or cleaner. I have done some research about crime and vandalism in Avon by
reading the city council reports on crime for the past year. This is what I found out:
• Almost 98% of all crime committed in Avon in the past year was committed by
people over the age of 18.
• Avon has the lowest vandalism rate in the state. Last year there were only
two acts of vandalism, one of which was committed by someone over the age
of 18.
It is very unfair to punish all kids for the acts of a few irresponsible kids. The facts
clearly show that a curfew would not affect crime or vandalism statistics in Avon. I hope
that the editor of this newspaper will conduct his own investigation, and help put a stop
to the kids’ curfew in Avon.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Adams
Avon citizen and kid

© 2010 Urban Education Exchange. All rights reserved

 CONCEPTS OF COMPREHENSION: FACT AND OPINION 4th GRADE UNIT

Lesson 2: Guided Practice

The Billings Middle School Badger News

Are School Uniforms Really That Bad?

Last Tuesday night, at the first Parent–Teacher Association meeting of the new
school year, parents and teachers discussed whether or not Billings students should
begin wearing school uniforms. Most students who heard about the discussion were
completely against the idea. Melanie Roberts, an eighth grader at Billings Middle
School, said, “Uniforms are so gross. Why would anyone want to look the same as
everyone else?” This seemed to be the general feeling among most students.
But this writer thinks that the school uniform issue should be seriously
considered. In my opinion, school uniforms are NOT that bad, and have some benefits
that students should consider before making up their minds to be against them.
Ms. Roberts stated that she felt that uniforms made everyone look the same. Is
that really so bad? Obviously, we don’t all want to look alike in every way. But maybe if
we all had to wear the same thing, we wouldn’t focus so much on having the coolest
jeans, or the hottest sneakers. According to an article in The New York Times, students
our age spend about $50 a week on clothes and accessories. That is a lot of money!
What if you don’t have that kind of money to spend on clothes? Unfortunately, at our
school, if you are not wearing cool clothes, people make fun of you. Nobody likes to be
made fun of, so students take matters into their own hands. Last year at Billings Middle
School, over 60 students were robbed. Money, clothes, and jewelry were all taken from
lockers and book bags.
If everyone had to wear uniforms, students would not feel such pressure to keep
up with the latest styles. Also, students could express their individuality in different
ways, like hairdos and by just being more outgoing.
I urge parents, teachers and students at Billings Middle School to really think
about school uniforms — they are not as bad as you think!

© 2010 Urban Education Exchange. All rights reserved