Catherine HolthausEdTech 541Week 13

Background:

Content Area: Language ArtsTitle: Fact or Opinion, You DecideGrade Level: 4th

Pre-Planning:

Big Idea(s):

Authors of persuasive articles, based on either fact or opinion, make an argument based on a particular position on an issue important to them.

Essential Questions:

How can you choose the most interesting issue for a persuasive article? How can you hook the reader? Why is it important to thoughtfully share our opinions?

Objectives:

Students will be able to:

o Identify the difference between fact and opiniono Select an appropriate grade-level subject or issue that is

controversialo Draft a persuasive article on an issue of importance to them and

publish it on the classroom blog o State their thoughts, feelings, and/or ideas about the subject or

issueo Organize the essay in a way that leads the reader to agree with the

writer’s positiono Publish a podcast based on an opinion essay they have written

Summative Assessment:

Students will draft and publish a fact or opinion essay using the skills acquired from this activity. Working in small groups, students will select one of the essays to create a podcast to be published on the classroom blog. Assessment will be based on the following rubric.

Lesson Opening:

Lesson Opening:

Who doesn’t enjoy a Garfield cartoon strip? Professor Garfield brings a lighthearted introduction to students learning about fact or opinion. The Virginia Department of Education and the Professor Garfield Foundation developed Professor Garfield’s Infinite Learning App. Additional information about Professor Garfield’s Infinite Learning Apps may be found at http://infinitelearninglag.org/mobile.

Students will read the cartoon featuring Garfield to learn the difference between fact and opinion. After reading the cartoon, students will participate in a drop and drag activity using the information they just read about.

Lesson Body:

Explanation:

Learning how to write an opinion takes guidance and practice. Writing An Opinion provides a graphic organizer, taking the writer from the introduction, to the arguments, and ending with the conclusion. Each of these components offers the writer guidance on what components should be included within the paragraph. Once the student has completed the organizer and selected the finished tab, they will have completed a three-paragraph opinion essay.

Students will select an issue important to them and using the Writing An Opinion app, write an essay using the graphic organizer. This essay will be the basis of the final podcast activity.

Check for Understanding:

Distributed by A Brainy Choice, Inc., Brainy Skills Fact or Opinion is a timed skill and drill app providing the students with additional practice in identifying factual statements or opinion. Immediate feedback is provided as the student’s progress through the various levels.

To review skills in determining whether or not a statement is a fact or an opinion, students will have time to use the Brainy Skills Fact or Opinion app. Not only does this review identifying fact or opinion, but is a reading activity as well drawing on prior knowledge.

Extended Practice:

Fact or Opinion Fun Deck consists of a set of fact or opinion questions students can work through individually or as a team. The feedback provided to students allows them to view which questions were answered correctly and incorrectly. A graph is also available so students can track their progress.

For a final review, students can either work individually or as a team using the Fact or Opinion Fun Deck. This activity can be available at any time when all other work is completed.

Closing:

Lesson Closing:

As a culminating activity, students will create and publish a podcast using GarageBand. Working together in small groups, students will select an important issue to discuss and using the skills learned throughout this lesson, students will write script to be used in a podcast. Students have the option to use the fact or opinion paper previously written using the Writing An Opinion app. The podcast will be posted on the class blog.

Materials: Classroom set of iPads Internet access iPad App for Professor Garfield Fact or Opinion iPad App for Writing an Opinion iPad App for Brainy Skills iPad App for Fact or Opinion Fun Deck iPad App for GarageBand