Fact vs. Opinion

Overview

In this 60-minute lesson, Year 4 students will learn to distinguish between facts and opinions using statements related to refugees, fostering critical thinking and empathy. This lesson is part of the "Journeys of Refugees" unit and connects to the English national curriculum Reading and Writing content domains, specifically developing pupils’ comprehension, reasoning, and effective expression.

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National Curriculum Links

English Programme of Study: Reading - Comprehension (Years 3 and 4)

• Retrieve and record information from non-fiction texts.
• Developing positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read by: summarising main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph, identifying how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning.

English Programme of Study: Writing - Composition (Years 3 and 4)

• Plan their writing by discussing and recording ideas.
• Evaluate and edit by assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggesting improvements.

Speaking and Listening (Years 3 and 4)

• Articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions.
• Consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to:

• LO1: Define and distinguish between fact and opinion.
• LO2: Identify factual and opinion statements related to refugees with accuracy.
• LO3: Justify why a statement is factual or an opinion using evidence or reasoning.
• LO4: Appreciate the value of understanding different perspectives with respect to refugees’ journeys.

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Success Criteria

Pupils can:
✓ Correctly label statements as ‘fact’ or ‘opinion’.
✓ Explain their reasoning clearly in writing and orally.
✓ Demonstrate respectful listening and consider others’ viewpoints during discussions.

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Resources

• Whiteboard/interactive board
• Fact vs. Opinion sorting cards (17 sets — one per pupil) with statements about refugees (mixed facts and opinions)
• Worksheets for recording their choices and reasoning
• “Journeys of Refugees” book extracts or age-appropriate text snippets
• Sticky notes or coloured dots (two colours) for quick assessments
• Visual aid: Fact and Opinion definition posters

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

• Starter activity: Ask pupils to shout out examples of things they know for certain (facts) and things people might feel or believe (opinions). Write examples on the board in two columns without labels.
• Discussion: Reveal the labels and define:
  • Fact: Something that can be proven to be true or false.
  • Opinion: A personal view, belief, or feeling that cannot be proved.
• Link to the unit theme: Explain that when learning about refugees, it is important to understand what is definitely true and what people feel or think about their journeys.

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2. Guided Practice (15 minutes)

• Hand out the sorting cards to pairs or small groups. Each card has a statement about refugees (e.g., “Many refugees have to leave their homes quickly” (fact) / “Refugees are always unhappy” (opinion)).
• Task: Pupils discuss and decide whether each card is fact or opinion, justifying their views aloud.
• Circulate, prompting deeper thinking by asking: “How do you know this is a fact?”, “What words make this an opinion?”, or “Could someone else disagree with this statement?”
• Groups place cards in two labelled envelopes or boxes: “Fact” and “Opinion”.

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3. Independent Application (20 minutes)

• Give each pupil a worksheet with 8 new statements related to refugees, a mixture of facts and opinions.
• Pupils must:
  a) Tick fact or opinion for each statement.
  b) Write one sentence justifying their choice.
• Encourage pupils to use clues like dates, statistics, or feelings language (“I think”, “believe”, “should”) to decide.

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4. Plenary and Reflection (10 minutes)

• Invite a few pupils to share examples of facts and opinions they found and explain their reasoning.
• Discuss: Why is it important to know the difference, especially when learning about sensitive topics like refugees?
• Conclude with a class vote using coloured sticky dots: “Do you feel more confident telling fact from opinion now?”
• Link back to the wider unit: Understanding facts helps us learn real stories; opinions help us understand people’s feelings.

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5. Assessment & Feedback

• Formative assessment through observation during pair/group discussions.
• Review worksheets for correct classification and quality of reasoning.
• Use plenary contributions to check oral articulation of understanding.
• Provide written or verbal feedback to individuals or groups focusing on explaining reasoning and respectful listening.

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Differentiation

• For SEND pupils: Provide pre-sorted cards as a matching activity; use sentence starters on worksheets (e.g., “I think this is a fact because…”).
• For rapid graspers: Challenge with a ‘grey area’ statement that blends opinion and fact for discussion.
• For EAL learners: Use visual symbols for fact (e.g., check mark) and opinion (e.g., speech bubble) on cards; scaffold vocabulary.

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Extension Idea

Create a mini-debate where pupils must defend a given opinion statement respectfully, citing facts to support or counter it, fostering empathy and argument skills.

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Reflection for Teacher

• Note pupil confidence in differentiating fact from opinion.
• Evaluate how well pupils connected this skill to real-world refugee issues.
• Plan to reinforce these skills regularly across units and subjects to deepen critical literacy.

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This detailed lesson plan ensures children not only learn literacy skills of distinguishing fact and opinion but also apply these to empathetic understanding of refugees' journeys, directly adhering to and enriching the National Curriculum mandates for Year 4 English.