Fact v.s OpinionObjective v.s. Subjective

Understanding the Difference

What is Reliability & Validity?

Reliability – is the text dependable?

Validity – Is it correct?

On the Test…On the FCAT, you will be asked questions

about the validity and reliability of an author’s claims in a passage.

For instance, what makes a particular author qualified to write about a subject? Or what does the author use to support the main points of the essay? (For example, does the author use personal opinions, common knowledge, or expert opinions?)

To answer these questions, it is best to understand where the source of information is coming from.

Primary SourcesPrimary sources are written by people

who witnessed or participated in an event

Memoirs

Interviews

Letters

Diaries

Autobiographies

Secondary SourcesSecondary sources are one step removed from

the actual event - the information is second hand knowledge. The author has read primary sources and evaluates or analyzes the event.

Text books

Histories

Articles

Encyclopedias

Biographies

Fact versus Opinion

Fact: something known to be true; something that can be shown to be true, to have existed, or to have happened.

Opinion: a view or judgment formed in the mind about a particular issue

Identify whether each of the following statements are facts or opinions.

1. Lexington is a boring city.

2. People with blonde hair and blue eyes are the most beautiful people in the world.

3. Racism is a problem in America.

4. Young people are less experienced and knowledgeable than older people.

5. Hip-hop videos are insulting to women.

Let’s Practice!!Let’s create a two column Fact and Opinion

Column Note chart to identify the differences between facts & opinions.

Take a sheet of paper and fold it in half “hot dog” style – long way

In the column on the left write Facts and in the column on the right write Opinions. Your chart should look like the model on the board.

Objective verses Subjective

Objective: a point of view that is not influenced by personal feelings or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased

Subjective: a point of view that is based on a person’s own moods, attitudes, and opinions

Bias: a point of view or interpretation that is slated or inspired with prejudice and personal feelings.

How do you know if a statement is objective?

Objective is...

ObservableFactualDescribableCountableTruthful

Examples:There are 32

desks in this room.

The forecast says there is a 30% chance of snow.

Hitler was a German leader.

How do you know if a statement is subjective.?

Subjective is...OpinionJudgmentAssumptionBeliefRumorSuspicionSubjectivity implies polarity and may emphasize one extreme or the other

(good or bad, best or worst)

Some SUBJECTIVE WORDS TO LOOK FOR:

famous, notable, great, etc;

any reference to size: large, small, tall, short, etc;

or distance: near, far, etc;

character traits: beautiful, evil, friendly, greedy, honest, intelligent, old, popular, ugly, young, etc

Key Words

Some SUBJECTIVE WORDS TO LOOK FOR:famous, notable, great, etc; any reference to size: large, small,

tall, short, etc; or distance: near, far, etc; character trait: beautiful, evil,

friendly, greedy, honest, intelligent, old, popular, ugly, young, etc

Look for the 3 “R’s”Reliable – Have you heard of the author? Has

your teacher mentioned the author? What are the author’s credentials? Is the author biased or objective?

Recent – When was the book/article published? Has it been updated or revised? Current events need to be up to date. Periodicals usually provide the most recent information.

Relevant – Does the book have material you can use? Does it support your research? Is it related to your topic or is it just interesting data?

Now you know. Now what?Once you have identified the facts and

opinions and the objective and subjective statements, what do you do now?

You practice a very important skill: identify the reliability and validity of an argument presented to you by the author.

In the piece we’re going to read, you should locate objective and subjective statements made by the author (the writer of the article).