Week 21 · Axis 3, Chapter 3 Origins of Medicine (A) · 3 lessons
2
Fact, fiction or opinion
Discover P3 Term 2: Axis 3, Chapter 3
GoalSort statements into fact, fiction and opinion, and write my own statements about health.
New words
fact · something that can be checked and is truefiction · something made up that is not true in real lifeopinion · what a person thinks or feels, which others may not sharesource · where information comes from
Explanation
When we read or listen, we should ask: is this a fact, fiction or an opinion? A fact can be checked and is true, such as “Soap and water wash dirt from hands.” Fiction is made up and not true in real life, such as “Eating sweets makes you able to fly.” An opinion is what a person thinks or feels, such as “Football is the most fun sport.” Another person may think something different, so an opinion cannot be checked in the same way. For health, we need facts from good sources, such as doctors, nurses and health books. Fiction can be fun in stories, but we must not follow it as advice. We can sort information with a chart. In it we write the source, the advice, and whether it is a fact, fiction or an opinion.
Fact
Fiction
Opinion
Can it be checked?
yes
yes, and it is not true
no
True in real life?
yes
no
it is what someone thinks
Worked examples
Statement
Fact, fiction or opinion?
The heart pumps blood round the body.
fact
A carrot can cure every illness.
fiction
Dates are the tastiest fruit.
opinion
Sleep helps the body rest.
fact
Sorting statements.
My statements about health. Habiba writes: Fact: “I wash my hands before eating.” Fiction: “My toothbrush can fly to school.” Opinion: “Brushing teeth is boring.”
Source
Advice
Fact, fiction or opinion?
grandmother
“warm tea feels nice”
opinion
advert
“cures in one minute”
fiction
doctor
“rest and see me if it lasts”
fact
Sources and treatments. Mina’s chart for a sore throat.
Class activity
Sorting game. Write nine statements on slips of paper: three facts, three fiction and three opinions. Mix them up and sort them with a partner into three piles. For each fact, name a good source where you could check it. Then make a chart with the columns Source, Advice and Fact/Fiction/Opinion for two pieces of health advice you know. Count your piles and draw a bar chart.
Practice
1
Fact, fiction or opinion: “Ice is cold.”
Fact.
2
Fact, fiction or opinion: “Mango is the best fruit.”
Opinion.
3
Fact, fiction or opinion: “Jumping into a puddle makes you grow wings.”
Fiction.
4
Mina sorted 9 statements: 4 facts, 3 opinions and the rest fiction. How many were fiction?
