How was it used?

An activity focusing on fact and opinion as part of a KS2 unit of work in English.

The resource theme was really useful as it featured a ‘moral’ tale that supported the work we were carrying out as part of our PSE / SEAL work.

Using the story introduced in the resource allowed us to approach a sensitive issue without embarrassment to any pupils.

Once work had completed using the resource, I was able to  create additional resources to support understanding using NGfL Cymru thinking skill templates (examples in Teaching Resources).

Impact and Outcomes

This activity gave my class an excellent opportunity to develop some difficult literacy skills.  It was interesting to watch them make comments on the story using their own experiences for support.

The work contributed towards the development of critical thinking skills.

Pupils listened attentively when others were engaged in the activity.  It was pleasing to see how sensitive some children became to the opinions of others, even if they disagreed with them.

This activity gave ample opportunity to use what they had learnt to reflect on situations in the real world.

Learner Feedback

‘I find it hard to work out fact and opinion sometimes but it helped to look at an example with other children in it’

Other Resources

SMART Notebook versions of activities, Fact or Opinion thinking skill activities (found in Teaching Resources)

Lesson Learnt

Before running this activity again, it might be a good idea to make a note of some issues and problems that have arisen around the school and model these as alternative ‘stories’ for children to look (perhaps using same characters!) or even perhaps local area stories from local papers if we were doing a local study.

If I had more time, I would have tried to give the children (in groups) a copy of the ppt template ‘fact or opinion’ (with reduced number of text boxes) and asked them to come up with activities for other classes using school events as a focus.