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Grade 6 · English Language Arts · Unit 6 of 10

Sources & Bias

Facts, opinions and reliable sources

What your child practises

Separating fact from opinion, judging whether a source is reliable, spotting loaded words and one-sided reporting, and asking who made a message and why.

BC Curriculum learning standard: Accessing information from a variety of sources and evaluating its relevance, accuracy and reliability; fact, opinion and bias in media

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Sort each statement: fact or opinion?

    Sort into: 🔎 Fact · 💭 Opinion

    • 📝Canada has three territories.
    • 📝Pizza tastes better cold.
    • 📝Homework is a waste of time.
    • 📝Reading is the best way to relax.
    • 📝The Moon orbits Earth.
    • 📝Bees make honey from nectar.
    Show answer

    🔎 Fact: Canada has three territories., The Moon orbits Earth., Bees make honey from nectar. · 💭 Opinion: Pizza tastes better cold., Homework is a waste of time., Reading is the best way to relax.

    Hint: Ask: could I prove this by measuring, counting or checking a reliable source? If yes, it's a fact.

  2. Question 2

    A website praising a juice's health benefits is run by the company that sells the juice. What should a careful reader keep in mind?

    • Health websites can't be biased.
    • The company may be biased because it wants to sell more juice.
    • The site must be reliable because it has lots of information.
    • Companies always tell the whole story.
    Show answer

    The company may be biased because it wants to sell more juice.

    Hint: Ask: who made this, and what do they gain if I believe it?

  3. Question 3

    Which statement is an opinion?

    • Our class has 27 students.
    • The library opens at 9:00 a.m.
    • Maple syrup is made from tree sap.
    • Soccer is the most exciting sport.
    Show answer

    Soccer is the most exciting sport.

    Hint: An opinion tells what someone thinks or feels and can't be proven. Watch for words like best, better, too or should.

  4. Question 4

    Which headline is the most neutral (least biased)?

    • Noisy Skaters Get Their Way Again
    • Council Wastes Money on Pointless Skate Park
    • Amazing Council Gives Kids the Best Gift Ever
    • Council Votes 5–4 to Build New Skate Park
    Show answer

    Council Votes 5–4 to Build New Skate Park

    Hint: A neutral headline reports what happened without words that show the writer's feelings.

  5. Question 5

    You read a surprising claim online. What is the best next step?

    • Check whether several reliable sources say the same thing.
    • Believe it if the post has lots of likes.
    • Share it right away so your friends know.
    • Assume it's true because it's in a headline.
    Show answer

    Check whether several reliable sources say the same thing.

    Hint: Likes and headlines don't make something true. Cross-check it.

  6. Question 6

    Which detail makes a website more trustworthy for a research project?

    • It names its authors and their expertise and lists its sources.
    • It appears first in the search results.
    • It has lots of bright pictures.
    • It uses many exclamation marks.
    Show answer

    It names its authors and their expertise and lists its sources.

    Hint: Trustworthy sources tell you who wrote them and where their information came from.

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