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.
NWT 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.
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.
🔎 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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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
Council Votes 5–4 to Build New Skate Park
Hint: A neutral headline reports what happened without words that show the writer's feelings.
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.
Check whether several reliable sources say the same thing.
Hint: Likes and headlines don't make something true. Cross-check it.
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.
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.