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Fact or opinion?
Two sides told very different stories about the Boston Massacre in 1770. Students sort what's fact, what's opinion, and what's a reasoned judgment — then apply the same skill to a modern website about the event.
Standards
- CCSS RH.6-8.8 — Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
- ISTE 1.3 Knowledge Constructor — Students evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility, and relevance of information and sources.
Objective
Students will be able to classify statements from historical sources as fact, opinion, or reasoned judgment and justify each classification with evidence from the text.
Materials & setup
- Short excerpts from two accounts: a colonial account (for example, text accompanying Paul Revere's engraving) and Captain Thomas Preston's account.
- A card set of 9 statements drawn from the excerpts.
- A Padlet board with three columns: Fact / Opinion / Reasoned judgment. The free plan limits how many boards you can keep, so reuse one.
- One modern web page about the Boston Massacre for the SIFT practice — see Spotting misinformation.
Lesson sequence
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5 min
Hook: two pictures, one event
Project Revere's famous engraving and read one line from Preston's account. Ask: "Could both of these be telling the truth?"
Tech: Projected primary sources.
Why it helps: A high-resolution image lets students zoom in on details (who is firing, who is fleeing) that a textbook reproduction hides.
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10 min
Define the three categories
Mini-lesson: a fact can be checked; an opinion is a belief or feeling; a reasoned judgment is a conclusion supported by evidence and logic. Model one example of each from the excerpts.
Tech: None needed.
Why it helps: The definitions are the tool students will use for the rest of the lesson — worth teaching directly and clearly.
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15 min
Sort and justify
Groups sort the 9 statements, then post each one in the correct Padlet column with a one-sentence justification. Groups comment on one post from another group that they disagree with.
Tech: Padlet, with the board projected.
Why it helps: Every group's reasoning is visible at once, so disagreements become the discussion — the most valuable part of the lesson.
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15 min
Apply it today: SIFT a website
Pairs examine a modern web page about the event. They investigate the source in a new tab, find other coverage, and identify one fact, one opinion, and one reasoned judgment on the page.
Tech: The SIFT routine and lateral reading in a second tab.
Why it helps: The 1770 skill transfers directly to the websites students read today.
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5 min
Exit ticket
Classify three new statements, and justify one with evidence.
Tech: Optional — a short Form.
Why it helps: Fast to sort into "got it" and "needs another example" for tomorrow.
Differentiation
Support
Provide signal words for each category ("I believe," "the evidence shows") and start with 6 statements instead of 9.
English learners
Offer modernized versions of the 1770 excerpts alongside the originals, plus read-aloud for the sources.
Stretch
Students explain why each account might frame events the way it does, and what the author gained from that framing.
Assessment
- Padlet posts: correct category, with a justification that cites the text.
- SIFT practice: one correct example of each category from the modern source.
- Exit ticket: at least 2 of 3 correct, with an evidence-based justification.
Sources & further reading
- Literacy in History/Social Studies, Grades 6–8 (RH.6-8) — Common Core State Standards.
- ISTE Standards for Students — International Society for Technology in Education.
- SIFT (The Four Moves) — Mike Caulfield, the originator of the SIFT method.