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Lesson 4: Opinion & Analysis

Lesson Plan

Opinions can be cleverly disguised as news. Can you tell the difference? After completing this lesson, hopefully so! Students learn how to distinguish news from opinion and how to determine if an opinion has merit. The lesson introduces students to several different kinds of opinion writers and offers tips for investigating an author's background. Through a web activity and hands-on internet investigation, students get up close and personal with news-related opinions and the journalism standards that make news commentary and analysis worthwhile.

Web Activity Link: https://www.icivics.org/node/2537322 (To assign, go here.)

Got a 1:1 classroom? Download fillable PDF versions of this lesson's materials below!

This resource was created with support from The Leonore Annenberg Institute for Civics of the Annenberg Public Policy Center.

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Opinion & Analysis - Opinion vs. News - Types of Opinions
Opinion & Analysis - Opinion vs. News - Types of Opinion Writers
Opinion & Analysis - Opinion vs. News - Web Activity

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