Chapter 9: Evaluating Points of View

1. Chapter 9: Evaluating Points of View Reading 100-710April 16, 2012

2. Tonight • Turn in quizzes. • Discuss Fact, Opinion, Bias

3. Wednesday • Make sure to bring your project research drafts to turn in. • We will be working on identifying fact, opinion and bias in readings. Bring in two articles from the internet, a magazine, or a newspaper -- one should be fact and one opinion.

4. Fact, Opinion, and Bias • A factis an idea that can be verified as being true. • An opinionis an interpreted fact. People can and often do disagree with others’ opinions. • A biasis a preference for a particular viewpoint. Bias can pervade every context, and can be influenced by biology, psychology, and experiences.

5. Facts • Facts can be verified. • Facts are objective – not influenced by personal judgment or feelings. • Facts exist separately from you and outside you. They are independent of you.

6. Sentence Stems that Introduce Facts • According to a study by . . . • The research demonstrated . . . • The results of the test showed . . . • Scientists confirmed . . . • The poll discovered . . .

7. Opinions • Opinions cannot be verified by looking in dictionaries, newspapers or encyclopedias. • Opinions have to do with the subject, as in subjective. • Subjective means based on or influenced by personal beliefs, feelings or tastes. • Opinions are internal – they exist within the person who holds the opinion.

8. Sentence Stems that Introduce Opinions • The defendant claims . . . • The author argues . . . • My point of view is . . . • Police suspect . . . • Many believe . . .

9. Facts and Opinions • Working in groups of two, create one statement of fact and one statement of opinion for each topic on the next slide. • When you are finished, ask another group to decide which statement is fact and which is opinion.

10. Food • Children • Money

11. Words That Can Express Opinion • Adjectives • Qualifiers • Comparatives and Superlatives

12. Adjectives • Adjectives are nouns. • Many of the words that tell you when an opinion is being expressed are adjectives.

13. Adjectives • Not all adjectives point to opinions!! • Sometimes they clarify or summarize facts.

14. Qualifiers • Qualifiers may be used to express an opinion or a fact. • Often they are used to limit the extent of whatever the writer is describing. • Qualifiers can • Tell how often or how many • Modify the meanings of the verbs that follow • Indicate degrees of certainty, permission, and necessity

15. Qualifiers

16. Qualifiers • Some qualifiers are absolute, such as • all, always, never, none, must, have to • Statements that use absolute qualifiers are usually not true, so if you see a statement with a qualifier on a test the statement is almost always false. • The absolute qualifier allis sometimes hidden; it is not in the sentence at all, even though its meaning is.

17. Comparatives and Superlatives • A superlativecompares one thing to all other things of the same kind. • Superlatives usually end with –estor have most before a word, as in most intelligent. • A comparativeis typically used to compare two items: better, greater, stronger, more intelligent.

18. Comparatives and Superlatives • Sometimes comparatives and superlatives are used with facts. • Keep coming back to the question: Can I verify this statement?

19. Working with Comparatives and Superlatives • Choose a partner. • Compose a fact and an opinion about a movie you saw recently. Both statements must use superlatives. • Compose a fact and an opinion about computer software. Both statements must use comparatives.

20. Sources of Opinion on Knee Injuries in Professional Athletes Expert Informed Opinion People on the Street Doctor of Orthopedic Sports Medicine Athlete recovering from knee injury Sports fans

21. Expert Opinion Expert Doctor of Orthopedic Sports Medicine An expert is someone who earns our trust because he or she has gained extensive education and/or experience n a field of study. People are experts only in their own fields.

22. Expert Knowledge • Experts gain knowledge from other experts and from direct study or experience with facts in their field. • Experts are not infallible. Expert Doctor of Orthopedic Sports Medicine

23. Expert Conflicts • Experts can build opposing opinions or interpretations from the same factual information. Expert Doctor of Orthopedic Sports Medicine

24. Informed Opinion • People who are informed have researched or experienced something we have not and are sharing what they have learned. • This category includes media people who gather and relay news to the public. Informed Opinion Athlete recovering from knee injury

25. Informed Knowledge • People who are informed get their knowledge directly from experts, from the media, and/or from personal experience. • Informed opinions are often based on fact mixed with emotional experiences. Informed Opinion Athlete recovering from knee injury

26. Informed Credibility • People who are informed are often credible, but they don’t have he extensive knowledge of an expert. Informed Opinion Athlete recovering from knee injury

27. People on the Street • Ordinary people whose expertise is unknown are referred to as “people on the street.” • These opinions may or may not be based on facts. People on the Street Sports fans

28. Bias for a Viewpoint • A bias is a preference for a particular viewpoint. • When someone expresses an opinion he or she is also expressing a bias. • Both opinions and biases include words that express your values: what is right and wrong.