Fact or Judgment?
A 40-minute Grade 2 lesson on separating fact from judgment inside a real town document.
Fact or Judgment? is a free 40-minute Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies lesson plan for C3 Framework indicator D3.2.K-2 — judge a source by telling fact apart from opinion. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the claim, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Kindergarten to Grade 2
- Length:
- 40 minutes
- Standard:
- D3.2.K-2
Kindergarten to Grade 2 · Evaluating Sources and Using Evidence
D3.2.K-2
Evaluate a source by distinguishing between fact and opinion.
Objective
Students will be able to separate checkable statements from judgments within one document.
Students are successful when they can
- Marks checkable statements.
- Marks judgments.
- Says why the writer included the judgment.
What you need
- Alice's letter and the flood report
- Two colored pencils
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — could we check it?
5 min- Read two lines from Alice's letter.
- Ask which could be checked.
Teach — both, and both useful
13 min- Underline the checkable parts of the letter in one color: the bell at half past five.
- Underline the judgments in another: the noise was very great.
- Ask why Alice included the judgment. It tells us what it felt like, which no record does.
- Say the Grade 2 addition: a judgment in a source is evidence about the writer, and that is valuable.
- Do the same with the flood report's promise.
“We cannot check "very great." It is still the only thing telling us what the mill felt like.”
Guided practice — color a document
12 min- Pairs mark both kinds in two real documents.
- For two judgments they say what it tells us about the writer.
- They find a sentence containing both.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the fact-or-judgment page.
- Read each statement aloud.
Close
2 min- Take one judgment and what it tells us.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Thinks a judgment makes a source unreliable.
Why: Fact sounds better.
Fix: Alice's judgment is the only evidence of the experience. It is reliable about her.
Thinks official documents contain no judgment.
Why: They sound neutral.
Fix: "The council has promised" carries an expectation. Look for it.
Marks whole documents rather than sentences.
Why: It is quicker.
Fix: Both appear within one paragraph. Mark by sentence.
If they are not there yet
- One document rather than two.
- Give the fact and find the judgment.
If they finish early
- Find a judgment dressed as a fact.
- Say what a document with no judgment would lose.
- Rewrite a judgment as a checkable claim.
Exit ticket
From Alice's letter, mark one fact and one judgment. What does the judgment tell us?
What to look for: Both marked plus what the judgment reveals. Calling it unreliable means the evidence-about-the-writer point needs restating.
Printable practice for D3.2.K-2
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Fact or Judgment?Sort each sentence into fact or opinion.
Questions about Fact or Judgment?
How long does the Fact or Judgment? lesson take?
40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which indicator does Fact or Judgment? teach?
D3.2.K-2 — D3.2.K-2, Evaluating Sources and Using Evidence for Kindergarten to Grade 2: “Evaluate a source by distinguishing between fact and opinion.” In plain terms, judge a source by telling fact apart from opinion.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
Alice's letter and the flood report, two colored pencils and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: thinks a judgment makes a source unreliable; thinks official documents contain no judgment and marks whole documents rather than sentences. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “From Alice's letter, mark one fact and one judgment. What does the judgment tell us?.” Both marked plus what the judgment reveals. Calling it unreliable means the evidence-about-the-writer point needs restating. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with Fact or Judgment??
Yes — 1 printable D3.2.K-2 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is Fact or Judgment? free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on September 7, 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to D3.2.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.