The First Day We Just Work on Defining the Word. We Also Mention Some Clue Words, Like

Day / Activity
1 / The first day we just work on defining the word. We also mention some clue words, like the previous poster mentioned (best, think, etc.). I create a chart of their definitions.
2 / The next day I give each table group an envelope with slips of paper on it. They have to decide as a group how to sort the slips into facts and opinions. I walk around to find the first group who is able to sort correctly. They "win."
3 / I give each child a card. One side is red and says "opinion," the other is green and says "fact." I read aloud the story George Washington's Mother by Jean Fritz (sp?). When the students hear a fact or opinion, they hold up the card showing me the correct color. I stop at the end of the page and we write the facts and opinions on a large t-chart.
4 / We play the fact and opinion card game I made up about Martin Luther King Jr. I found these fact/ opinion statements from some website. In a group of four, students place all the cards in the center. The first student draws a card and states the number on the card. The student to their right holds the answer key. The student reads aloud their card and tells whether it is a fact or opinion. The student with the answer key checks. If they are right, they keep the card, if they are wrong it goes to the bottom of the pile. They rotate so everyone gets a turn. The students with the most cards "wins."
5 / We use the Scott Foreman reading anthology. I choose one page from the practice workbook and we complete this page together as a group highlighting clue words and choosing the correct multiple choice answer.
6 / I select another page from the practice workbook. It is set up identically to the previous page from yesterday. Students complete this for a grade.