Initially, students need to be able to determine between fact and opinion. Divide the class into small groups and offer a list of different statement sentences that have a mix of fact and opinion. Each group should examine the sentences and agree on whether each is a fact or opinion statement. Afterward, the groups can discuss their choices and compare the correct answers with the teacher. By examining individual sentences, the students can learn the wording structure that many editorials use to differentiate between an author's opinion and hard facts.
Students can also learn how to determine an author's opinion within an editorial by performing a mystery item activity. Have a student describe an item that is unknown to his classmates using facts, such as the item's color. Based on the description, students can determine if the facts were skewed by the person's biases. For example, "red and slimy" as a description of raw liver portrays a negative bias against the item, whereas "red and smooth" conveys a positive outlook.
Teachers can offer controversial subjects for a writing assignment, such as school uniforms. The assignment should be strictly editorial so that some students write about the positive aspects of uniforms and others convey the negative perspective. Assignments should be read out loud and discussed. As a result, students will see the editorial process in action and can apply it to future readings.
Written editorial assignments can be exchanged between students for peer review. Each student should highlight facts and opinions within the assignment. The teacher can verify if each student correctly labeled the individual facts and opinions correctly. This review process can be applied to professional editorials read in class so that students have a good grasp of determining fact from opinion.