Write sentences on small slips of paper, each a sentence that is either a fact or an opinion. Fold each piece of paper and pass them out to your students, one piece of paper to each. Draw two columns on the board, one marked "fact" and the other, "opinion." Divide your students into two groups. Instruct your students, one at a time, to walk to the board and write their sentence on the board, in the correct column. Give your students two points for every sentence that they correctly identify. Then give the other team a chance to earn one point by answering whether the sentence is written on the right side.
Prepare a set of questions, with each question asking for a response that is either a fact or an opinion. For instance, you may ask "Which flavor ice cream is the best" and "What is the room number for this class?" Instruct your students to take out a piece of paper. Ask them your questions and instruct them to write the answers on their paper. When they have finished, ask a few to answer one of the opinion questions. After you have a few different answers, ask your class which answer is correct. Show them how there is no right answer for opinions. Then ask a few of them to answer one of your fact questions. Again, ask your class which answer is correct. If there is some disagreement, show your class that you can check facts to determine if they are correct.
You can teach your students the difference between fact and opinion by letting them write some of their own. Prepare a few items for your class, including pieces of gum, cookies or a pizza. Instruct your students to take out a piece of paper and make two columns on it while you pass out their treat. Instruct them to write three facts about the treat and three opinions. You can demonstrate by saying, "My fact is that the pizza is round and my opinion is that it is too warm to eat." Encourage them to have fun with the exercise.
Your science lesson is an excellent way for you to extend your lesson about fact and opinion. Prepare an experiment for your class. Instruct them to make a series of observations about the subject of your experiment. For instance, you can use a simple baking soda and vinegar combination experiment, asking your students to make observations such as the color of each substance before they mix them, the texture of each and the reaction that they see when you combine the ingredients. Instruct your students to write down their observations. After the experiment, ask your class to write down their opinions about the experiment.