When Sources Disagree
Aligned to RI.8.9 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
Two texts on the same topic can conflict. Pinpoint whether they disagree on a matter of fact, which can be checked, or on interpretation, which is a judgment about what the facts mean.
Worked examples
Example 1
Two reports on a lake give different fish counts, a factual dispute, while one calls the lake 'recovering' and the other 'still troubled,' an interpretive disagreement.
Example 2
Two studies counting the same fish can differ because they counted in different months. That is a methods dispute, not a factual one.
Example 3
When sources conflict, say so in your writing. 'Estimates range from 400 to 900' is more honest, and more useful, than picking one.
Practice questions
- Find one fact two texts report differently.
- Identify a point where the texts interpret the same fact in opposite ways.
- Explain how you would check which factual claim is correct.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Cuando las Fuentes No Coinciden
Dos textos sobre un mismo tema pueden contradecirse. Determina si difieren en un hecho, que puede comprobarse, o en la interpretación, que es un juicio sobre lo que significan los hechos.
Ejemplo 1: Dos informes sobre un lago dan cifras distintas de peces, una disputa de hechos, mientras uno lo llama 'en recuperación' y el otro 'aún en problemas,' un desacuerdo de interpretación.
Ejemplo 2: Dos estudios que cuentan los mismos peces pueden diferir porque contaron en meses distintos. Eso es una disputa de método, no de hechos.
Ejemplo 3: Cuando las fuentes se contradicen, dilo en tu escrito. 'Las estimaciones van de 400 a 900' es más honesto, y más útil, que escoger una.
More Reading: Informational lessons
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