CurriculumGrade 8English Language Arts

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 example

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.

Practice questions

  1. Find one fact two texts report differently.
  2. Identify a point where the texts interpret the same fact in opposite ways.
  3. 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.

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En 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: 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.

More Reading: Informational lessons

Evaluating Soundness of ReasoningRI.8.8Evidence in NonfictionRI.8.1Central Idea & Objective SummaryRI.8.2Connections & DistinctionsRI.8.3Technical & Connotative WordsRI.8.4How a Paragraph Is BuiltRI.8.5

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