L.N.2 Analyzing and Interpreting Nonfiction
Fact & Opinion and Essential & Nonessential Information
Instructions: After reading the passage, write three examples of facts and three examples of
opinions in the boxes below. In addition, provide key words to show how you know it is a fact or an
opinion. Then, identify one example of essential and one example of nonessential information.
Fact Guidelines: Something that is provable, observable, and/or measurable.
Fact Key Words: Numbers, statistics, documents, eyewitnesses, records, photographs.
Opinion Guidelines: Someone’s personal beliefs or judgments that cannot be proven.
Opinion Key Words: Believe, think, always, good, bad, should, guess, etc.
Facts:
Identify three facts and write the key
words that helped you identify the
statement as fact.
4.
Key words:
5.
Key words:
6.
Key words:
Opinions:
Identify three opinions and write the key
words that helped you identify the
statement as opinion.
1.
Key words:
2.
Key words:
3.
Key words:
Now reread the passage and write an example of essential information (needed to understand the
passage) and an example of nonessential (not needed to understand the passage fully).
Essential: _____________________________
Nonessential: ___________________________
_____________________________________
______________________________________
_____________________________________
______________________________________