This debate provides a great discussion opportunity: Talk to your students about lying. Have any of them experienced a situation where they had to choose whether to lie or tell the truth? What did they choose?
DARYLL COLLINS
Is It Ever OK to Lie?
Students will take a side on an engaging topic while practicing opinion writing.
By Lauren Tarshis
From the October / November 2017 Issue
Learning Objective: Students will take a side on an engaging topic while practicing opinion writing.
Lexiles: 480L, 570L, 790L
Guided Reading Level: L
DRA Level: 20
Featured Skill:
Key Ideas and Details,
Topic:
Social Issues,
Common Core Standards
TEKS Standards
Can’t-Miss Teaching Extras
Getting Honest about Lying
Classic Liars
Your students will love this classic fable of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf." Back then fables were created to teach children a lesson. Ask what lesson this fable is teaching.
Polygraph Failure
Fun Fact: Although lie-detector tests are popular on T.V., many scientists say there really is no way to tell whether or not someone is lying.
What Would You Do?
Share this scenario: You accidentally knock your teacher’s favorite mug off her desk. Nobody saw you do it, but when your teacher sees the broken mug, she asks who did it. What do you do?
More About the Article
Key Skills
Main idea and supporting details, opinion writing
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
1. PREPARING TO READ
Have students preview the text features. Ask:
What is the topic of the debate? (Prompt students to use the debate title and the heading on the chart as clues.)
What are the two opinions people might have about this topic?
2. READING THE DEBATE
Depending on the reading level of your students, read the debate as a class or break the class into groups.
Have students read the debate a second time. Prompt them to highlight evidence supporting each side as they come across it. Using two different colors of highlighters would be useful here.
3. DISCUSSING
As a class or in groups, have students discuss:
Which opinion has the best evidence to support it?
Is one side stronger than the other? Why?
What is your opinion? What evidence helped you form your opinion?
For more advanced readers: Do you think the author has an opinion on this issue? What is your evidence?
4. WRITING
Have students complete the chart in the magazine or our full-page printable chart.
Guide students to write an essay on the debate topic, using the chart they filled out.
5. CHECK COMPREHENSION
Have students complete our comprehension quiz.
Text-to-Speech