Facts vs. Opinions, Propaganda, and APA Citations

• Study notes on facts, opinions, opinion-marking signals, persuasive speech, propaganda techniques, primary and secondary sources, modals, APA citations, and graphic organizers

Distinguishing Facts and Opinions

• Facts are statements supported by evidence and are universally true
• They can be tested through experimentation, observation, or research
• Opinions are personal beliefs, feelings, or judgments that others may disagree with
• They are subjective and cannot be proven true or false
• Facts are real information, while opinions are subjective statements
• Facts are universally true, while opinions vary and change over time
• Facts are verified; opinions are debated
• Facts are objective; opinions are based on personal biases
• Facts do not include personal biases, while opinions do

Opinion-Marking Signals

• Opinion-marking signals are words or phrases that show feelings, emotions, and attitudes
• They indicate personal viewpoints, beliefs, or judgments
• These signals help identify opinions and differentiate them from facts
• Value or judgment words like "best," "worst," "amazing," or "terrible" often suggest personal evaluation
• Subjective language, such as "I believe" or "In my opinion," also indicates an opinion
• Opinion-marking signals are often found at the beginning of sentences to introduce an opinion

Persuasive Speech

• Persuasive speech convinces the audience to agree with an opinion
• The speaker aims to have the audience accept their viewpoint
• It is useful in trials, presentations, and debates
• It helps share ideas and motivate others to think or act a certain way
• Persuasion techniques include:
  • Ethos (credibility): Use reliable sources and sound confident to gain trust
  • Pathos (emotion): Connect with the audience using personal stories or emotional language
  • Logos (logic): Use facts, statistics, and logical reasoning to support the argument
• Persuasive speech structure includes:
  • Introduction: State your opinion
  • Body: Give two to three strong reasons with supporting details
  • Conclusion: End with a strong closing statement

Propaganda Techniques

• Propaganda spreads information, facts, arguments, rumors, or lies to influence public opinion
• A propagandist deliberately spreads information to further a cause.
• Propaganda techniques use emotional appeal to influence people's beliefs, behaviors, or actions
• Common propaganda techniques:
  • Name Calling: Links a person or idea to a negative symbol
  • Glittering Generalities: Convinces us to accept things without evidence
  • Transfer: Associates something with positive qualities to make it seem acceptable
  • Testimonial: Uses a public figure or celebrity to promote a product or idea
  • Bandwagon: Convinces us to accept an idea because everyone else is doing it
  • Fear: Warns of disaster if a particular course of action is not followed

Primary and Secondary Sources

• Primary sources are original materials created at the time an event occurs
• They provide raw and first-hand information, demonstrating authenticity
• Secondary sources provide second-hand information
• They are created after primary sources as commentary or analysis
• Secondary sources offer analysis, interpretation, and synthesis of information

Modals

• Modals are auxiliary or helping verbs that aid the meaning of the main verb
• Modals show ability, permission, advice, obligation, and possibility
• They are used with ordinary verbs to change the meaning
• Rules of modal verbs:
  • Cannot be used alone; always accompany a normal verb
  • Followed by the base form of the verb
  • Cannot be conjugated
• Modal verbs include "can," "could," "may," "might," "will," "would," and "must"
• Different kinds of situations include:
  • Ability: Expresses capability to do an action
  • Permission: Expresses approval to do an action
  • Advice: Expresses guidance to do an action
  • Obligation: Expresses commitment or responsibility to do an action
  • Possibility: Expresses ability to do an action

In-Text and Full-Text APA Citations

• APA stands for American Psychological Association and is used for citing sources in academic writing
• In-text citations are brief references within the body of the paper
• They include the author's last name and year of publication : (Author’s Last name, Year)
• Full-text citations give a complete source citation at the end of the paper
• The reference list is arranged alphabetically by the author’s last name
• Basic format: Author’s Last name, First Initial. (Year). Title of work. Publisher.

Graphic Organizers

• A graphic organizer is a visual tool that helps organize information in a structured way
• It makes complex ideas easier to understand by showing relationships between concepts
• Types of graphic organizers:
  • Venn Diagram: Compares and contrasts two or more things with overlapping circles
  • Concept Map: Shows relationships between ideas with a main idea and related concepts
  • Flowchart: Shows steps in a process with arrows to show a sequence
  • KWL Chart: Helps with learning and reflection, outlining what you Know, Want to know, and Learned
  • Cause-and-Effect Chart: Shows how one event leads to another
  • Story Map: Helps analyze parts of a story (characters, setting, conflict, resolution)
  • T-Chart: Organizes two sets of information for comparison with two columns
• Graphic organizers help understand and remember information, making studying and brainstorming easier
• They improve reading comprehension and writing skills