THE RIGHT ANGLE PERSPECTIVE

Right Angle PerspectiveRight Angle Perspective (.pdf)

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts."
Daniel Patrick Moynahan

OVERVIEW

Listen to any talk show on television and you will observe people presenting their personal opinions as fact. The Right Angle Perspective is a graphic organizer used to gauge and compare student’s actual knowledge of a subject to their opinions about that subject.

IMPLEMENTING THIS ACTIVITY

  1. Enter a topic onto the blank template.
  2. Make and distribute enough copies for all the students in your classroom.
  3. Explain the directions and expectations of the activity.
    1. Ask students to honestly fill out sections A and B.
    2. Ask students to consider the differences in their answers and respond to section C. Be sure to allow students enough time to respond meaningfully.
  4. Either discuss or collect student responses.

CONTENT AREA APPLICATIONS

Science – Before beginning a lesson on stem cell research, this graphic organizer will help everyone distinguish their personal views from scientific facts and result in a more diplomatic discussion.

English – Prior to reading Huck Finn, this graphic organizer can be used to distinguish between historical fact and personal reactions to discriminatory language and/or situations.

History - This graphic organizer can help students to distinguish between the historical facts of the bombing of Japan and personal opinions about nuclear warfare.

ASSESSING THIS ACTIVITY

As a prior knowledge activity, this organizer serves a tool to gauge how much students already know about a topic. It helps also to assess the social climate of the classroom. The information collected from this activity helps you to make appropriate adjustments to your instructional plan.

REFERENCES

► pubs.usgs.gov/of/1998/of98-805/lessons/chpt8/act4.htm
► wvde.state.wv.us/ose/GraphicOrganizersRightAngle.pdf