A. Literacy Connections and Applications / C. Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts · Understanding and Responding to TextsPerspectives and Bias: Spotting It, Explaining It, Avoiding It
C3.5 C3.8 A1.1About 45 minutes
Learning goals- I can explain explicit and implicit perspectives in different texts, including narratives.
- I can identify evidence of bias, such as loaded words, missing voices and one-sided facts.
- I can suggest ways to avoid bias when I write or present.
- I can compare the critical thinking skills I used and explain which ones helped me most.
Words to know
perspective
A point of view or way of seeing an issue, shaped by a person's experiences, culture and interests.
explicit perspective
A view that is stated directly.
implicit perspective
A view that is suggested through word choice, what is included or left out, and whose voices are heard.
bias
Unfairly favouring one side or group, or leaving others out.
loaded words
Words with strong positive or negative feelings that push the reader to agree.
omission
Something important that is left out.
critical thinking
Carefully questioning and evaluating ideas instead of simply accepting them.
Remember from Grade 5
In Grade 5 you found explicit and implicit perspectives, spotted evidence of bias (loaded words, missing facts, unsourced numbers), explained how bias could influence an audience, and named the critical thinking skills you used.
In Grade 6 you'll find bias in stories and history texts too, and you'll learn to suggest ways to avoid it.
Hook: An empty land?
Read this sentence, written for this website in the style of some old textbooks:
In the 1600s, brave French explorers paddled into an empty wilderness that no one had ever seen.
It sounds exciting. But is it true? Who was already there?
Worked exampleLet's find the implicit perspective and bias in a narrative
What perspective does the hook sentence show? What is the evidence of bias?
- Whose perspective? The explorers'. They are the only people mentioned, and they're called brave, a loaded positive word.
- empty wilderness and no one had ever seen: these suggest no people lived there.
- Check the facts: First Nations peoples had lived on these lands for thousands of years. For example, the Wendat and Anishinaabe peoples lived in the area around Georgian Bay, with villages, farms, trade routes and their own names for the lakes and rivers.
- Evidence of bias: loaded words (brave, wilderness), omission (First Nations peoples are left out), and a one-sided perspective (only the explorers' view).
The sentence shows only the explorers' perspective. It's biased because it uses loaded words and leaves out the First Nations peoples who already lived there, which gives readers a false picture.
Bias marked up in the old-textbook sentence. The worst problem is what's missing: the people who already lived there.How to avoid bias
Here's how a writer could fix the hook sentence:
In the 1600s, French explorers travelled by canoe into lands where the Wendat, Anishinaabe and other First Nations peoples had lived for thousands of years. First Nations guides showed them the rivers and trade routes.
Ways to avoid bias:
- Include all the people involved, especially those affected.
- Use neutral, accurate words instead of loaded ones.
- Give facts from more than one side, and say where they came from.
- Ask people with lived experience, and let them speak for themselves.
- Check your own assumptions: What do I think I know, and how do I know it?
Perspectives in a modern issue
Read these two short texts about a proposal to ban phones at Maple Ridge Public School. Both were written for this website.
Text 1: from a student newsletter column
The phone ban is a total disaster for students. Teachers want to control every second of our day. Everyone I talked to hates it. Phones help us stay safe and organized, and we deserve to be trusted!
Text 2: from the school council's information sheet
The school council is considering a rule that students keep phones in their lockers during class. Some teachers report that phones distract students. Some parents want to be able to reach their children in an emergency; the office phone would be available for that. Many students say phones help them check schedules. The council will hold a meeting next Tuesday where students, parents and staff can share their views.
Worked exampleLet's compare the perspectives and find bias
Compare Text 1 and Text 2. What perspective does each show, and where is the evidence of bias?
- Text 1, explicit perspective: the ban is bad (a total disaster).
- Text 1, evidence of bias: loaded words (total disaster, control); a generalization (Everyone I talked to hates it, but who did they talk to?); no teacher or parent views; no facts with sources.
- Text 2, perspective: balanced; it doesn't take a side. It includes teachers, parents and students, uses neutral words (considering, report), and invites everyone to the meeting.
- Could Text 2 still be missing something? It doesn't include, for example, students who use phones for accessibility (like a reading app or a medical monitor). Asking whose voice is missing is still important.
Text 1 is one-sided, with loaded words and a generalization. Text 2 is more balanced, with several voices and neutral words, though it could add missing voices. A columnist is allowed to give an opinion, but readers should know it's one perspective.
Count the voices. Text 1 includes only students (and not all of them); Text 2 lets teachers, parents and students all be heard.Comparing critical thinking skills
In this lesson you used several critical thinking skills:
- Questioning the source: Who wrote this? Why?
- Fact-checking: Was the land really empty?
- Detecting loaded words and generalizations.
- Asking whose voice is missing.
- Comparing texts on the same topic.
- Checking my own assumptions.
Which helped most? For the explorer sentence, fact-checking and asking whose voice is missing were the most powerful, because the bias was hidden in what was left out. For the phone ban texts, detecting loaded words and comparing texts worked best, because the bias was in word choice. Different texts need different skills!
Just for funMy cat's review of our house: ★★★★★ for the sunny window. ★☆☆☆☆ for bath time.
Talk about a one-sided perspective!
Bias isn't always on purpose
Sometimes writers are biased because they didn't know or didn't think about other perspectives. That's why checking your own writing matters. Ask: Who might read this and feel left out or misrepresented?
Hands-on activityBias detective and a fair rewrite
You need: a few ads, flyers or kids' news articles (a grown-up can help choose), paper, two colours of pencil.
- Read one text. In one colour, underline loaded words. In another, write in the margin any voices that are missing.
- Write the text's explicit or implicit perspective in one sentence.
- Rewrite one paragraph to make it less biased: neutral words, more than one voice, facts with sources.
- Rank the critical thinking skills from this lesson from most to least helpful for that text, and explain your top choice to a family member.
Your turn
1What loaded words are in the hook sentence about explorers?
brave and wilderness (also empty).
2What important information is omitted from the hook sentence?
That First Nations peoples (such as the Wendat and Anishinaabe) had already lived on these lands for thousands of years.
3What is the explicit perspective of Text 1?
The phone ban is bad: a total disaster for students.
4Find a generalization in Text 1. Why is it weak evidence?
Everyone I talked to hates it. We don't know who or how many people they talked to; it might be only their friends.
5Name two features that make Text 2 more balanced.
Any two: it includes teachers, parents and students; uses neutral words; gives reasons from several sides; invites everyone to share views.
6Suggest two ways to avoid bias when writing about an issue.
Any two: include all affected people; use neutral, accurate words; give facts from more than one side with sources; ask people with lived experience; check your own assumptions.
7Which critical thinking skill helped most with the explorer sentence? Why?
Fact-checking / asking whose voice is missing, because the bias was in what was left out, not just in the words.
More practice: warm-up
Unfairly favouring one side or group, or leaving others out.
2Is disaster a loaded word or a neutral word?
Something important that is left out.
Suggested, not stated directly.
5Who will be able to share views at the council meeting?
Students, parents and staff.
More practice: on your own
1Rewrite with neutral words: The greedy developers want to bulldoze our beautiful park.
Example: A development company has proposed building on part of the park.
2Whose voice might be missing from Text 2, and why does it matter?
Example: students who use phones for accessibility or medical reasons. Their needs might change the rule (for example, allowing exceptions).
3Can a text with an opinion still be fair? Explain.
Yes. It can give an opinion while using accurate facts, respectful words, and acknowledging other views. Bias is about being unfair, not just having an opinion.
4Why is it important to fix biased history sentences like the explorer example?
They give a false picture of the past, erase First Nations peoples, and can lead readers to believe stereotypes.
5How can you check your own writing for bias?
Reread it and ask: Did I include all the people affected? Are my words neutral and accurate? Do I have facts from more than one side? Who might feel left out?
Challenge
1Write a short, balanced paragraph (4 sentences) about the phone ban that includes at least three perspectives.
Example: Maple Ridge is considering keeping phones in lockers during class. Some teachers say phones distract students. Some students say phones help them stay organized, and some need them for accessibility. Parents want a way to reach their children in emergencies, which the office phone could provide. (Look for three perspectives and neutral words.)
2A history book says Settlers turned the empty land into farms. Explain the bias and rewrite the sentence.
Bias: empty omits the First Nations peoples who lived there and used the land; it shows only the settlers' perspective. Rewrite: Settlers cleared land for farms in territories where First Nations peoples already lived, hunted and grew crops.
3Compare two critical thinking skills from this lesson. Which helps more when a text uses only neutral words but still leaves people out? Why?
Asking whose voice is missing helps more than detecting loaded words here, because neutral words can hide bias that comes from omission. You need to notice who isn't there.
Quiz
1. Brave explorers discovered an empty wilderness shows bias mainly by...
3. Which is a good way to avoid bias?
4. Everyone I talked to hates it is weak evidence because...
5. An implicit perspective is shown through...
6. Which critical thinking skill best uncovers bias hidden in what's left out?
What this lesson teaches: Grade 6 students explain explicit and implicit perspectives in texts, including narratives, identify evidence of bias, and suggest ways to avoid bias (C3.5). They compare critical thinking skills and explain which best supported their understanding (C3.8), using transferable skills such as critical thinking (A1.1).
How to help at home:
- When you see a news story, ad or online post, ask: "Whose perspective is this? Who's missing?"
- Look at older books together and talk about how some describe First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples or other groups unfairly.
- Model checking your own assumptions out loud.
Common difficulties:
- Thinking any opinion is bias. Bias is about unfairness (loaded words, omission, one-sidedness).
- Missing bias by omission, which is harder to see than loaded words.
Facts used: The Wendat (Huron-Wendat) and Anishinaabe peoples lived in the Georgian Bay region when French explorers arrived in the early 1600s, and First Nations peoples had lived on these lands for thousands of years. Both Maple Ridge texts were written for this site.