In a fourth-grade class, which type of reading skill instruction would most effectively promote evaluative reading comprehension?

The ability to distinguish between fact and opinion in a text is essential for evaluative reading comprehension because it requires students to critically analyze the information presented. This skill goes beyond basic comprehension; it involves assessing the credibility and relevance of the information, leading to a deeper understanding of the text's purpose and message.

When students identify facts, they recognize objective statements that can be verified, while opinions are subjective interpretations that reflect personal beliefs or feelings. By evaluating these elements, fourth graders can develop their critical thinking and analytical skills, allowing them to make inferences, draw conclusions, and engage with the text on a higher level. This is particularly important as they encounter diverse viewpoints in various types of texts.

In contrast, summarizing the main idea focuses primarily on comprehension rather than evaluation. Retrieving information for comprehension questions emphasizes recalling specific details, and applying background knowledge to visualize processes involves understanding but does not necessarily require critical evaluation of information. These activities support reading comprehension but do not engage the learners in the evaluative process as effectively as distinguishing between fact and opinion does.