Politeness or Pretending?

This worksheet is designed for students in Grades 5 and 6 to develop strong informational reading, critical thinking, and written-response skills by examining a real debate about language use. Students read an informational passage that explores whether euphemisms make communication kinder and more respectful-or whether they sometimes hide the truth and cause confusion. Through guided questions and reflection tasks, learners analyze multiple viewpoints and form their own reasoned opinions.

Skills Reinforced

• Informational Text Analysis (Grades 5-6) – Identify central ideas, supporting details, and author perspectives.
• Critical Thinking & Argument Evaluation – Weigh benefits and drawbacks of euphemistic language.
• Written Response & Evidence Use – Support answers with text-based reasoning and examples.
• Language & Communication in Society – Understand how word choice affects honesty, clarity, and social interaction.

Instructional Support

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed by educators to promote thoughtful analysis and discussion.
• Balanced Viewpoint Exploration – Presents both supportive and critical perspectives on euphemisms.
• Higher-Order Thinking Questions – Encourages evaluation, judgment, and opinion formation.
• Integrated Writing Tasks – Includes sentence rewriting and short-response reflection.
• Discussion-Ready – Ideal for whole-class conversation, debate, or small-group work.
• Flexible Use – Suitable for literacy centers, independent practice, assessment, or enrichment.
• No-Prep Format – Print-and-go worksheet for classroom or homeschool settings.

This printable worksheet helps students think deeply about how language choices shape meaning, truth, and relationships. By analyzing arguments about euphemisms and reflecting on when they help or hinder communication, learners strengthen comprehension, reasoning, and expressive writing skills. Whether used in a classroom or homeschool environment, this resource supports nuanced thinking about words, values, and effective communication in society.

This worksheet is part of our Euphemism Worksheets collection.