Our brains are great at using past experiences to make quick decisions on the fly, but these shortcuts can also lead to bias. "Confirmation bias" is our brain's tendency to seek out information that confirms things we already think we know. Help your students learn to recognize this when they encounter news online, as a way to examine competing opinions and ideas and to avoid drawing questionable conclusions.
Key Vocabulary: cognitive bias · confirmation bias · mnemonic device Show definitions
Key Standards Supported
Common Core ELA
L.9-10.1,L.9-10.3,L.9-10.4,L.9-10.6,RH.9-10.1,RH.9-10.2,RH.9-10.4,RH.9-10.7,RH.9-10.9,RH.9-10.10,RI.9-10.4,RI.9-10.10,SL.9-10.1,SL.9-10.1a,SL.9-10.1b,SL.9-10.1c,SL.9-10.1d,SL.9-10.2,SL.9-10.3,SL.9-10.4,SL.9-10.6,W.9-10.2,W.9-10.4,W.9-10.8,W.9-10.10,WHST.9-10.4,WHST.9-10.6,WHST.9-10.8,WHST.9-10.10
CASEL
1b,4a,4b,4c,4d,5a,5b,5c
AASL
I.A.2,I.B.1,I.B.3,I.C.1,I.C.4,I.D.1,I.D.2,I.D.3,II.A.1,II.B.1,II.C.1,II.C.2,II.D.1,II.D.2,III.A.1,III.A.2,III.A.3,III.B.1,III.B.2,III.C.2,III.D.1,IV.A.1,IV.A.2,IV.A.3,IV.B.1,IV.B.2,IV.B.4,V.A.1,V.A.2,V.A.3,V.C.3,VI.A.1,VI.D.1
ISTE
1a,1d,2b,2c,3a,3b,3d,4a,4b,6a,6b,7a,7b,7c,7d
Lesson Plan
Consider: Real or Fake?
15 mins.Explore: Biased Brains
15 mins.Create: Challenging Confirmation Bias
15 mins.Additional Resources
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Lesson last updated: August 2019
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