The web is full of questionable stuff, from rumors and inaccurate information to outright lies and so-called fake news. So how do we help students weed out the bad and find what's credible? Help students dig into why and how false information ends up online in the first place, and then practice evaluating the credibility of what they're finding online.
Key Vocabulary: bias · corroboration · credible · evaluate Show definitions
Key Standards Supported
Common Core ELA
L.6.1,L.6.2,L.6.2.B,L.6.3,L.6.3.A,L.6.3.B,L.6.4,L.6.6,RI.6.1,RI.6.2,RI.6.4,RI.6.6,RI.6.8,RI.6.10,SL.6.1,SL.6.1a,SL.6.1b,SL.6.1c,SL.6.1d,SL.6.2,SL.6.3,SL.6.4,SL.6.6,W.6.4,W.6.8,W.6.9,W.6.10
CASEL
1a,1b,1c,1d,1e,2f,3a,4a,4b,4c,4d,5a,5b,5c,5d,5e,5f
AASL
I.A.1,I.A.2,I.B.1,I.B.2,I.B.3,I.C.1,I.D.1,I.D.2,I.D.3,I.D.4,II.A.1,II.A.2,II.B.1,II.B.2,II.B.3,II.C.1,II.C.2,II.D.1,II.D.2,II.D.3,III.A.1,III.A.2,III.B.1,III.B.2,III.C.1,III.C.2,III.D.1,III.D.2,IV.B.2,IV.B.3,IV.B.4,IV.C.1,V.A.2,V.A.3,V.C.1,V.C.3,V.D.1,V.D.2,VI.A.1,VI.A.2,VI.A.3,VI.D.1,VI.D.2,VI.D.3
ISTE
2a,2b,3a,3b,3c,3d
Lesson Plan
Warm Up: Tricky Wiki
10 mins.Analyze: News or Fake News?
25 mins.Wrap Up: Fighting Fake
10 mins.
Extension Activity:
Have students apply what they have learned by completing the "News in Social Media" Activity on TestDrive, a social media simulator. Students go through a self-guided activity to reinforce key concepts and practice managing online identities. For more information, download the Social Media TestDrive Educator Guide.
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Lesson last updated: March 2020
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News & Media Literacy