Cranky Uncle

Quiz-style game reinforces basic ways to battle misinformation

Learning rating

Community rating

Based on 4 reviews

Privacy rating

Not yet rated
Expert evaluation by Common Sense

Grades

6–12
Price: Free
Platforms: Chrome, iPad, iPhone, Mac, Android, iPod Touch, Windows

Pros: Students can jump into the material quickly; questions are challenging enough to practice definitions.

Cons: Questions can create a repetitive experience and lack context; terms aren't centrally defined; answers don’t include sources.

Bottom Line: The repetitive style of quizzing in this game is effective for drilling terms but lacks variety in approach.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Cranky Uncle is a quiz-style game that can be introduced to hone in on real-world examples of denial methods to combat misinformation. The app is centered around five denial methods: fake experts, impossible expectations, logical fallacies, cherry picking, and conspiracy theories. As students select correct answers, they're given a brief explanation with the reason the answer is correct, and they're given cranky points. As they collect more cranky points, they can progress to a new level in the game. Because of the political nature of many of the questions, it could be more well-rounded with sources or additional context after correct answers. As with any game of this genre, it is important to use your own discretion to analyze the simplified responses.

One way to integrate Cranky Uncle in the classroom would be to have students input a group code to take the quiz together. Another idea would be for the teacher to play while sharing their screen and pausing to ask the students to discuss each response. Students could also write quiz questions for the game based on the different denial methods and then test each other. They could also earn a percentage of their grade by emailing or uploading a screenshot of the progress screen.

Learning Rating

Overall Rating
Engagement

Racking up points for correct answers can be fun for students, but the repetitive style and surface-level questions might be off-putting for those looking for a narrative experience.
 

Pedagogy

Traditional quiz style with a bit of explanation can help students to notice patterns of fact manipulation.

Support

Offers a teacher's guide and activity ideas. Currently in English, Dutch, German, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Common Sense reviewer
Bianca DeJesus
Bianca DeJesus Editor, Learning Content

Community Rating

Helpful tool to help students to distinguish the fake facts on the internet

This app is an excellent tool for students. They can learn knowledge while having fun. I like that the website is separated into five parts, each showing one denial method. Cranky Uncle will explain each technique after doing quizzes. I am unsure whether the content is enough for students, but the app is excellent overall.

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Privacy Rating

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