In this one lesson, students are able to evaluate a news report, using their prior knowledge and instints, learn about the CRAAP method of website credibilty evaluation, and practice using the CRAAP method on a variety of websites.
Christopher Columbus is one of the most controversial figures in history. By some, he is viewed as a grand explorer who opened up new areas for European conquest and profit. But by others, he is viewed as a butcher, who brought disease, and who's actions began the destruction of an entire continent's population. This lesson will show you two different views of Columbus so that you can draw your own conclusions about whether we should celebrate Columbus or not.
What does it mean for a source to be credible? Why is it important to use these sources? How can you tell if a source is credible?
Primary sources are the raw materials of history — original documents and objects that were created at the time under study. They are different from secondary sources, accounts that retell, analyze, or interpret events, usually at a distance of time or place.
Bringing young people into close contact with these unique, often profoundly personal documents and objects can give them a sense of what it was like to be alive during a long-past era. Helping students analyze primary sources can also prompt curiosity and improve critical thinking and analysis skills.
Every media source has a story to tell--a driving purpose. The media that people consume largely shapes their world views. The US public is becoming more divided partially due to the consumption of increasingly biased news. As a critical consumer of media, It is important to be able to separate fact from opinion. In this unit, adapted from the high school version, students will become critical consumers of news, by identifying media bias in order to become better informed citizens. NOTE: This unit has been adapted for use at the middle school level from the resource Identifying Media Bias in News Sources by Sandra Stroup, Sally Drendel, Greg Saum, and Heidi Morris.
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Students learn the skill of lateral reading to help identify potential bias in online resources. Students focus their investigation on famous cases involving counterfeiting and fraud - a forensics tie in.