Author:
Tracy Rains
Subject:
Reading Informational Text
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Level:
High School
Grade:
9, 10, 11, 12
Tags:
  • Bias
  • Literature
  • Media Literacy
  • Propaganda
  • License:
    Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial
    Language:
    English
    Media Formats:
    Downloadable docs, Interactive, Text/HTML, Video

    “OMG, Have You Seen This?” Determining if an Article is Worth Sharing on Social Media

    “OMG, Have You Seen This?” Determining if an Article is Worth Sharing on Social Media

    Overview

    According to a 2016 study, over 60% of U.S. adults get news from a social networking site.  These numbers are even higher if you focus solely on Millennials.  Millennials are people who reached young adulthood in the early 2000’s.  A 2015 report suggests that 88% of Millennials get their news from Facebook.  This seminar will show you how to sort through the hundreds of posts you read each day to determine what is factual information that is worthy of sharing with your friends.

    Standards

    CC.8.5.9-10.D Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science

    CC.8.5.11-12.H Evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information.

    Engage

    Introductory warm-up activity.

    Take a look at this Facebook post that was frequently shared prior to the Presidential Election in November 2016.  What are your initial thoughts about this post?  At first glance, does it appear like it could be true?  Now, go to a fact-checking website, such as Snopes.com.  In the search bar, type in a few keywords like, “Hillary Clinton Denver Guardian.”  Was this article determined to be true or false?

    Explore

    Explore these resources to learn about bias in social media. You can pick and choose to read, watch, then do the activity  listed.  

    Read

    Watch

    Do

    Each time you log on to one of your social media accounts, you gain access to hundreds of news stories.  Just because a story was shared several thousand times does not make it true.  Read this article by FactCheck.org to help you learn How to Spot Fake News.  After you have read the article, you can refer back to this Infographic for a refresher.

    Fake news can reach more people more quickly because of social media.  Watch this brief video created by FactCheck.org to determine How to Spot Fake News so you aren’t guilty of contributing to the spread of fake news.  For additional resources, check out the following videos:

    First, take a brief quiz to see how well you can Spot the Fake News Story.  

    Now that you know some things to look for when determining if an article is real, see if you can apply it to a real life article.  Use the Politifact: Real or Fake News Guide to determine if the article above is real or fake.

     

    Explain

    Discuss your ideas / opinions / understandings.

     

    It is your moral obligation to know if a news story is true before you share it with others. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?  Why or why not?

    Evaluate

    Now it is time to self check how much you have learned about bias.  If you do not know as much as you thought, go back to the “Explore” section of this seminar and reread, rewatch, or redo the activities listed.  See your facilitator if you have questions.

    Click here to take the quiz online. You do not have to log into the quiz site in order to take this quiz. If a window pops up asking you to sign up for the quiz site, just close the sign-up window and start your quiz.

    Elaborate

    This is a task or project where you can show what you know.

    Directions:

    As a teenager growing up in a digital era, it is important to be “media literate.”  Media literate teens and adults are better able to understand the complex messages we receive from television, radio, internet, newspapers, magazines, books, billboards, video games, music, and all other forms of media.  The articles, videos, and activities in the previous section should have provided you with some guidelines to avoid sharing fake news stories on your social media accounts.  

    For this project, you will do the following:

    • Using your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media account, scroll through your newsfeed until you discover what appears to be a fake news story.  Then, look through your newsfeed for what you believe to be a real news story.   If you do not have a social media account, you may use the following articles: Article 1, Article 2

    • For each article, use this Infographic to determine if the article is real or fake.  For each article, be sure to address all 8 areas presented on the infographic.

    • You will present your findings in one of the following formats:

    Express

    Complete this wrap-up activity where you reflect on your learning.

    Prior to this lesson, do you think you contributed to the spread of fake news?  What will you do differently as a result of this lesson to do your part to stop the spread of fake news?