Lesson 5: “Fake News… the Enemy of the People.

Key Words: Troll/Trolling, Clickbait, Satire, Hyperbole, Confirmation Bias, Unaffiliated

Common Core State Standard(s):

● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.8

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search

terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or

paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and

following a standard format for citation.

● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.6

Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author

acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.

● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.5

Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).

● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.8

Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.

● CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.1

Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with

diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and

persuasively.

⠂Sarah Taylor ⠂USofD ⠂Capstone ⠂ 2018 ⠂

 ● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.2

Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g.,

visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial,

political) behind its presentation.

Time Needed: 60 minutes

Materials Needed:
● LCD Projector
● Class Set of Computers with Internet Access
● Classroom Posters:
○ Fake or Real?
○ Breaking News Consumer's Handbooks: Fake News Edition
● Podcast - Breaking News Consumer's Handbook: Fake News Edition
● Podcast Activity Sheet (Shared via Google Classroom)
● Online Article - "Fake News: How not to fall for it"
● Online Article Activity Sheet - "Fake News: How not to fall for it" (Shared via Google
Classroom)
● Student Lesson Guide (Shared via Google Classroom)
● Student CML Growth & Reflection Blog
● *Optional: Personal Earbuds

Lesson Plan Essential Question:

● What is fake news?
● Why is it important to be able to decipher fake news from real news sources?

Lesson Objective:
Students will be able to:
● recognize false media by using critical analysis & evaluation skills to determine media
messages.

⠂Sarah Taylor ⠂USofD ⠂Capstone ⠂ 2018 ⠂

 ● recognize bias in media.
● exercise critical autonomy by thinking for themselves and “controlling the interpretation
of what they see” (Loucky, 2015) to justify why they feel their caption best fits their
interpretation of the inherent message in the given image.

Bellwork:
1. Open: Class Blog URLs
2. Choose two peer’s blog post to reply to. Do this one at a time. (Reply to different
people than you have before.)
3. Read their LP4 - “Selling the News” post.
[Original Response: What is the message of the song “Selling the News”?]
4. In two to three sentences:
a. Comment on their interpretation of the song or
b. Share a different idea of what the song may mean.

Anticipatory Set:
Elicit student responses and discuss as a class the following:
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the Internet for finding information?
2. Do you ever do anything to confirm that the information you found online is true and can
be trusted? What is that?
3. Do you think fake news is dangerous? Why or why not?

Lesson:
1. Inform students they will be viewing two different media sources to learn more about
fake news. Students open both assignments in Google Classroom, scan the task
activities, choose which one to complete first. Must complete both.
2. Prior to viewing the media source, read through the accompanying activity sheet to know
what information you need to be looking for.
3. Individual Tasks:
a. PODCAST:
i. Open: Podcast - Breaking News Consumer's Handbook: Fake News
Edition
ii. Open: Podcast Activity Sheet and scan the response section.
iii. Follow along the response section as you listen to the podcast.
iv. Pause the program when you hear the women say an answer to one of the
response sections.
v. Type the information in the correct section.

⠂Sarah Taylor ⠂USofD ⠂Capstone ⠂ 2018 ⠂

 [Note*: If you prefer reading along with the audio, click ‘TRANSCRIPT’
underneath the image on the webpage. If you do, open two windows, side by
side, to view the transcript and the Activity Sheet at the same time.]
b. ARTICLE:
i. Open: Online Article - "Fake News: How not to fall for it"
ii. Open: Online Article Activity Sheet - "Fake News: How not to fall for it"
and scan the questions. Open in another window to view it side by side.
iii. Begin reading the article; type your answers when you find the
information to complete the activity sheet.
Closure:
1. Whole Group Discussion:
a. Define key words: (http://www.learnersdictionary.com, unless otherwise noted)
i. Bias (review): a tendency to believe that some people, ideas, etc., are
better than others that usually results in treating some people unfairly
ii. Confirmation Bias:
1. the tendency to process information by looking for, or
interpreting, information that is consistent with one’s existing
beliefs. (www.britannica.com)
2. Ask - Do you choose to read only information that reflects your
own personal point of view?
iii. Opinion: a belief, judgment, or way of thinking about something : what
someone thinks about a particular thing
iv. Troll/Trolling: An Internet troll is a member of an online social
community who deliberately tries to disrupt, attack, offend or generally
cause trouble within the community by posting certain comments, photos,
videos, GIFs or some other form of online content.
(https://www.lifewire.com/types-of-internet-trolls-3485894)
v. Clickbait: something (such as a headline) designed to make readers want
to click on a hyperlink especially when the link leads to content of dubious
value or interest (www.merriam-webster.com)
vi. Satire (review): a way of using humor to show that someone or something
is foolish, weak, bad, etc. : humor that shows the weaknesses or bad
qualities of a person, government, society, etc.
vii. Hyperbole: language that describes something as better or worse than it
really is
viii. Unaffiliated: not connected with something (such as a program or
organization) as a member or partner
Closure:

⠂Sarah Taylor ⠂USofD ⠂Capstone ⠂ 2018 ⠂

 1. Individual “Exit Ticket” Assignment:
a. Sign into your blog and click ‘New Post’
b. Label your post: LP5 - Fake News
c. In at least four sentences, answer one of the three questions in your CML Growth
& Reflection Blog:
ix. Why is it important to be able to decipher ‘fake’ news from ‘real’ news?
x. Have you ever fallen for “fake news”? If so, what was the fake story, and
why did it draw you in? If not, why did you know not to trust the story?
xi. Explain Eric Newton’s analogy in relation to fake news: “Learning [how
to tell the difference between real news and fake news] is like being able
to tell the difference between the mushroom you can eat and the poisonous
mushroom.”

Assessment:
Formative:
● Student Discussion of Fake News Detection

Summative:
● Podcast Activity Sheet
● Article Activity Sheet
● “Exit Ticket” Blog Response

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References:

Breaking news consumer's handbook: Fake news edition [Audio blog interview]. (2016,

November 17). Retrieved from https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/breaking-news-

consumer-handbook-fake-news-edition

Breaking news consumer's handbook: Fake news edition [Digital Image]. (2016, November 17).

Retrieved from https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/breaking-news-consumer-handbook-

⠂Sarah Taylor ⠂USofD ⠂Capstone ⠂ 2018 ⠂

 fake-news-edition

Common Sense Education. (2017). Fake or Real? [Digital Image]. Retrieved from

https://www.commonsense.org/education/asset/document/poster-fake-or-real

Eldred, S. M. (2017, November 17). Fake news: How not to fall for it. Retrieved from

https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/fake-news-how-not-fall-it

Loucky, J. P. (2015). Motivating and Empowering Students Language Learning in Flipped

Integrated English Classes. Flipped Instruction Methods and Digital Technologies in the

Language Learning Classroom Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional

Design, 108-138. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-0824-3.ch005

⠂Sarah Taylor ⠂USofD ⠂Capstone ⠂ 2018 ⠂