Day 15 of 30
Fact-checking and verification
Content is AI-assisted and continuously improved through educator review
Learning Objective
Students will explore fact-checking and verification through guided practice and application.
In this lesson, we'll explore fact-checking and verification. Strong literacy skills open doors to learning in all subjects.
Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media in all forms. Key questions for any media message: Who created this? What techniques are used to attract attention? What values or viewpoints are included or omitted? How might different people interpret this differently? What is the purpose—inform, entertain, persuade, sell? Bias in news can appear in word choice ("protestors" vs. "rioters"), omission of certain perspectives, headline framing, and source selection. Propaganda uses emotional manipulation, false dichotomies, and repetition to bypass critical thinking. Fact-checking involves verifying claims against primary sources and multiple credible outlets. In the digital age, media literacy is a fundamental survival skill for democratic citizenship.
As you work through today's material, pay attention to the examples and try to identify the patterns or strategies being used. This will help you apply these concepts to new problems.
Take notes on key points and make connections to what you've already learned in previous lessons.
The process of decoding and comprehending written text
The process of composing text to communicate ideas
Instructions
Materials Needed
- Text passage
- Notebook
- Highlighter
Teaching Tip
For advanced learners: Encourage deeper analysis and real-world connections. Consider extension activities that allow students to apply fact-checking and verification to novel situations.