In today’s digital age, misinformation spreads faster than ever, posing a significant challenge for regular people and for educators. Teaching students how to identify and critically evaluate fake news is essential to create informed, responsible adults. I always tell my students when I stumble upon some fake news. In this way, I hope that I am helping them stay alert. Also, giving them so many examples is going to build a good filter in their minds. This blog post will guide you through understanding fake news, why it matters, and how you can teach your students to not trust everything they see online (and not only).

What Is Fake News?

Fake news refers to false or misleading information presented as news. It often aims to manipulate the public opinion, or generate ad revenue through sensational headlines. Fake news can appear in various formats, including articles, social media posts, videos, and even memes. It can be entirely fabricated or a mix of true and false information, making it particularly challenging to detect.

Why Does Fake News Matter?

The spreading of fake news has serious consequences, like:

1. Misinformed Public: When people base their opinions or decisions on false information, it can lead to misunderstanding or conflict. That’s how wars can get started, people can get hurt or lose precious or important things, etc.
2. Undermining Trust: Consistent exposure to fake news can erode trust in legitimate news sources and democratic institutions. This is already happening all around the world. Some people turn to cynicism, others (like me, unfortunately) just stop watching the news and knowing what’s happening in the world.
3. Impact on Education: Students exposed to fake news may struggle to differentiate between credible and non-credible sources, impacting their research skills and overall learning. This is a very dangerous trend, because critical thinking is absolutely crucial in our world, and making it hard for young people to build this skill, we are jeopardizing the future of the whole planet.

How to Teach Students About Fake News

Teaching students to recognize and analyze fake news is critical. Here are some strategies and activities you can incorporate into your lessons, that I use literally daily, not only when we are having a fake news lesson:

1. Introduce the Concept of Fake News

Start by explaining what fake news is and why it matters. Use real-world examples that are age-appropriate and relevant to your students. Use the Internet or some AI chatbot to get a lot of useful examples to present. Discuss the different types of fake news, such as:

• Satire: Humorous or exaggerated content not meant to be taken seriously.

Here’s two fun examples:

• Clickbait: Sensational headlines designed to attract clicks, often misleading (very often seen on YouTube and news websites).

Example:

• Misinformation: False information spread without intent to deceive, like from people with no education that believe anything.
• Disinformation: Deliberately misleading or biased information, often seen on the news on TV.

Examples:

How bad 5G is for your health, how the moon landing was staged, how a certain public figure is a reptile, etc.

2. Develop Critical Thinking Skills

Encourage students to question what they read, see, or hear. Teach them to ask questions like:

• Who created this content, and what is their purpose?
• What evidence supports this claim?
• Are there other sources that confirm this information?
• Is the information presented in a balanced and fair manner?

Teach them to research the news, to see if they appear in more than one place with good reputation.

3. Analyze News Sources

Introduce students to reputable news sources and compare them with less reliable ones. Discuss characteristics of credible news outlets, such as:

• Transparency: Clear authorship, sources, and funding. Clear date of publication, maybe a comment section with both positive and negative comments.
• Accountability: Corrections and updates for errors. Also, it is very important to look for spelling and grammar errors. They often indicate fake news.
• Fact-checking: Rigorous verification of information before publication.

Use tools like the CRAAP Test (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose) to help students evaluate sources effectively. The test provides a list of questions to ask yourself when deciding whether or not a source is reliable and credible enough. Google it 🙂

4. Explore Fact-Checking Websites

Show students how to use fact-checking websites like Snopes, FactCheck.org, or PolitiFact. These platforms can help students verify information and identify fake news. You can create an activity where students fact-check a trending news story and present their findings to the class.

5. Discuss the Role of Social Media

Social media is a primary vehicle for spreading fake news. Teach students about algorithms, echo chambers, likes, generating money through clicks, and the importance of verifying information before sharing it. You can simulate how quickly fake news can spread by starting a “rumor” in class and watching how it changes as it’s passed along.

6. Create a Fake News Project

Challenge students to create their own fake news story, complete with headlines, images, and social media posts. Afterward, have the class analyze each story to identify the red flags that suggest it’s fake. This hands-on activity helps students understand how easy it is to create and spread fake news.

I did such a project even with my youngest students last year for Safer Internet Day (beginning of February is when it happens usually). They were 9-10 year olds (3rd grade). We had a discussion on the topic of fake news, we saw some examples online and then they got to work on the practical task (which was lots of fun). I shared a couple of animal parts pictures with them (a body of a bear, deer legs, hoofs, cat paws, horse heads, etc. – all of those with a transparent background so they could blend together) and they had to use MS Paint to glue any parts they like together, until they have created a whimsical and funny new type of animal. Then we made these big colorful cardboards that looked like a newspaper, we wrote “Breaking news” on top, and then “New species of dangerous animal is roaming the streets of New York!”. We printed their animal collages and we glued them on the cardboard newspapers. Those “posters” were hanging on my computer lab walls for a whole month! They were great and very amusing, all of the students that went into the room would first go there and ask questions. The whole activity was a great way to introduce the topic to young students, with lost of the fun factors. Here’s a few of the collages:

If you want to know more about the project, how to do it, or if you want to download the materials for it (they are free!) and do it with your own students, check out this blog post I wrote – Elementary Fake News Project idea [contains a FREEBIE]. A great practical Digital Citizenship and Digital Literacy activity for younger students

7. Encourage Media Literacy

Incorporate media literacy into your curriculum by teaching students to:

• Recognize bias in media.
• Distinguish between news and opinion pieces.
• Understand the influence of advertising on news content.

Media literacy is a lifelong skill that will help students navigate through life with less problems.

Conclusion

Teaching students about fake news is more than just a lesson in media literacy. It’s a vital component of their education in the 21st century. By equipping students with the tools and critical thinking skills needed to identify and challenge fake news, you’re helping them become more informed and responsible adults.

Remember, combating fake news starts in the classroom, but the impact extends far beyond. Through thoughtful instruction and engaging activities, you can empower your students to discern fact from fiction in an ever-changing digital world.

Helpful tools and resources:

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Fake News Lesson – Digital literacy Critical thinking Fact Analysis and Research

A whole lesson with a couple of parts, many examples and practical activities. This resource is something I spent a lot of time and thought on, and it has helped me teach many students how to be digitally literate and how to develop critical thinking, how to analyze an article and how to research right, in order to reach the truth.

How to do the activity:

1. Once you go through the main part, open the digital games presentation and play the 3 games with your students – they are interactive and clickable, they can also spark discussions of their own
2. Print the main pages (or use a smart board and don’t print anything)
3. Go through the pages with your students – there is a lot of information to be discussed, types of fake news, ways to spot fake news – tips, advice, different exercises