4-Day Unit Plan
Day One
Objectives:
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To teach students how to differentiate between fake and truthful news
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To introduce students to the concept of misinformation
Definition Activity (30 minutes):
Write the terms fake news, reliable sources, political correctness, ethics on the board. Have students go a board and write what they believe the definition for each is. After a few minutes, have students switch to another board and repeat the process until all student have written their answers down.
After doing this for fifteen minutes, have a class discussion about the definition of each, discussing the differences and importance of how we define each term.
How to Identify Misinformation (15 minutes):
Introduce the concept of misinformation as you project the visual aid made by First Draft on the board. Go over each type and explain their how each relates to the idea of “fake news”.
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Fabricated content
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Imposter content
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Misleading content
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Satire or parody
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False context
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Manipulated content
Homework (5 minutes):
Pass out the assignment sheet. Have students look at the AllSides website and begin looking at articles.
Day Two
Objectives:
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Students will learn how to look at articles objectively
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Students will be able to identify fallacies
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Students will learn about and practice triangulation
Freewrite (5 minutes):
Have students freewrite about biases.
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What they think it is
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What they think their biases are
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How they think it effects how they get information
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How it effects their social circles
Bias Discussion (10 minutes):
Discuss how bias has become normalized in our lives. Introduce non-objective descriptors, something that is opinionated and not based in fact. Project the article Twenty Cognitive Biases that Screw Up Your Decisions on the board and go through each as a class.
Ways to combat bias:
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Know the biographical information of the author
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Knowing the pov of the article
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Viewpoint and reputation of the organization
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Know your own biases
Harvard IAT Test (15 minutes):
Show students the Harvard website containing the IAT test. Pick one for your students to complete and have them complete it in class. Warn students about the nature of the test before completion. Be prepared for unintended or unexpected results. Students may be disappointed with the results of the test. Do not require students to share their results with the class.
Explain the importance of the test when students are done. Students should understand that they must be aware of their own biases when researching, reading, and writing articles and essays.
Introduction to Project (20 minutes):
Introduce the concept of triangulation, finding three sources that report the same story to portray objectivity on a story. Project AllSides.com on the board while students take out their homework from last night. Explore the website with students. Go over the project assignment and have students form groups. Allow them to spend the rest of class choosing an article. Tell students to have an article by the next day for workshopping.
Day Three
Objectives:
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Students will practice triangulation while working collaboratively
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Students will work to produce a non-biased piece of writing to present to the class
Workshop (50 minutes):
Have students meet with their groups to compose their paper and website. Circulate the room, answering questions and giving advice when needed. Make sure students understand that they will be presenting/reading their papers and their part of the website to the class tomorrow.
Day Four
Objectives:
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Students will demonstrate their knowledge on how to identify bias in an article
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Students will illustrate their ability to compose an essay and aggregate articles
Presentations (50 minutes):
Students will get ten minutes to present their articles and how they used them to create a new essay. Have students show the class their essay on the website and what conclusions they came to and why.