Reality Check: Authentication and Citizenship Lesson Plan

Authenticating Information
Digital Citizenship
Internet & Mobile

Level: Grades 9 to 12
About the Author: Matthew Johnson, Director of Education, MediaSmarts
Duration: 1 to 1 ½ hours, plus time for the assessment/evaluation activity

Digital Literacy Framework iconDigital Literacy Framework icon

This lesson is part of USE, UNDERSTAND & CREATE: A Digital Media Literacy Framework for Canadian Schools.

Overview

In this lesson, students consider the ways in which misinformation can have an impact on history and politics. After discussing a number of historical examples of misinformation, they examine the ways in which news sources may be biased and use an interactive online game to practice skills in getting more context on a story. Finally, students read a current news story and use what they have learned to find the context they need to understand it.

This lesson is part of the Reality Check lesson series.

Learning Outcomes

Students will:

  • Learn the importance of news and information to a healthy democracy
  • Learn how to get essential context about online information
  • Recognize bias and point-of-view
  • Compare coverage of news stories in different sources

Download the Fake News That Changed the World slideshow.

This lesson and all associated documents (handouts, overheads, backgrounders) are available in an easy-print, pdf kit version.

Lesson Kit