<aside> ⌛ Estimated student time on platform: 45 minutes

</aside>

<aside> 🗣 Lesson host: Claire Wardle, PhD, First Draft

</aside>

<aside> 3️⃣ Difficulty level: 2.5 (for middle school, high school and higher education)

</aside>

<aside> ✔️ Assessments: 8 total ****(1 auto-graded and 7 teacher-evaluable)

</aside>

<aside> 🗒️ Standards: This lesson has Common Core, ISTE, C3 and state-specific alignments. Find your standards in the Checkology alignments dropdown menu to learn more.

</aside>

Learning objective(s):

• I can identify and differentiate between different types of misinformation.
• I can explain why understanding and debunking misinformation matters.
• I can evaluate and explain the possible consequences of misinformation.
• I can understand the role of Russian disinformation during and after the 2016 presidential election.

Essential questions:

• What makes some pieces of information “go viral”?
• What makes rumors spread?
• What emotions do rumors provoke in people?
• What are some of the reasons people share false information?
• Is all misinformation bad or damaging? Why or why not?

Background:

The term “fake news” once referred to misinformation designed to look like legitimate news, but the term has been rendered meaningless and counterproductive through overuse and political weaponization. In reality, different kinds of misinformation vary significantly in their tactics, intent and impact. To be able to better understand misinformation, therefore, we need a new misinformation vocabulary that helps us see and think about these differences. In this lesson, students will learn to identify and differentiate between five types of misinformation:

1. Satire
2. False content
3. Imposter content
4. Manipulated content
5. Fabricated content

Additionally, students will understand the potential harm that misinformation can cause — including the effect of Russian disinformation during and after the 2016 U.S. presidential election — and why identifying and debunking it matters.

<aside> 🔙 Back to lesson home page

</aside>

Full lesson guide: Misinformation

From the field: Misinformation