The focus for Media Literacy Week is Fake News and Fact Checking
For more information about this week, you can find more on the Media Smarts site medialiteracyweek.ca and follow #MediaLitWk on social media. You can also follow the #ONedSsChat hashtag for the growing student voice on this topic.
Some resources to support your Media Literacy week work.
- How to tell fact from fake news: Use this as a lesson about the North American Tree Octopus as a springboard for discussions about fake news posted to web locations.
- Hoax or no hoax – Read Write Think lesson plan for gr. 9-12
Some Resources from Media Smarts Canada to support your fact checking and fake news detection skills.
- Jo Cool or Jo Fool – media smarts resource
- Reality Check – Getting the Goods on Health and Science (video)
- Reality Check – News You Can Use (video)
Some resources from the University of South Carolina Library:
- Fake News
- Has a great video resource that can be used to fact check for fake news
- Seven types of propaganda – infographic
- Website evaluation using the STAAR framework – slant, topical, authority, accuracy, relevance – with downloadable PDF file and checklist/ fillable version
- Analyzing a web URL – helps you determine if the site you’re checking has a legitimate web address.
I have to include Mike Caulfield’s open access Pressbook publication titled Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers – and other people who care about facts. This book introduces the 4 habits from the fact checking process – check for previous work, to upstream to the source, read laterally, and circle back (Caulfield, 2017). This resource may be better suited for older students or higher education contexts.
- Ten C’s for evaluating internet resources (Data Recovery Lab) intended for adult audience and academics.
- ABC’s for determining credible sources – links to additional pages for A-authority and accuracy; B-bias and beneficiary; C-currency and coverage.
- For Teachers – PEI evaluation of sources and resources (2008) but still worth a look (pg. 37 has URL evaluation resource suggestions
- 10 Ways You’re Secretly Tricked by Companies (Video)
- How to Analyze an Advertisement, Centre for Media Literacy
- Positively Social (Video)
I’ll post additional resources as the week progresses.
ONedSsChat
I look forward to participating in the ONedSsChat on Friday morning.
This event is part of a month long conversation about Media Literacy.
How to spot fake news
Five Flames 4 Learning 
Should the term “Fake News” be used in the classroom? I feel that it sends the wrong message, it’s sensationalizing a real issue that people feel greatly impacts their lives. However, teaching people of any age to consider the source carefully and to fact check article they read if a vital lesson to learn. While the sentiment is accurate the message could be delivered in less dismissive manner.
I agree with you the term “Fake News” is an emotionally intensive term because as soon as someone hears “Fake News” instead of critically analyzing the news, they automatically assume that the news are fake. The individual who labelled the news fake is making the decision for everyone else that the news is fake instead of giving other people the opportunity to make their own decision about the accuracy of the news. Given the issues with the term fake news, how do you think we should respond to these “fake news” labels? How do we teach students to respond to “fake news”?
Interesting perspective Navpreet. The element of control and agency is incorporated into this comment. Who is in control when there is a claim of ‘fake news’? Thinking in terms of teaching and learning about real vs fictional news, using a critical analysis approach at any grade level with current events would be a great way to start. Teaching about real vs fiction is something that comes up in the language arts curriculum, but could be incorporated in many subject areas. Helen
Hi Helen! The topic of this blog post is very important in today’s world which has a constant influx of digital information. We too often than not, ready news provided to us on various websites and accept that the information we are reading has truth behind it. In fact, much of what we encounter daily can be deemed “fake” if we really look into it. I have used the example of the Tree Octopus that you have included, in a blog post of my own and I find that it is a great teaching tool for students to understand how easily they can fall into the trap of “fake” news. This may seem harmless in a scenario such as this, however it can also be very scary and dangerous when people continue to accept information that is of a more serious nature. In regard to this topic, I believe that it is important to teach students how to analyze the news they receive to determine if it is real or not, and the image you include from Twitter, “How to Spot Fake News” is a fantastic tool that can be brought right into the classroom!
Thanks for this response Rachael. I’ve been trying to pull some of these essential resources together in one place so that I can point to it when people ask about what they should do about teaching students about fake news or false internet sites. Glad that the tree octopus link found a connection to your blog post too! I also enjoy using the marshmallow farmers news report (faked of course – https://youtu.be/yflTu150QZw) for the same reason. Critical thinking about news sources. Helen
Fake news has become something of a recent stir with Trump entering office. Although it has a more profound name it is being used more commonly to associate with biased news. You linked the Ten Cs website which I feel follows a similar guideline that students would use to filter between sources and their validity. The tweet from Duke Media also provides a easy to follow and fluent graphic image to break down digital news analyization! I will take many tools and tips mentioned to integrate into my own personal and academic life.
I’m happy you found resources that will help you analyze and deconstruct news media. This is an essential skill in today’s world filled with popular culture and social media. It is becoming essential to teach students how to apply critical thinking and digital literacies as they experience the world through technology. Hopefully this will combat the tide of ‘fake news’. Helen
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