In an era of fake news, it’s more important than ever to give our students the skills they need to spot it! That’s why we love these free media literacy activities from Blue Apple’s Information Nation Timely Topic. They’re super interactive and, at 15-minutes each, these mini-lessons are a great way to help your grade 3-8 students become information literacy leaders. Do one lesson or do all four. The choice is yours! Check them out:
Do You Dare?
Things are not always as they seem. In this activity, students take a look at a deceiving photo of a famous “cliff” in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The real pic will get them thinking about the importance of getting the full picture. Plus, there’s a super-fun “create your own photographic optical illusion” bonus activity!
Is This Information CRAAP?
The CRAAP protocol stands for currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose. Teach it to your students, and then let them apply it by visiting the websites in the lesson (the endangered Pacific Northwest tree octopus? Hmm…) and determining if they are fact or fiction.
The Quest for Truth
Adventures in information literacy! We love this game in which students hop on board a pirate ship to help the crew discover what’s causing a bad bout of scurvy. It’s basically a “Choose Your Own Adventure” situation with QR codes included. When students correctly complete a station, they get a letter. At the end, they’ll unscramble the letters to reveal the key!
Cases to Crack
Time to solve a mystery! You have two options here. Go with Sour Flower Power for older students. For younger students, try The Case of the Vase. Both will introduce your students to common misinformation tactics, like ad hominem (attack on the person) or changing the subject. For each, you can play by scanning QR codes or by printing physical copies.
Ready to try these activities? Download the Information Nation Timely Topic.
And be sure to check out all of the free Timely Topic Lessons available, as well. There’s a new one added almost monthly!
