A real-world literacy lesson on evaluating online sources and claims.
This lesson develops student skills in evaluating online information by examining misinformation, disinformation, and deceptive digital behavior. Students learn and apply strategies for determining credibility and for recognizing common tactics used to mislead audiences.
Students begin by defining key terms related to misinformation and digital manipulation. They then examine the difference between vertical reading (evaluating a source from within the page) and lateral reading (checking credibility across multiple sources) and practice using these approaches to judge reliability.
Students apply these skills by:
investigating the background and purpose of a pseudo-scientific organization
evaluating whether an article is worth their time and attention before reading it
identifying indicators of bias, agenda, and weak evidence
using an interactive activity to recognize traits of online trolls and deceptive personas
Throughout the lesson, students focus on source evaluation rather than opinion, learning how to decide what to trust before engaging deeply with content.
This lesson is designed to support:
critical evaluation of digital sources
recognition of misinformation and disinformation strategies
informed decision-making about what to read and share
early-year establishment of academic and digital literacy norms
It functions well as a beginning-of-year activity or as part of a media literacy or science literacy sequence. The digital format allows for low-prep implementation while maintaining analytical rigor.
Middle School: Grades 7–8 (as part of science literacy, media literacy, or digital citizenship units)
High School: Grades 9–11 (especially Living Environment, Biology, or general science courses that involve data interpretation, science communication, or health topics)
Rationale:
This lesson helps students strengthen critical evaluation of scientific claims — an essential skill for both middle and high schoolers engaging with online science and health content.
To preview this lesson, click here.
ELA: Evaluating author bias, perspective, and evidence in informational text.
Social Studies / Civics: Understanding misinformation, disinformation, and their impact on public health.
Media Literacy: Practicing lateral reading and source verification through activities like “Spot the Troll.”
Extension Idea:
Students can independently analyze a trending science claim, apply lateral reading, and create a short presentation summarizing their findings and reliability assessment.
MS-LS1-3: Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems.
(Applied when examining health-related misinformation, e.g., vaccines or fluoride.)
MS-LS1-8: Gather and synthesize information that sensory receptors respond to stimuli and send signals to the brain.
(If extended to neuroscience-based misinformation.)
Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs):
Analyzing and Interpreting Data: Students assess accuracy and evidence across multiple sources.
Engaging in Argument from Evidence: Evaluate claims and justify which sources are trustworthy.
Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information: Use lateral reading to cross-check and present findings.
HS-LS2-8: Evaluate the evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species’ chances to survive and reproduce.
(Social amplification of misinformation could connect to behavioral responses.)
HS-LS4-6: Create or revise simulations to test solutions for mitigating human impacts on biodiversity.
(Media literacy applied to climate misinformation extensions.)
HS-ETS1-3: Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs.
(Critical evaluation of information sources and evidence mirrors this practice.)
Cause and Effect: Understanding how misinformation leads to societal consequences.
Systems and System Models: Evaluating how media ecosystems amplify or filter scientific information.
Stability and Change: Considering how scientific understanding evolves as evidence accumulates.
Common Core Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.8: Assess the extent to which reasoning and evidence support a claim in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.9: Compare and contrast findings presented in multiple sources.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.1: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions.
A real-world literacy lesson on evaluating online sources and claims.
This lesson develops student skills in evaluating online information by examining misinformation, disinformation, and deceptive digital behavior. Students learn and apply strategies for determining credibility and for recognizing common tactics used to mislead audiences.
Students begin by defining key terms related to misinformation and digital manipulation. They then examine the difference between vertical reading (evaluating a source from within the page) and lateral reading (checking credibility across multiple sources) and practice using these approaches to judge reliability.
Students apply these skills by:
investigating the background and purpose of a pseudo-scientific organization
evaluating whether an article is worth their time and attention before reading it
identifying indicators of bias, agenda, and weak evidence
using an interactive activity to recognize traits of online trolls and deceptive personas
Throughout the lesson, students focus on source evaluation rather than opinion, learning how to decide what to trust before engaging deeply with content.
This lesson is designed to support:
critical evaluation of digital sources
recognition of misinformation and disinformation strategies
informed decision-making about what to read and share
early-year establishment of academic and digital literacy norms
It functions well as a beginning-of-year activity or as part of a media literacy or science literacy sequence. The digital format allows for low-prep implementation while maintaining analytical rigor.
Middle School: Grades 7–8 (as part of science literacy, media literacy, or digital citizenship units)
High School: Grades 9–11 (especially Living Environment, Biology, or general science courses that involve data interpretation, science communication, or health topics)
Rationale:
This lesson helps students strengthen critical evaluation of scientific claims — an essential skill for both middle and high schoolers engaging with online science and health content.
To preview this lesson, click here.
ELA: Evaluating author bias, perspective, and evidence in informational text.
Social Studies / Civics: Understanding misinformation, disinformation, and their impact on public health.
Media Literacy: Practicing lateral reading and source verification through activities like “Spot the Troll.”
Extension Idea:
Students can independently analyze a trending science claim, apply lateral reading, and create a short presentation summarizing their findings and reliability assessment.
MS-LS1-3: Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems.
(Applied when examining health-related misinformation, e.g., vaccines or fluoride.)
MS-LS1-8: Gather and synthesize information that sensory receptors respond to stimuli and send signals to the brain.
(If extended to neuroscience-based misinformation.)
Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs):
Analyzing and Interpreting Data: Students assess accuracy and evidence across multiple sources.
Engaging in Argument from Evidence: Evaluate claims and justify which sources are trustworthy.
Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information: Use lateral reading to cross-check and present findings.
HS-LS2-8: Evaluate the evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species’ chances to survive and reproduce.
(Social amplification of misinformation could connect to behavioral responses.)
HS-LS4-6: Create or revise simulations to test solutions for mitigating human impacts on biodiversity.
(Media literacy applied to climate misinformation extensions.)
HS-ETS1-3: Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs.
(Critical evaluation of information sources and evidence mirrors this practice.)
Cause and Effect: Understanding how misinformation leads to societal consequences.
Systems and System Models: Evaluating how media ecosystems amplify or filter scientific information.
Stability and Change: Considering how scientific understanding evolves as evidence accumulates.
Common Core Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.8: Assess the extent to which reasoning and evidence support a claim in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.9: Compare and contrast findings presented in multiple sources.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.1: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions.
