Student Resources - Unbelievable!

People frequently use statistics to lend credence to a point: however, numbers don’t necessarily denote facts. Misrepresented numbers give false impressions that may be entirely meaningless. A simple check of the validity of a statistic is to ask how believable it is. This test requires nothing more than common sense and rudimentary math skills to determine the plausibility of any claim.

In this activity, you will review multiple claims that are supported by statistics and decide if those claims are plausible.

Unbelievable! Handout

1. Download a copy of this file.
2. Rename it using the format provided by your teacher and Save it.
3. Close the Download window.
4. Record your work in this file.

Example Online Resources

Here is a list of a few of the kinds on online resources that might be helpful in your research.

1. What's a Primary Resource?
2. Primary Sources
3. FactCheck.org
4. How we check numbers and facts at Pew Research Center