Journalist Damien Thompson defines counterknowledge as misinformation packaged to look like fact. It is manifested in multiple formats including conspiracy theories, pseudoscience, and pseudohistory. It’s tough for adults to do the research necessary to insure that they aren’t taken in by counterknowledge, so it’s no surprise that students will struggle with sorting the wheat from the chaff.

In this activity, students are introduced to the concept of counterknowledge and then work in teams to use strategies designed to help them determine why the stories presented to them are examples of misinformation packaged to look like fact.

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