Can I trust everything I find online?
What research is
Why misinformation spreads
Opinions vs. facts
Primary vs. secondary sources (basic introduction)
Show students five online claims.
For example:
"Goldfish only have a three-second memory."
"Lightning never strikes the same place twice."
"Humans only use 10% of their brains."
Students vote:
True
False
Not sure
Then investigate together.
How can I find better information faster?
Keywords
Search operators
Quotation marks
Minus sign
Site-specific searches
Image search
Search Challenge
Students race to answer questions using the fewest searches.
Examples:
Find:
The population of Utah.
The tallest mountain in the U.S.
A picture of a red panda licensed for reuse.
What makes a source trustworthy?
Introduce a simplified version of the CRAAP Test.
Students can remember it with something like:
STOP
Source
Timeliness
Objective
Proof
(Or another memorable acronym you create.)
Students compare:
NASA
Wikipedia
Random blog
Reddit post
News article
Rank each from most to least trustworthy and explain why.
How do professionals verify information?
Cross-checking
Multiple sources
Reverse image search (demonstration)
Reading beyond the headline
Students investigate several viral claims using multiple sources.
They must decide:
✔ Confirmed
❓ Unclear
❌ False
Should I trust AI?
Hallucinations
Bias
Missing citations
Why AI sometimes sounds confident even when it's wrong
Ask AI several questions.
Some answers are correct.
Some contain subtle mistakes.
Students become fact-checkers.
I think they'll love "catching the AI" making a mistake.
How do I give credit to creators?
Why citations matter
Plagiarism
Basic MLA format (age-appropriate)
Image credits
Students build a simple Works Cited page from three provided websites.
Then practice citing an image.
Keep it practical rather than overly formal.
How does media influence what we think?
Clickbait
Bias
Advertisements
Sponsored content
Emotional language
Headline Challenge
Students sort headlines into:
Informative
Clickbait
Advertisement
Opinion
Discuss what clues helped them decide.
Instead of a traditional test...
Students complete a Digital Detective Mission.
Example prompt:
"You have been asked to research a new species of animal for a zoo."
They must:
Search efficiently.
Find trustworthy sources.
Verify information.
Record notes.
Cite sources.
Explain why they trusted those sources.
Everything they've learned comes together in one authentic task.