As native advertisements proliferate, students need to look beyond surface features like vivid graphics and learn to carefully evaluate sources of information. In this task, students are presented with two articles from the same online news outlet and asked which is a more reliable source. Students must identify who is behind the articles and consider potential conflicts of interest in order to successfully evaluate the articles. Note: A free educator account is required to access these materials.

This lesson introduces students to evaluating evidence on social media and provides students with an opportunity to practice evaluating evidence on Twitter and Facebook. Note: A free educator account is required to access these materials.

This lesson will introduce students to lateral reading, a strategy for investigating a website by going outside the site itself. Students will first evaluate whether a website is a reliable source of information on renewable energy and then see their teacher model expert lateral reading strategies. Students will then practice reading laterally to determine who is behind a second website and evaluate whether it is a reliable source of information about renewable energy. Note: A free educator account is required to access these materials.

This lesson will help students develop and practice methods for verifying sources, arguments, and evidence presented on social media. After a short lecture on the importance of verifying information on social media and an overview of approaches to verification, students practice, first as a whole class and then in small groups. Note: A free educator account is required to access these materials.

The Internet teems with websites seeking to advance specific political agendas while concealing their true intent, identity, or backers. These sites often have high production values and the trappings of legitimacy (e.g., boards of directors, links to academic studies, even 501(c)(3) status). In this digital task, students are asked to evaluate such a website. Note: A free educator account is required to access these materials.