January 10, 2017

THE BASICSTopic: Fake News

"The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me

to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not

hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive those papers and be capable of reading them."

--Thomas Jefferson to Edward Carrington, 1787. ME 6:57http://famguardian.org/subjects/politics/thomasjefferson/jeff1600.htm

Articles “It’s time to retire the tainted term ‘fake news’” (1/8) (The Washington Post) “What Happens When Fake News Spreads?” (1/6) (KQED) “The challenge facing libraries in an era of fake news” (1/4) (The Conversation) “The Classroom Where Fake News Fails” (12/22) (NPR) “’Pizzagate’ scare becomes flashpoint in fake news debate” (12/8) (The Hill)

Questions to Consider What is “Fake“ News? How is it different from real news? Why is Fake News dangerous? How does disinformation threaten democracy? Is there an epidemic of fake news? Where does fake news originate? Why do countries like Macedonia have a thriving fake news

industry? Does the profitability of fake news make it hard to stop?

Who is responsible for identifying fake news? The press? Civic leaders? The tech industry? Informed citizens? Teachers? The public libraries?

What is media literacy? Should this literacy be categorized as a basic skill? Can fake news be categorized as entertainment? What is the difference between fake news and rumors? Between fake news and lies? How does a reader/viewer recognize fake news? What tools are available to help sort out fake news? How does the First Amendment deal with Fake News? Is it protected? What are the challenges to identifying fake news on social media? How is News connected to citizenship in a democracy? Should real news be the counterweight to fake news? What challenges are there to accurate

reporting in 2016?

THE EXTRAPre-teaching, Extensions & Further Reading

“Stanford researchers find students have trouble judging the credibility of information online” (11/22) (Stanford Graduate School of Education)

“The Long and Brutal History of Fake News” (12/18) (Politico) “Here’s a Chrome Extension That Will Flag Fake-News Sites for You” (11/15) (NY Magazine)

Lesson Plans “Media Literacy & Fake News – A Lesson Plan” (Free Technology for Teachers) “The Honest Truth about Fake News…and How Not to Fall for It ” (KQED) “Fake News and What We Can Do About It” (Anti-Defamation League)

What’s the Connection? Constitutional

“Don’t Fret About Fake Political News” (Politico) “Is fake news protected by the First Amendment?” (The Oregonian)

Oregon “Oregon Secretary of State ‘Taken Aback’ by Fake Election News” (12/2) (OPB)

Students “Students Create Brilliant Extension That Identifies Fake News” (Huffington Post )

Oregon State Social Science Standards 8.21. Analyze important political and ethical values such as freedom, democracy, equality and justice embodied in documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.8.26. Examine a controversial event, issue, or problem from more than one perspective. HS.31. Describe United States foreign policy and evaluate its impact on the United States on other countries. HS.35. Examine the pluralistic realities of society (e.g., race, poverty, gender, and age), recognizing issues of equity, and evaluating need for change. HS.59. Demonstrate the skills and dispositions needed to be a critical consumer of information.HS.60. Analyze an event, issue, problem, or phenomenon from varied or opposing perspectives or points of view.

CCSS Anchor Standards2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. 8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

We the People Lesson ConnectionsMiddle School, Level 2

Unit 5, Lesson 23: How does the Constitution protect freedom of expression? Unit 6, Lesson 29: What are the rights and responsibilities of citizenship?

High School, Level 3 Unit 5, Lesson 29: How does the First Amendment protect free expression? Unit 6, Lesson 37: What key challenges does the United States face in the future?