Fake news as fact v456

Fake news as fact v456

Fake news as fact

Introduction

Continuing the topic of the news, let’s now turn our attention to the newspapers. Does anyone still read the newspapers? Do your parents or grandparents read a daily newspaper on printed paper? Or do they subscribe to a paper and read it on a tablet? Do you read newspapers? Let’s find out what we know about newspapers nowadays. 

This second section contains 6 steps. Work them through step by step.

Step

Activity

 

 

Introduction

Find out what you already know.

Step 1

Watching and writing

Name as much UK national newspapers as you know. Watch a video and write down names of newspapers you hear. Explain whether you think a story is fake or not.

Step 2

Reading

Name the title of the article. Tick the topics you think will appear. Read the article and do the exercises. Answer questions in your own words.

Step 3

Words

Find verbs in the text and match with the meaning. Complete sentences.

Step 4

Grammar

About mixed conditionals. Read theory and do the exercises.

Step 5

Listening

Look at the picture. Answer questions about photojournalism. Listen to the audio and answer questions.

Step 6

Writing task

To provide a guide for younger pupils on spotting fake news, present your ideas in words and pictures.

 

Evaluation

Reflecting on what you have learned.

Difficult words? Search these on Cambridge Dictionaries

Step 1 -Watching & writing

How many UK national newspapers can you name?
Find out what their political bias is.

Watch this clip from a satirical sitcom, 'Yes Minister' that ran in the UK in the early 1980s.

Humphrey states that ‘[the press] pander to their readers prejudices'. To what extent do you think this is true? Is it true in The Netherlands? Give at least two examples.

What other sources of media are there? Think of online independent digital companies that deliver news stories to social media e.g. BuzzFeed. Make a list.
Tip! Scroll through your Facebook feeds to find some.

Do you trust these sources? Why/why not? Give at least three reasons.
How do you decide whether a story is true or fake? What could you do if you thought it was false? Make a list of three things you could do.

Step 2 - Reading and writing

You’re going to read an article. The headline has been jumbled.
Put the words into the correct order. The last two words have been placed correctly.

Choose the topics that you think will appear in the article.

  • teachers frustration
  • research findings
  • pupils refuse to believe real news
  • a royal opinion
  • laws imposed by a country

Read the full article and check your ideas. Then do the exercise.

[TITLE]
Teachers express frustration at pupils refusing to accept some stories found on social networks are false, as experts call for better education on online dangers
Rachael Pells Education Correspondent
@rachaelpells
Wednesday 12 April 2017 14:30 BST

'Pupils often mistake spoof news sites for real news, or presume anything President Trump has said must be fact,' one teacher said. Pupils are quoting fake news as fact in lessons and written work, teachers have warned.
More than a third of teachers say their students have cited false information found online, according to a poll by the NASUWT teaching union.
Union General Secretary Chris Keates said the finding was “worrying” and shows the power that internet firms have in shaping public opinion, especially among young people. The figures come amid growing concerns from international education experts, who say children should be taught in schools how to recognize fake news.
In one case, a union member said that “some students did not attend school and hysteria ensued because they thought there were killer clowns roaming the streets with weapons”.
Another said pupils “often mistake spoof news sites for real news”. Others expressed frustration over students refusing to believe news they had seen on Facebook and other social sites was not true, even when the problem was explained to them.
“Pupils often mistake spoof news sites for real news, or presume anything President Trump has said must be fact,” one teacher added. Last week, German officials announced they would issue fines of up 50m euros to social networks for not taking down illegal fake news posts.
The new law would give social networks 24 hours to delete or block the content and seven days to address less clear-cut cases. Commenting on the survey findings, Ms Keates said: “It is worrying that over a third of teachers had experienced pupils citing fake news or inaccurate information they had found online as fact in their work or during classroom discussions. “This demonstrates the great power that companies such as Facebook and Google now have in shaping public opinion, particularly among young people who have never known a world without internet and who are less equipped to analyse the information they see presented to them online and assess its plausibility. “It is important for children and young people to be made aware that not everything they see and read online is real.” She said that teachers are trying to help educate pupils when they cite false information, but added that, as with other forms of technology misuse, it is important for online providers to “take responsibility for the material hosted on their platforms and to take steps to tackle those who seek to misuse these sites”.
Last month, Andreas Schleicher, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) director of education and skills, said that in the modern digital age, schools should teach pupils how to think critically and analyse what they read on social media and news sites. “In the past, when you needed information, you went to an encyclopaedia, you looked it up, and you could trust that information to be true,” Mr Schleicher said. “Distinguishing what is true from what is not true is a critical skill today,” he added. “Exposing fake news, even being aware that there is something like fake news, that there is something that is written that is not necessarily true, that you have to question, think critically, that is very important. “This is something that we believe schools can do something about.”

Writing

Read the text again and answer the questions in your own words. 

  1. To what extent do you agree with the points made in the article? Give two reasons.
  2. Have your teachers taught you to critically evaluate information found on the internet?
  3. What actions can you take to verify news stories, photographs and other sources of online information?

Did you hear that Pope in 2016 endorsed Donald Trump for president? Or that Hillary Clinton sold weapons to ISIS? Crazy, right? Of course 100% false! But a lot of people shared this news and so it was ranked high in the Google search. Fake news. There is growing evidence that fake news has the power to shape public opinion and even sway elections. 

  1. Have you ever cited fake information from the internet (either for school or not)? What was the story about? Why did you believe it? What happened? 
  2. What do you think can be the consequences of fake news?

Write your story (about 150 words).

 

Step 3 - Words

Read the article and find verbs that mean the following:

1.

to say that you will not do or accept something

.....

2.

to examine the details of something carefully in order to understand or explain it

.....

3.

to believe something to be true because it is very likely, although you are not certain

.....

4.

to make a judgement about the quality, size or value, etc. of something

.....

5.

to mention something as proof for a theory or as a reason why something has happened

.....

6.

to make public something bad or dishonest

.....

 

[TITLE]
Teachers express frustration at pupils refusing to accept some stories found on social networks are false, as experts call for better education on online dangers
Rachael Pells Education Correspondent
@rachaelpells
Wednesday 12 April 2017 14:30 BST

'Pupils often mistake spoof news sites for real news, or presume anything President Trump has said must be fact,' one teacher said. Pupils are quoting fake news as fact in lessons and written work, teachers have warned.
More than a third of teachers say their students have cited false information found online, according to a poll by the NASUWT teaching union.
Union General Secretary Chris Keates said the finding was “worrying” and shows the power that internet firms have in shaping public opinion, especially among young people. The figures come amid growing concerns from international education experts, who say children should be taught in schools how to recognize fake news.
In one case, a union member said that “some students did not attend school and hysteria ensued because they thought there were killer clowns roaming the streets with weapons”.
Another said pupils “often mistake spoof news sites for real news”. Others expressed frustration over students refusing to believe news they had seen on Facebook and other social sites was not true, even when the problem was explained to them.
“Pupils often mistake spoof news sites for real news, or presume anything President Trump has said must be fact,” one teacher added. Last week, German officials announced they would issue fines of up 50m euros to social networks for not taking down illegal fake news posts.
The new law would give social networks 24 hours to delete or block the content and seven days to address less clear-cut cases. Commenting on the survey findings, Ms Keates said: “It is worrying that over a third of teachers had experienced pupils citing fake news or inaccurate information they had found online as fact in their work or during classroom discussions. “This demonstrates the great power that companies such as Facebook and Google now have in shaping public opinion, particularly among young people who have never known a world without internet and who are less equipped to analyse the information they see presented to them online and assess its plausibility. “It is important for children and young people to be made aware that not everything they see and read online is real.” She said that teachers are trying to help educate pupils when they cite false information, but added that, as with other forms of technology misuse, it is important for online providers to “take responsibility for the material hosted on their platforms and to take steps to tackle those who seek to misuse these sites”.
Last month, Andreas Schleicher, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) director of education and skills, said that in the modern digital age, schools should teach pupils how to think critically and analyse what they read on social media and news sites. “In the past, when you needed information, you went to an encyclopaedia, you looked it up, and you could trust that information to be true,” Mr Schleicher said. “Distinguishing what is true from what is not true is a critical skill today,” he added. “Exposing fake news, even being aware that there is something like fake news, that there is something that is written that is not necessarily true, that you have to question, think critically, that is very important. “This is something that we believe schools can do something about.”


Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb.

Step 4 - Grammar

Let's look at ... mixed conditionals.
We might imagine a situation in the present (If I didn’t have to finish my homework) or in the future (If I didn’t have to sit an exam next week) that could have had an effect on the past:
Present situation, past consequence: If you weren’t such a kind person, you wouldn’t have helped me. (You are a kind person, you did call me.)

Conditional sentences can be mixed if the time of the if clause is different to the time of the main clause.

1. Past ➨ present

If I had read the article correctly, I would have more correct answers now.
I didn’t read the article and I got lots of answers wrong.

2. Past ➨ future

If Martin had read the email, he would going to the fancy restaurant with us tomorrow.
He didn’t read the email and he isn’t going to be at the fancy restaurant tomorrow.

3. Present ➨ past

If I didn't have to study so much, I would have gone to the party last night.
But I have to study a lot and that is why I didn't go to the party last night.

4. Present ➨ future

If Mike weren't so nice, she wouldn't be helping you with French tonight.
But Mike is nice and he is going to help you tonight.

5. Future ➨ past

If Rachel wasn’t making us dinner tonight, I would have suggested that we go to that new Indonesian restaurant.
But she is going to make us a dinner tonight, and that is why I didn't suggest that we go to that new Indonesian restaurant.

6. Future ➨ present

If Jon were giving a speech tomorrow, he would be very nervous.
But Jon is not going to give a speech tomorrow and that is why he in not nervous.

 

 

Situation

Consequence/result

Present or future time

If + past simple

would, could, might + infinitive or be+ -ing

Past time

If + past perfect

would have, could have, might have+ past participle

Read and choose the correct options.
Complete the sentences so that they are true for you.
Write your complete sentences in your notebook.

  1. If I’d be born in the late 1970s, I would/ wouldn’t [..........].
  2. If I had read [..........], I‘d / wouldn’t have [..........].
  3. If I was able to [..........], I ‘d / wouldn't have [..........].
  4. If I hadn’t [..........] last weekend, I’d/ wouldn’t be [..........] this weekend

Step 5 - Listening

Look at the picture. What can you see? Who do you think the person is and what are they doing?
What do you know about photojournalism? How important is it? Give at least three reasons.
How do you think that world of photojournalism has changed in recent times? Think about advances in technology.
You will hear a photo journalist, James Petts talking about the industry of photojournalism.


Do you think that photojournalism is ever ‘fake news’? How?
What might motivate a photojournalist to create a fake picture? Is it ever ok?

Step 6 - Task

You have been asked to provide a guide for younger pupils on spotting fake news.
In this guide you teach younger people to critically evaluate information found on the internet. 

  • Think about 6 ways how you can spot fake news.
  • Compare your ideas with your partners.
  • Present your ideas in an attractive form. Write your ideas in about 180-250 words and find some pictures.

Evaluation

Fill in this schedule and answer the questions below.

(Copy to Word or write down in your notebook)

Activity

 

Needs
Improvement

Satisfactory,
good

Excellent

 

Step 1 - Speaking and watching

I can watch and understand the video and write down the names of newspapers I hear.
I can name other sources of media and explain whether I think a story is fake or not.

 

 

 

Step 2 - Reading

I can name the title of the article and tick the topics I think will appear. I can read and understand the article, make the exercises and answer questions in my own words.

 

 

 

Step 3 - Words

I can find verbs in the text, match with the meaning, and complete the sentences.

 

 

 

Step 4 - Grammar

I understand and can use the grammar 'mixed conditionals'.

 

 

 

Step 5 - Listening

I can answer questions about photojournalism. I can listen and understand the audio and answer questions.

 

 

 

Step 6 - Task

I can do the writing task.

 

 

 

 

What have you learnt in this period?
Answer the following questions:

  • What was the easiest part of this lesson?
  • What was the most difficult part?
  • What did you already know?
  • What was new to you in this lesson?
  • What do you have to ask your teacher?
  • Het arrangement Fake news as fact v456 is gemaakt met Wikiwijs van Kennisnet. Wikiwijs is hét onderwijsplatform waar je leermiddelen zoekt, maakt en deelt.

    Auteur
    VO-content
    Laatst gewijzigd
    2021-07-06 10:41:54
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    Aanvullende informatie over dit lesmateriaal

    Van dit lesmateriaal is de volgende aanvullende informatie beschikbaar:

    Toelichting
    Deze les valt onder de arrangeerbare leerlijn van de Stercollectie voor Engels voor vwo, leerjaar 4, 5 en 6. Dit is thema 'Media. Het onderwerp van deze les is: Fake news as fact. Deze les gaat over dat (jonge) mensen moeite hebben met echte nieuwsberichten onderscheiden van berichten die niet waar zijn en deze laatste soort berichten gebruiken als betrouwbare bron. Daarbij wordt gesproken over de gevaren dat het op kan leveren. Als laatst komt fotojournalistiek aan bod. De grammaticaopdracht gaat over mixed conditionals.
    Leerniveau
    VWO 6; VWO 4; VWO 5;
    Leerinhoud en doelen
    Engels;
    Eindgebruiker
    leerling/student
    Moeilijkheidsgraad
    gemiddeld
    Studiebelasting
    4 uur en 0 minuten
    Trefwoorden
    arrangeerbaar, betrouwbare bronnen, engels, fake news as fact, fotojournalistiek, mixed conditionals, spotting fake news, stercollectie, v456