Last week I spent two days at Coon Rapids High School, giving a total of 10 presentations to 20 9th and 10th grade English classes about my platform, Read All About It: Youth News Literacy. I taught the classes several important concepts. First, we talked about the growing amount of fake news on the internet and how fake news can have real consequences. People make decisions based on what they see in the news every day! Then, I taught them my "5 W's" checklist to figure out if a source is reliable: Who-- Who wrote the source? Is the author an expert? What-- What is the source? Could it be an advertisement or entertainment in disguise? Where-- Where does the information come from? Does the author cite his or her sources? When-- When was the information published? Is it up to date? Why-- Why was the information published? Was there a hidden motive? |
I am so excited about the positive response I received from students and teachers. I can't wait to continue reaching more students!