Teach Primary Issue 19.5

In a world where we have a wealth of information at our fingertips, children are more exposed than ever to dubious content. This lesson will teach pupils to distinguish between misinformation (something shared by mistake), disinformation (something that is deliberately false), and malinformation (true information used to harm). Using a striking image as a stimulus, it will help children to become critical thinkers, capable of spotting misleading information and explaining why it is problematic, and confident in checking their sources. 1 | DEFINING DIFFERENCES First, ask pupils to justify their decisions from the starter activity. Share a few examples as a class, prompting children to explain their reasoning. Highlight how some examples can be debated, making the categories less clear-cut. Note, there is no specific reference to malinformation in the national curriculum, however, this is an increasing trend online, so I believe it is important to make a clear distinction. Once you’ve recapped the key info, and discussed any misunderstandings or confusion, introduce some short, accessible case studies drawn from social media platforms that the children might be familiar with (e.g. a mistakenly shared health tip, a deepfake video, or a harsh meme based on truth). These are fairly easy to find with a quick search, but you can also find some examples in the download link on the right. Let children connect these terms to what they might have seen in the wild online or even overheard in conversations, and encourage a discussion on this. This grounds the terms in their reality and primes them for the analysis to follow. 2 | INVESTIGATING IMAGES Hand out printed copies of the cropped Jessica E. Boyd image START HERE MAIN LESSON WHAT THEY’LL LEARN l To understand misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation l To identify examples in an online context l To critically analyse digital content l To explain the impact of misleading information Computing Explain the difference between the different types of information (misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation - see the explanations in the intro to this lesson). Next, present the children with the following three scenarios: l A photo of an influencer at a party is shared online with the caption, “Caught breaking the rules!” The photo was taken years earlier, but the person sharing it didn’t realise. l A video appears online showing a rare animal species supposedly discovered in a local park. It goes viral, but the person who posted it used a special app to create the animal, hoping to gain followers. l A student shares a screenshot of another child’s comment taken from a private group chat, making it look like they said something mean. The screenshot is real, but the context is missing. In pairs, ask children to decide to which category each statement belongs. Explore how children can develop critical thinking skills to identify true and false info online, with Karl McGrath KS2 LESSON PLAN Linktr.ee/KarlMcGrath @MRMICT One of these things (is not like the others) 78 | www.teachwire.net