Spotting Misinformation and Deepfakes | 8 Lessons, 6 Verification Files & a Project | Grades 6–8

Spotting Misinformation and Deepfakes is a printable media literacy unit for grades 6–8. It teaches students how to check a claim, find the original context of an image or quote, and recognize synthetic media. The classroom material has 39 pages and the separate teacher guide has 19 pages with answers. It is written for middle school teachers in media literacy, English language arts and social studies, and for advisory or technology classes. The unit teaches checking strategies, not the features of individual apps or platforms.

The unit has eight lessons. Lessons 1 to 3 build the basic habits: separating claims from evidence, lateral reading and tracing original context. Lessons 4 to 6 cover common patterns of deception: synthetic media, emotional pressure and bots or coordinated behavior. Lesson 7 looks at numbers and surveys in context, and lesson 8 asks how to correct false information without embarrassing anyone. Each lesson has an explanation page, a practice page and a case card. Six verification files give students cases to work through, and a precise model page, two vocabulary pages, a learning check and a project close the unit.

What's Included

• Classroom Material: 39 pages (PDF)
• Teacher Guide: 19 pages (PDF), with expected responses, case guidance and assessment feedback
• Presentation with 17 slides
• Editable DOCX text editions of the classroom and teacher material
• Real-page previews that show the actual layout
• Original illustrations and exact model diagrams

The 8 Lessons

• Lesson 1: Claims and evidence – Separating a claim from the evidence offered for it.
• Lesson 2: Lateral reading – Judging a source by asking what other sources say about it.
• Lesson 3: Original context – Finding where an image or statement came from and what surrounded it.
• Lesson 4: Synthetic media – Artificially generated content and clues to where it came from.
• Lesson 5: Emotional pressure – Spotting content designed to trigger a strong feeling.
• Lesson 6: Bots and coordination – Coordinated behavior that makes agreement look larger than it is.
• Lesson 7: Numbers in context – Reading numbers and survey results with their context.
• Lesson 8: Correcting responsibly – Correcting false information factually and without shaming people.
• Verification files 1 to 6 – Timetable rumor, crowd image, health miracle, survey headline, synthetic announcement and old policy.
• Check and project – Precise model page, vocabulary, learning check, project brief and record, and a reflection page.

Students Will Learn To

• Separate a claim from the evidence given for it
• Check a source by reading laterally across other sources
• Trace an image or quote back to its original context
• Recognize clues that content may be synthetic or built to cause a strong reaction
• Correct false information in a factual and respectful way

Perfect For

• Grades 6–8 media literacy, English language arts and social studies
• Advisory and technology classes that teach checking strategies
• International schools and bilingual programs that teach in English
• Teachers who want an answer key and a presentation ready for preparation
• UK and Australia: roughly Years 7 to 9

Why Teachers Choose This Unit

• The teacher guide has an answer key for each of the eight lessons and for all six verification files
• The unit teaches methods that carry over to new platforms instead of app-specific instructions
• Six verification files give students separate cases to apply the methods to
• The last lesson deals with how to correct others, not only how to detect errors
• The teacher guide includes an assessment key with feedback, a page on differentiation and observation, and a page on sources and AI production

Every resource is built around the curriculum you teach – and if something doesn't fit your standards, the TeachLessons Guarantee applies: we adapt it for you.

Created with AI assistance. Texts and illustrations were generated with AI support and edited for classroom use; sources and production notes are at the end of the teacher guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which standards does this unit fit?

The unit is written for grades 6–8. The closest US framework is the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, for example RI.6.8, RI.7.8 and RI.8.8 on evaluating claims and evidence. No alignment or endorsement is claimed.

Are answers included?

Yes. The separate 19-page teacher guide has expected responses for all eight lessons, keys for the six verification files, an assessment key with feedback and notes on differentiation.

How long does the unit take?

The brief gives no fixed duration. Plan it by lesson: each of the eight lessons has an explanation page, a practice page and a case card, and the six verification files can be added as needed. The teacher guide has a page on sequence and preparation.

Does the unit show real fake news or deepfakes?

The verification files are practice cases, for example a timetable rumor, a crowd image and a synthetic announcement. Preview them before use to check they suit your class. The health miracle case is a media literacy exercise and gives no medical advice.