Summary
In this lesson, students practice determining the relevance, reliability, and validity of information gathered while researching well-known urban legends. Students analyze the quality, usefulness, and accuracy of the sources they find using a provided framework. As their final product, students construct persuasive arguments using the CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) strategy to report on the accuracy of famous legends.
Essential Question(s)
Why is it important to discern the reliability and credibility of the information we find?
Snapshot
Engage Students will respond to true or false questions about a handful of urban legends.
Explore Students will be assigned to small groups to research one of the provided urban legends and to find at least three sources of information on the accuracy and authenticity of the urban legend.
Explain Groups will use the provided RAVEN framework to analyze the reliability and credibility of the sources they’ve found.
Extend Groups will construct a CER, which includes a Claim about the truth of their urban legend with both Evidence and Reasoning to support their claim.
Evaluate Groups will create a public service announcement (PSA) about how to discern whether information is reliable and credible.
Materials
Presentation Slides
True False Statements Google Form (or your tool of preference)
Engage
50 Minute(s)
Use the attached presentation slides to guide the lesson. Begin with slide 3 and invite discussion of the essential question: Why is it important to discern the reliability and credibility of the information we find? You may want to take some time to explain and discuss the reasoning behind this activity.
Move to slide 4 and begin with a quick true or false game. At this point, it’s not important that students know the “right” answer. The goal here is to get a picture of what we as a culture think we know about these topics.
Ideas for prompts to use. Ask your students to determine whether the statements below are true or false:
In 64 C.E., Nero fiddled while Rome burned.
Einstein, who won the Nobel Prize in physics, made poor grades in high school.
Marie Antoinette’s famous words, “Let them eat cake,” inspired the French Revolution.
Christopher Columbus’ sailors feared sailing off the edge of the world during his voyage to find a trade route to India.
There are alligators in the sewers of New York.
Van Gogh never sold a painting in his lifetime.
Napoleon's cannon shot the nose off the Sphynx.
You should meticulously check your Halloween candy for razor blades.
Fortune cookies are Chinese.
Tigers and other ferocious cats roam the British countryside.
Napoleon was shorter than the average man.
Penguins mate for life.
Sharks are drawn to human blood.
One shouldn't swim immediately after a meal.
Tomatoes are not a vegetable.
Walt Disney is cryogenically frozen and interred under Disneyland.
Saccharine causes cancer.
Jack the Ripper was actually a surgeon.
It is illegal to shout "Fire" in a crowded theater when there is no fire.
Rasputin survived several assassination attempts.
Dogs only see in monochrome.
Explore
50 Minute(s)
Before moving on, review the learning objectives on slide 5. Explain that each of these points will be examined in the course of the lesson.
Display slide 6 and give instructions to your students regarding dividing into groups. Have them number off 1-5, for example. Once everyone has selected a number, have them move into same-number groups.
Have groups select a group leader and a topic. Ask them to conduct research to determine the accuracy of each of the urban legends. Students should find at least three sources related to the myth they are assigned.
Move to slide 7 and have students discuss the duties of each group member.
Move to slide 8. Have groups agree on a topic. Limit the number of groups who can research a single topic. Describe the task and introduce the RAVEN Research Info Graphic Organizer, which will prompt them to reflect on and rate the credibility of each source using the mnemonic:
Relevance: Is the information relevant to your topic? Does it provide useful and applicable information?
Authority: Who is the author and what are their credentials? Are they an expert in the field?
Verifiability: Can you verify the information from other reliable sources? Are there citations or references provided?
Evidence: What evidence does this source provide that supports a true/false judgment on the myth you are researching?
Neutrality: Is the information presented in an unbiased and objective manner, or is there a clear bias or agenda?
Slide 9 and slide10 explain the RAVEN research process. Slide 11 gives your students a link to the RAVEN Research Info Graphic Organizer.
Explain
50 Minute(s)
Show slide 12 and explain each of the columns: Relevance, Authority, Verifiability, Evidence, and Neutrality. Monitor group work periodically to ensure that students are on task and understand the column headings. Once you have begun your exploratory work, think about what content challenges you.
Show slide 13. Have each group write down a challenge they encountered while conducting their research. Which part of the RAVEN criteria did they have the hardest time answering? What about their source made this part difficult? Examine their research challenges through lens of the Muddiest Point strategy.
Extend
50 Minute(s)
Show slide 14. Before moving into analysis of the major argument, review the definitions of facts, opinions, and reasoned judgements. Ask one of the group members to take notes. Review the terms below:
Facts are objective and can be verified.
Opinions are subjective and based on individual viewpoints.
Reasoned judgments involve critical thinking and the synthesis of information to arrive at a well-informed conclusion.
Show slide 15. Review in detail how to construct an argument using the CER format outlined on slide 16:
Claim: Clearly state whether they believe the legend is true or false.
Evidence: Present the evidence they gathered during their research, such as historical facts, expert opinions, or any other sources they deemed reliable using their RAVEN graphic organizer.
Reasoning: Explain why the evidence they presented supports their claim.
Evaluate
50 Minute(s)
Show slides 17 and 18 as models for developing their claims. Have students document their arguments and present their arguments to the class using the provided CER Map Template.
Show slide 19. As a culminating activity, have students work in their groups to create a public service announcement (PSA) on the importance of recognizing reliable information and credible sources. Encourage them to use their research and creatively introduce the concept to the class.
Resources
K20 Center. (n.d.). Claim, evidence, reasoning (CER). Instructional Strategy. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/156
K20 Center. (n.d.). Kahoot. Tech Tool. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/637
K20 Center. (n.d.). Mentimeter. Tech Tool. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/645
K20 Center. (n.d.). Muddiest point. Instructional Strategy. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/109
K20 Center. (n.d.). Plickers. Tech Tool. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/1533
K20 Center. (n.d.), Quizziz. Tech Tool https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/2444
K20 Center. (n.d.) Raven. Instructional Strategy. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/3456?rev=29024