Current Issues Lesson Plan I

Title of lesson: “Fake News”

Your Name: Steven Schatzberg

Length of lesson: 1 class period

Context of Lesson:

- As part of the Introduction Unit where students learn about what a Current Event is and how the course will be
structured, the students will learn and sharpen their research skills. One of these skills is learning about and learning
how to spot non-credible news stories and sources, otherwise considered as “Fake News.”

Overview:

- This lesson will provide a contextual understanding of the term “Fake News” by looking at some real examples of how
news stories can be, and are, manipulated in order to mislead an audience. Students will also explore how news has been
manipulated in America’s early past to push a political and social agenda on order to convey that this is not a new
phenomenon in American history.

Central problem/ Essential question:

1. What is Fake News?

2. How has the utilization of “Fake News” changed through American history?

Objectives:

Students will know/be able to:

 Students will be able to explain what the term “Fake News” means.
 Students will be able to integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats
and media in order to address a question or solve a problem.

Anticipated student conceptions or challenges to understanding:

- The subject of “Fake News” can be a contentious issue that has the potential to create heated debates among students
about the issue. This will be mitigated through close attention to the students’ dialogues and providing guiding
questions and predetermined timeframes for discussions to keep students on task.

Materials/Evidence/Sources:

- PowerPoint Presentation
- Ben Franklin Article
- How to Spot Fake News handout
- Fundamentals of Current Issues note-taking worksheet

Instructional Sequence:

1. Teacher will launch the lesson by presenting a photo shopped image of a shark swimming down a flooded freeway
in Houston, Texas after Hurricane Harvey. The teacher will ask the class to explain the image and uncover their
thoughts about the image.
2. After the shark image, the teacher will provide the class definition of “Fake News,” which they will record on their
note sheet for the Introduction Unit. The teacher will also provide a explanation of “Fake News” in its modern context
as it relates to Current Issues, along with some examples of how news has been manipulated in order to mislead for
political gain.
3. Prior to reading the “Fake News” article, the teacher will ask the students to discuss in their groups who they think
they can trust and why. This discussion will prepare the students to consider whether they would trust Benjamin
Franklin before reading an article about his role in fabricating news stories in order to inflame the tensions between
colonial Americans and their Native American neighbors.
4. After reading the article, the teacher will lead a class discussion using guiding questions in order to help students
make connections between the events in the article and their modern equivalent examples that reveal historical
parallels in human behavior regarding “Fake News.”
5. The teacher will conclude the lesson by providing the students with the How to Spot Fake News handouts. The
students will discuss the methods in their groups and keep the handouts in their binders for future reference during
the course.

Assessment:

- There is no assessment built into the lesson but the concept of “Fake News” will be assessed during a short quiz at the
conclusion of the Introduction Unit.
Accommodations:
- Preferential seating, use of technology aides, and enlarged handouts

Current Issues Lesson Plan II

Title of lesson: Current Event Fridays

Your Name: Steven Schatzberg

Length of lesson: 10 minutes

Context of Lesson:

- As part of the Introduction Unit where students learn about what a Current Event is and how the course will be
structured, the students will learn and sharpen their research skills. One of these skills is reporting on current events and
issues as they happen each Friday while paying particular attention to the events Social, Historical, Economic, and
Political impacts that make a story “newsworthy.”

Overview:

In this lesson, the students will learn the basics of the normal Friday routine. Each Friday the students will work in
groups to report about what is going on in the news and this short lesson will provide the conceptual structure of these
reports. The students will learn about the news categories that will be assigned, what criteria determine a story’s
newsworthiness, and the appropriate news sources to consult during their research.

Central problem/ Essential question:

- What is a “WGO” and how is it structured?

Objectives:

Students will know/be able to:

 Students will be able to explain what a WGO is and how it is structured.

Anticipated student conceptions or challenges to understanding:

- Students may be unaware of which news sources are the least biased, so a vetted list of websites will be provided to
assist students in their research.

Materials/Evidence/Sources:

- PowerPoint presentation
- WGO category cards
- Fundamentals of Current Issues note-taking worksheet

Instructional Sequence:

1. Teacher will launch the lesson by commenting to the class about general trends on the previously completed WGO
dry-runs the students attempted to practice for their first WGO Friday.
2. The teacher will then use the PowerPoint presentation to present additional information that reiterates the
structure and requirements of the WGO that have been discussed in previous lessons. The students will be informed
about the structure and time constraints of the Friday class, the 8 news categories that will be assigned, and the
appropriate news sources to consult during research.
3. After completing the short presentation, the teacher will hand out the WGO category cards to each group and give
them further instruction to do individual research as homework in preparation for the group completion of the Sutori
Sheet and Presentations on Friday.

Assessment:

- This lesson does not require assessment, however the Sutori Sheet the students will complete for their WGO Fridays will
be collected for credit.

Accommodations:
- Preferential seating, use of technology aides, and enlarged handouts