Creator: Amanda Warner | visit site
Grade Range: 6 - 11
Learn about how and why fake news is created and distributed with this game where players earn money by spreading false news. Begin by selecting a guide for the game and choosing a financial goal. Follow the game to create your site and choose from different payment and options for monetizing information, while at the same time working toward optimum credibility. As the game continues, players select options for sharing their fake news to gain the maximum number of shares and likes. Throughout the game, follow your progress to your financial goal chosen at the beginning of the activity.
In the Classroom
More than ever, understanding the use of media to manipulate readers is a critical skill. Use this game as a supplement to lessons on verifying news sources and fact-checking. Help students discover trigger words found in fake news articles by creating lists of sensational words. Replace word lists with a word cloud creator like Wordsift, <a href="/single.cfm?id=12844">reviewed here</a>, to help visualize the use of trigger words found in online news. Have students find fake news online to analyze for misrepresentations of facts. Instead of doing this as a pencil and paper project, ask students to transform their learning and use ThingLink, <a href="/single.cfm?id=13216">reviewed here</a>, to share an image of the article and add links, images, and videos to "debunk" false information. As students become more familiar with recognizing fake news, have them use a comic creation tool like ToonyTool, <a href="/single.cfm?id=17781">reviewed here</a>, to modify their learning by creating single frame cartoons with tips for avoiding false information then share these comics on your class or school webpage.
At Home
Share this game with your son or daughter as a resource for understanding how fake news spreads and why it is believed by so many that see it.
Tags
problem solving, newspapers, news, journalism,
Subjects
Character Education, Computer Literacy, Current Events, Engineering/Technology, Information Literacy/Research, Reading,