Are you ready to arm your students with the tools to distinguish fact from fiction in this digital age where misinformation is rampant? Leslie Morris, the high school ELA specialist at Canyon School District and the state of Utah ambassador for the News Literacy Project, joins us to share her expertise on the crucial topic of news literacy. Listen in as Leslie shines a light on the mission of the News Literacy Project and exposes the significance of teaching students how to sift through the overwhelming information landscape. We delve deep into the role of echo chambers, how they enforce confirmation bias, and discuss the strategies to combat them.
In the second part of our riveting conversation, Leslie breaks down the step-by-step process of teaching news literacy and the essential skills students need to evaluate sources. We touch on lateral reading, contextualizing claims, and how to utilize tools like Rumor Guard to analyze social media posts. Leslie also shares a handy list of five questions students should ask when determining the credibility of a claim and emphasises the importance of teaching reasoning skills and reverse image search techniques. Interested in exploring the role of news literacy in distinguishing between fact and opinion, sponsored content and news, and identifying the agendas of news sources? Stick around as Leslie provides an insider's look into her team’s approach to news and information literacy and encourages us all to be not just consumers of information but thoughtful investigators.
