Misinformation and Disinformation Online

Active learning works for this topic because students need to experience firsthand how misinformation spreads and how easily they can be misled. Moving beyond passive listening, they practice identifying techniques like deepfakes and sensational headlines through hands-on tasks that mirror real-world digital behavior.

• Year 8
• Technologies
• 4 activities
• 30 min–50 min

Learning Objectives

1. Differentiate between misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation with specific examples.
2. Analyze common online techniques used to spread false information, such as sensationalism and logical fallacies.
3. Evaluate the credibility of digital sources using at least two critical assessment strategies.
4. Critique the potential impact of misinformation and disinformation on individuals and society.

Jigsaw

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Jigsaw: Misinformation Types

Divide class into expert groups on misinformation, disinformation, or malinformation; each researches definitions, examples, and spread techniques using curated sites. Groups then mix to teach peers via 2-minute presentations with visuals. Conclude with a class chart comparing the three.

Prepare & details

Differentiate between misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation.

Facilitation Tip: During Jigsaw Research, assign each group a different misinformation type and give them a short checklist to structure their findings before presenting to peers.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Document Mystery

⏱ 30 min·Pairs

Source Evaluation Hunt

Provide printed or digital articles from varied sources on a current event. Pairs use a checklist to score credibility based on author, date, evidence, and bias. Groups share top and bottom scores, discussing why in a whole-class debrief.

Prepare & details

Analyze the techniques used to spread false information online.

Facilitation Tip: For the Source Evaluation Hunt, provide a mix of credible and questionable sources with hidden markers like sponsored content or outdated dates for students to identify.

Setup: Groups at tables with document sets

Materials: Document packet (5-8 sources), Analysis worksheet, Theory-building template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Document Mystery

⏱ 35 min·Small Groups

Fact-Check Relay Race

Teams line up; first student reads a claim aloud, runs to verify it using devices or print resources, tags next teammate with fact or fiction call. Rotate claims; award points for accuracy and speed. Debrief on verification strategies used.

Prepare & details

Evaluate the credibility of online sources using critical assessment strategies.

Facilitation Tip: In the Fact-Check Relay Race, set a timer and require each team to find at least two corroborating sources before moving to the next claim to emphasize thoroughness.

Setup: Groups at tables with document sets

Materials: Document packet (5-8 sources), Analysis worksheet, Theory-building template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Document Mystery

⏱ 50 min·individual then small groups

Counter-Misinfo Campaign

Individuals brainstorm a fake news headline, then small groups design corrective infographics or memes with fact-checks. Share via class padlet; vote on most effective. Reflect on design elements that build trust.

Prepare & details

Differentiate between misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation.

Facilitation Tip: During the Counter-Misinfo Campaign, give groups clear campaign goals like debunking a specific myth and a template for designing their message to maintain focus.

Setup: Groups at tables with document sets

Materials: Document packet (5-8 sources), Analysis worksheet, Theory-building template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Teaching This Topic

Teaching this topic requires balancing skepticism with digital literacy. Avoid presenting students with a simple list of 'trusted' sites, as familiarity often trumps accuracy. Instead, use current examples they recognize to show how even trusted friends or algorithms can spread falsehoods. Research suggests that teaching specific techniques—like reverse image search or lateral reading—works better than generic advice to 'check sources.'

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students confidently distinguishing misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation by applying evaluation strategies with clear evidence. You’ll see them questioning sources, recognizing confirmation bias, and justifying their decisions with specific techniques rather than intuition.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Jigsaw Research, watch for students assuming that any source with a professional appearance is reliable without checking for sponsorship or outdated information.

What to Teach Instead

Use the activity’s checklist to require students to note visual cues like ads, broken links, or author credentials before presenting their findings to the class.

Common Misconception

During Source Evaluation Hunt, watch for students dismissing unfamiliar sources too quickly without verifying their reputation or corroborating details.

What to Teach Instead

Have students use the hunt’s materials to cross-check unfamiliar domains with known fact-checking sites or Wikipedia’s page history as a class warm-up.

Common Misconception

During Fact-Check Relay Race, watch for students accepting the first source they find as sufficient proof without lateral reading or checking dates.

What to Teach Instead

During the relay, pause teams to ask, 'What’s another way to confirm this claim?' and require them to find a second source before proceeding.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

After Jigsaw Research, present students with three short online scenarios: one containing clear misinformation, one with disinformation, and one with malinformation. Ask students to label each scenario and write one sentence explaining their reasoning for each choice.

Discussion Prompt

During Counter-Misinfo Campaign, pose the question: 'How can confirmation bias make it harder for us to identify false information online?' Facilitate a class discussion, encouraging students to share personal examples and strategies to overcome this bias.

Exit Ticket

After Source Evaluation Hunt, provide students with a link to a news article or social media post. Ask them to perform a quick credibility check using at least two strategies discussed in class (e.g., checking the author, looking for corroborating sources). They should write down their findings and a final judgment on the source's reliability.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Students create a satirical social media post using real disinformation techniques, then analyze peer responses to see how effectively the misinformation spreads.
• Scaffolding: Provide a graphic organizer with prompts for evaluating sources (e.g., 'Who benefits from this post?') to guide students who struggle with open-ended analysis.
• Deeper: Invite a local journalist or fact-checker to discuss how they verify claims, then have students compare their own strategies to professional methods.

Key Vocabulary

Misinformation	False or inaccurate information that is spread unintentionally, without intent to deceive.
Disinformation	False information that is deliberately created and spread with the intent to deceive or manipulate.
Malinformation	Genuine information that is shared out of context to cause harm or mislead.
Lateral Reading	A fact-checking technique where you leave the original website to search for information about the source and its claims on other reputable sites.
Confirmation Bias	The tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's pre-existing beliefs or hypotheses.