English · Class 10

Active learning ideas

Analyzing Bias in Informational Texts

Active learning helps students grasp how bias shapes understanding by letting them experience it firsthand. When students read, compare, and discuss texts closely, they notice subtle word choices and omissions that influence opinions, making abstract concepts tangible in a way passive reading cannot.

• CBSE Learning Outcomes
• CBSE Curriculum: English Language and Literature (Class X), Section B: Writing Skills, Analytical Paragraph.
• CBSE Curriculum: Competency Based Questions, Analysis and evaluation of visual and statistical data.
• NEP 2020: Fosters multidisciplinary learning by integrating data interpretation with language skills.

• 30–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Jigsaw
• 45 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: Bias Detection Stations

Divide class into expert groups on explicit bias, implicit bias, word choice, and omissions. Each group analyses a short text excerpt and prepares a 2-minute explanation with examples. Groups then teach their peers in mixed jigsaws, followed by whole-class sharing of findings.

Differentiate between explicit and implicit bias in a given informational text.

Facilitation Tip

Before the jigsaw begins, provide a clear bias checklist to anchor students’ observations during their station work.

What to look for

Provide students with a short paragraph from a historical account of the Salt March. Ask them to identify one instance of potential bias and explain whether it is explicit or implicit, citing specific words or phrases.

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

Activity 02

• Document Mystery
• 30 min · Pairs

Pairs: Article Autopsy

Pair students with duplicate news articles, one neutral and one biased on the same event. Pairs highlight differences in language and structure, then swap pairs to verify analyses. Conclude with pairs presenting one key bias discovery.

Evaluate how an author's word choice can reveal their underlying bias.

Facilitation Tip

For the Article Autopsy, assign specific roles like ‘Word Detective’ or ‘Omission Tracker’ to ensure every student contributes meaningfully.

What to look for

Present two different news headlines about the same event, one from a national Indian newspaper and one from an international source. Ask students: 'How do these headlines frame the event differently? What specific words suggest a particular bias, and how might this influence a reader's understanding?'

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

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 40 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: Historical Bias

Post excerpts from biased historical accounts around the room. Students walk in pairs, noting biases on sticky notes, then vote on the most persuasive technique. Discuss as a class how biases influence event interpretations.

Predict how recognizing bias can change a reader's interpretation of historical events.

Facilitation Tip

During the Gallery Walk, circulate with a clipboard to jot down common misconceptions for a targeted whole-class discussion afterward.

What to look for

Give students a list of words (e.g., 'heroic', 'riot', 'struggle', 'protest', 'freedom fighter', 'agitator'). Ask them to classify each word as typically carrying positive, negative, or neutral connotations, and then discuss how using these words can reveal an author's bias.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Document Mystery
• 35 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Bias Debate

Select two biased articles on a social justice issue. Half the class defends one view, half the other, citing biases. Switch sides midway and vote on which article sways opinions more.

Differentiate between explicit and implicit bias in a given informational text.

Facilitation Tip

In the Bias Debate, assign roles such as ‘Moderator’ or ‘Evidence Collector’ to keep the discussion structured and inclusive.

What to look for

Provide students with a short paragraph from a historical account of the Salt March. Ask them to identify one instance of potential bias and explain whether it is explicit or implicit, citing specific words or phrases.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by modelling bias detection in their own reading aloud, pausing to highlight emotive words or missing context. Avoid treating bias as a binary—either present or absent—instead, show students how degrees of bias function in real texts. Research suggests pairing close reading with collaborative discussion deepens understanding more than solitary analysis, so structure activities that force students to articulate their observations to peers.

By the end of these activities, students should confidently identify both explicit and implicit bias in texts, explain how authors use language to sway readers, and articulate why bias matters in shaping historical and current narratives.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Jigsaw: Bias Detection Stations, watch for students who assume bias only appears as direct opinions like ‘I believe’ or ‘clearly’.

  Prompt groups to look for neutral-sounding phrases that hide bias, such as ‘some experts argue’ without citing sources, and add these to their station’s bias checklist.

• During Gallery Walk: Historical Bias, watch for students who dismiss all historical accounts as unbiased if they include dates and names.

  Direct students to compare omissions between texts, such as how one account mentions only British casualties while ignoring Indian deaths, then discuss why these gaps matter.

• During Bias Debate, watch for students who argue implicit bias is less harmful than explicit bias.

  Use the debate to role-reverse positions, asking students to defend the ‘less harmful’ view first, then switch sides to reveal how implicit bias often normalises harmful narratives over time.

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Methods used in this brief

• Jigsaw
• Document Mystery
• Gallery Walk