Pseudoscience, website scrutiny and media literacy investigation

Part 1: 

First go to the below websites and write down your thoughts about each one of them. Some you will have to read and others are obvious. Organize your thoughst in a table and pick you favorite top 3 and describe why you picked them. Guess which is mine!

The top labels of your table should be; 

website name, thoughts about with description (you will use descriptive words here), top 3 picks and why. 

These are the websites.

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Part 2 - Anytime you are answering a question it should be in complete sentences. 

Now look up the difference between pseudoscience and science. What does the prefix pseudo- mean?  Make sure you write down where you got the definitions. What is pseudoscience?

Find 3 pseudoscience websites and describe why you think they are pseudoscience. Make sure you write down the names of the sites.

Find 3 science websites and describe why you think they are scientifically valid. Make sure you write down the names of the sites.

I________________________________________Part 3 ____________________________________

Media Literacy 

1. Begin by watching the video to the right, 4 Tips to spot bad science reporting. Write down the 4 tips.

2. What is meant by post-truth? 

3. Watch the Media Literacy NOW Video below. answer the following.

  1. What is a conspiracy theory? 
  2. How is Birds Aren’t Real a satire? 
  3. What are the key differences between mis- and disinformation?
  4. What’s something new you learned from watching the video? 
  5. Based on what you know and learned in the video, can works of satire like Birds Aren’t Real make a difference in a post-truth culture? How so? Why or why not? What kind of “difference” matters today and where does it matter? 
  6. Social media tends to be where most mis- and disinformation is spread. Are there any recent examples you can think of that they have seen or heard online? 

4. Open up the document Key questions for decoding and download it to your google drive. How would this document be helpful?

5. Climate change through movie posters from Project Look Sharp. 

  • You will using this powerpoint of movie posters to complete the questions below
  • • What are the messages about climate change in this poster? Give evidence to support your
    conclusion.
    • How would you describe the changes in the portrayal of climate change in film posters over the
    period of 2004-2022?
    • Why do you think these representations of climate change in film are so different?
    • What social, political, historical, and economic factors may have influenced this portrayal of
    climate change.
    • Can films change public perception of a major issue like climate change? Why or why not?
    • How does social and environmental change impact filmmaking?
    • Can films lead to social action? Why or why not?
    • Why might different people react differently to these posters?
    • Can emotional reactions to a film poster lead to personal change?
    • How about emotional reactions to film?
    • What other movies can you think of or have seen that could be used for this assignment?


Vocab and other information

  • Satire: Use of humor and imitation to provide commentary or critique. 
  • Misinformation: False information that spreads, regardless of its intent.
  • Disinformation: Information spread to intentionally deceive, misguide or influence public opinion. 
  • Post-truth: When objective facts are less influential than personal beliefs and emotion; relating to a situation where people are more likely to accept an argument based on their emotions and beliefs, rather than one based on facts.
  • In late 2021, The New York Times profiled Peter McIndoe and the origins of Birds Aren’t Real. Share excerpts with middle school students or read the long article together with high school students. 
  • This assignment was created using PBS News Hour media literacy lesson.