Fact or Fiction?
Information Literacy GEO this assignment addresses:
Evaluates and selects information. This assignment encourages students to use independent judgment and research skills to verify the truth of information. Application of critical thinking to everyday life is the most basic information literacy skill.
Objectives of assignment:
- Understand the importance of critical thinking in evaluating information.
- Select appropriate reputable sources, devise a search strategy and apply Boolean operators to a search to verify the truth of the statement.
- Understand what techniques can be used to manipulate an individual's perception of the truth.
This exercise requires the use of a computer lab and Internet access for online research. The instructor should divide the class into teams of no more than 3 or 4 students. Each group receives one Fact or Fiction Worksheet and one of the nine statements listed below. Some of the statements are true and some are false, one is debatable.
Fact or Fiction Worksheet plus one of the following:
- Cell Phones
- Cocoa Mulch
- Jury Duty
- Taco Bell
- Target vs Veterans
- 2-Way Mirror
- VIN numbers
Assignment: Fact or Fiction?
After dividing the class into teams, explain to the students that they may or may not have a true statement before them and that it is their job to verify it as fact or fiction and report back to the class. Answering the questions on the Fact or Fiction Worksheet will guide them through the research process. They may search in print or online sources using the Lakeland Catalog, the OhioLINK databases or the Internet. When they are finished, they should appoint a spokesperson to read their statement and explain to the class how they determined its validity.
Important summation/review points:
Review the importance of applying critical thinking skills to everything they see in print or on the Internet, hear on the radio or watch on the news. Information may be distorted or manipulated to make it believable.