Developing Digital Detectives: Essential Lessons for Discerning Fact From Fiction in the ‘Fake News’ Era (2021)

Written by: Brian C. Housand Ph.D
Illustrated by: Cristina Guitian
Published by: Routledge
ISBN-13: 978-1618217288
ISBN-10: 1618217283
Audience: 4th to 6th grade


Description: Educators have long struggled to teach students to be critical consumers of the information that they encounter. This struggle is exacerbated by the amount of information available thanks to the Internet and mobile devices. Students must learn how to determine whether or not the information they are accessing is reputable. Fighting Fake News! focuses on applying critical thinking skills in digital environments while also helping students and teachers to avoid information overload. According to a 2017 Pew Research report, we are now living in a world where 67% of people report that they get their “news” from social media. With the lessons and activities in this book, students will be challenged to look at the media they encounter daily to learn to deepen and extend their media literacy and critical thinking skills. Now more than ever, teachers need the instruction in Fighting Fake News! to teach students how to locate, evaluate, synthesize, and communicate information.