Share or Snooze?

Learning Objectives

• Students will learn the SIFT process of evaluating online information to determine the reliability and credibility of an author or source
• Students will apply their knowledge of weather and changing climate to assess the validity of claims and statements made from
  social media posts and articles

Materials

• Share or Snooze quiz
• Student laptops or tablets

Preparation

• Print out copies of the SIFT method infographic and the SIFT analysis worksheet for each student
• Print out copies of the social media posts A and B for each pair of students
• Print out copies of social media samples 1-4 (each student only needs to analyze one social media sample)
• Consider instructing the What Happens to Convective Storms in a Warmer Climate? lesson before you do this lesson if your students have limited background knowledge of weather, climate, and storm formation

Directions

Day 1

1. Pre-Assessment (10 min): Knowing if online information is credible can be challenging. Tell your students they’ll be taking an online Share or Snooze quiz to see how savvy they are at determining the credibility of online content. Students can take the quiz individually or as a group.Point out that having previous knowledge of science ideas related to weather and climate can help you determine the credibility of a resource.
2. SIFT Method (30 min): The next steps of the activity are in an “I do, We do, You do” format. Pass out copies of the SIFT Infographic Method and go over the steps to explain how this method helps you to be a better fact checker. Point out how the questions on the Share or Snooze quiz relate to each step of the SIFT method.

3. Teacher-led example: Ladybug swarm

   

   Show students this Instagram post about a ladybug swarm that was spotted in southern California in 2019. Talk through the SIFT method as a Think Aloud, analyzing the post on how radar screens at the National Weather Service registered a rain cloud that actually was a swarm of ladybugs. Refer to the SIFT method infographic and call out each of the SIFT steps and how the process builds your confidence level for the credibility of the information you're analyzing. (The ladybug swarm is a true story. They really did show up on radar!) Some things you can call out in your Think Aloud using SIFT:

• S-Stop: I’m going to stop and think about the post for a moment. How do I feel about the information?
• I-Investigate: Who is the author? Can I trust this author? Can I find out more about them? I noticed the post mentions ABC7Eyewitness. Who are they?
• F-Find Better Coverage: I noticed the post mentions the National Weather Service. That’s a credible source. Can I find information on the ladybug swarm on their website?
• T-Trace Claims, Quotes and Media to Their Original Context: There aren’t any quotes I can look up, but I can do a reverse Google Image search to see if I can find the original source of the ladybug and radar images. Based on these investigations using the SIFT method, do I think this information is credible?

4. Group Practice: Social Media Posts A and B
   Pass out copies of the Social Media Posts A and B and the SIFT analysis worksheet. Have students work in pairs to decide whether to "share" or "snooze" each post. Note that one post is less credible than the other, but let them figure it out for themselves.
   Teacher notes about each post:
   • Post A: The author is not a scientist. The post uses provocative language with warnings of danger that could provoke someone to share it. The actual post went viral and meteorologists intervened to let people know that there was no concern of an unprecedented massive flood at that time. The resource does mention a USGS article that talks about A.R.K floods that is legitimate, but the main thing is that the author is taking the position of an expert saying that a big storm is coming.
   • Post B: The author is not a credible source, but mentions credible sources. With further checking, you can find the studies referenced in the post in scientific journals. The author regularly posts about climate change and climate science, so they have a strong orientation to this kind of information. That being said, the author is not a climate scientist or expert. This post provides a good example for using the SIFT Method for (T): tracing original quotes and (F): finding better coverage.
5. Group Discussion (5 min)
   Wrap up Day 1 by holding a class discussion about whether they think Post A or Post B is more credible. Ask them to share evidence from each post to back up their opinions. OPTIONAL: use a 1-2-4-All structure for your discussion (alone, in pairs, in fours, as a group).

Day 2

1. Review SIFT from Day 1 (10 min): Ask students to explain how the steps of the SIFT method help you to assess a resource.
2. SIFT Method (continued from Day 1; 30 min)
   Individual practice: Try out the SIFT method on my own
   Students will use the SIFT Analysis Worksheet to analyze one of the provided Social Media Samples on their own. Allow students to choose one of the four samples that interests them, or assign certain ones to best suite your needs. A teacher key for each of the Social Media Samples isprovided to share information for the instructor about how to analyze each post. Please note that links to social media content are subject to being changed or removed. We are not responsible for the availability, accuracy, or continued accessibility of third-party content hosted on external social media platforms. Because of time, you may want your students to assess without going through the entire SIFT method, maybe quickly noting down things as they look at the article/post. Alternatively, allow them to choose their own online article or social media post to analyze. See the Related Resources section below for websites to find credible articles for students to explore.
   Have students answer these questions about their article/post:
   • What made you choose the article or post?
   • What would make it misleading?
   • What would make it more credible?
3. Post-Assessment (5 min): Students write a brief reflection on how the SIFT method changed their perspective on evaluating sources and how they plan to use it in the future. You can also have students include the SIFT method as part of their research related to a future assignment or project.