- 14 Mar, 2021
- 0 Comments
- 1 Min Read
Plastic Ocean
When you are reading a story online, how can you tell if it is based on facts? This question is obviously relevant to information outside of science, but recently it has become a serious concern amongst scientists and environmental policy experts. Most people have a difficult time recognizing which stories are true and which are not. In this activity, you will learn some techniques that will help you identify which stories are based on facts and evidence and which are not.
To begin, read the following two articles that outline techniques for spotting real vs fabricated news stories (These articles are also attached to this activity as PDFs.):
A Finder’s Guide to Facts
10 Questions to Distinguish Real From Fake Science
Go online and find two pieces of information about plastics in the global ocean; one that you believe is based on facts and one that is not. These items can be written articles, videos, and/or photos.
For each item, write a short summary explaining why you believe the item is based on facts or not. NOTE: you will be graded on your ability to use the techniques outlined in the articles above, not on whether you successfully identify factual or fake information.
In your summary, make sure you use the tips outlined in the two articles above to determine whether the item is based on facts or not.
Each of your summaries should be about a half page long.
At the top of each of your summaries, include the URL for the item so I can check it out.
For each item, write a short summary explaining why you believe the item is based on facts or not. NOTE: you will be graded on your ability to use the techniques outlined in the articles above, not on whether you successfully identify factual or fake information.
In your summary, make sure you use the tips outlined in the two articles above to determine whether the item is based on facts or not.
Each of your summaries should be about a half page long.
At the top of each of your summaries, include the URL for the item so I can check it out.