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Lesson 4 of 4

Deciding what is real and what is fake

I can identify fake news online and guess why it is made.

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View unit
Lesson 4 of 4
New
New

Deciding what is real and what is fake

I can identify fake news online and guess why it is made.

Download all

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. It can be hard to tell what is real and what is fake online
  2. Cross-referencing helps us check if something is real
  3. Identifying the author can help us decide what is real
  4. Understanding why something is made can help us decide if it is true
  5. The consequences of fake news can be serious

Keywords

  • Author - The person creating a website or app

  • Cross-reference - Checking if other people or websites agree

  • Consequence - The result of something happening

Common misconception

It is easy to spot fakes.

It is almost impossible to spot online fakes, but cross-referencing can help us to decide what to trust.

Try demonstrating how easy it is to fake an image by exploring an AI image generator online and creating pictures using inputs from the students.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of upsetting content
  • Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the word for online information that is not true?

Fake words
Correct answer: Fake news
Bad news

Q2.
Why might someone create fake news?

Correct answer: To make money
To teach you something
Correct answer: To trick you
Correct answer: To persuade you

Q3.
Why do most websites want you to visit them?

To help you get rich
To stop you getting bored
Correct answer: To make money from adverts

Q4.
Match the words with their meanings.

Correct Answer:Fake news,Information that is not true but looks real

Information that is not true but looks real

Correct Answer:Clickbait,An image or video created to tempt you to click on it

An image or video created to tempt you to click on it

Correct Answer:Motivation,The reason why someone does something

The reason why someone does something

Correct Answer:Manipulation,Influencing someone’s emotions, to make them do something

Influencing someone’s emotions, to make them do something

Correct Answer:Persuade,To change someone's mind

To change someone's mind

Q5.
How might a content creator tempt you to click on a link or look at a post?

Boring text
Correct answer: Surprising stories
Correct answer: Strange pictures

Q6.
Why do people make adverts?

They are fun to watch
To help you learn
Correct answer: To persuade you to buy things

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
It is easy to spot an image created by A.I. (artificial intelligence)?

True
Correct answer: False

Q2.
Put these consequences of being tricked by fake news in the correct order. Start with the least important.

1 - You buy something you don’t need
2 - You learn something incorrectly
3 - You give away personal information
4 - You start chatting to a stranger

Q3.
Which of these is a way to tell if something is fake?

Correct answer: Cross-reference with other websites or adults you trust
Correct answer: Consider why it was made
Have a guess
Always trust a website

Q4.
Which of these are examples of personal information?

Correct answer: Your phone number
Correct answer: Your email address
Your favourite singer
Correct answer: Your photo

Lesson appears in

UnitRSHE (PSHE) / Media influence: What is fake news?

RSHE (PSHE)

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