Materials

• Lesson outline
• Student handout
• Projector, computers, and Internet connection
• Application activity resources (test all links inside the school building)
  • Teen Vogue — 11 most popular conspiracy theories in recent history
  • PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs “Moments of Truth” story about Karen Robinson from Luka, Mississippi
  • PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs “Moments of Truth” series
  • Washington Post — The real story of the rippling flag on the moon, and other space lore
  • Scientific American — People who believe conspiracy theories share a cluster of psychological features

Vocabulary

Conspiracy theory – The idea that people or groups are colluding in hidden ways to produce a particular outcome.

Activator

Explain to students that you will be talking about conspiracy theories, why people believe them, and how to talk to family members and friends who believe them. First, tell them you would like to see what conspiracy theories they know about and what they would like to learn about them. Ask them to share with a partner.

• List as many conspiracy theories as you can.
• How might you talk to someone who believes a conspiracy theory that has been disproven?

Acquisition (25 minutes)

Ask each pair to share a conspiracy theory and discuss briefly what they know about it. You can then refer to or display the Teen Vogue — 11 most popular conspiracy theories in recent history .  Then, explain to students that this video from the MediaWise Teen Fact-Checking network will explore one of the conspiracy theories on the list–that the 1969 landing on the moon was faked. Play the video on the projector and walk through it together or ask the students to watch the video independently or in small groups. Check to see the link and the examples in the resource work in the classroom.

Watch the MediaWise Teen-Fact Checking Network (TFCN) Video

Answer the questions while watching Isaac's TFCN video about how to talk to family members and friends who believe in conspiracy theories. Watch it all the way through once first, then pause the video if needed after watching it to answer the questions.

1. What percentage of the U.S. public believes the moon landing in 1969 was fake? 6 to 20 percent
2. According to Scientific American , what is a “conspiracy theory”? “ the idea that people or groups are colluding in hidden ways to produce a particular outcome .”
3. What two reasons lead people to believe conspiracy theories? (1) The need to understand major news events (2) People have a need to make “the world seem more straightforward and controllable .
4. As you watch the rest of the video, list three pieces of evidence presented by people who believe the moon landing was fake to prove the conspiracy theory. (1) The flag waves on the moon but there is no wind on the moon . (2) It was filmed by Stanley Kubrick, the director of 2001: A Space Odyssey and special effects were used.
5. In this column, list the factual evidence presented by Isaac to counter each piece of evidence. (1) Engineers placed a horizontal rod in the top hem of the flag to make it seem to fly while on the moon. (2) Special effects were not advanced enough to reproduce this footage in 1969 (3) There were 411,000 NASA employees with 650 directly involved in the moon landing so they all would have had to keep quiet. Too many people to keep it secret
6. According to the BBC, what six strategies can you use to talk to family members and friends who believe a conspiracy theory without the conversation becoming confrontational?

• Keep calm and listen .
• Don’t be judgmental or dismissive .
• Provide logic from reputable sources .
• Ask open-ended questions .
• Encourage the use of critical thinking and consideration of other points of view .
• Use positive humor .

Application (10 minutes)

Display this on the projector and walk through each example or ask the students to work independently or in small groups. Check to see the links and the examples in the resource work in the classroom. Circulate the room as students work.

Watch this PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Moments of Truth story about Karen Robinson from Luka, Mississippi , and her experience falling into and getting out of the grip of conspiracy theories, and answer the questions below. If YouTube is blocked, here is a link to the story .

1. List some of the conspiracy theories Karen Robinson believed at one point in her life. Anti-vaxxer; China owns us; 911 is an inside job .
2. Why did Karen Robinson start believing conspiracy theories? What was the appeal?She was unknowingly in an abusive relationship; then a more abusive relationship; She was trying to make the world make sense and it helped to see it as a bad place and something that was out to get you rather than life being the result of her bad choices.
3. What was the catalyst for Karen to question her belief in conspiracy theories? She was talking to a man about conspiracy theories they believed in and he talked about the flat earth theory. When she saw him use a hard drug which made her realize that if she was thinking like someone like that she had to reevaluate her beliefs.
4. How did Karen finally escape the grip of conspiracy theories? How long did it take? Research. Several weeks .

Assessment (5 – 10 minutes)

This can take the form of a class discussion or a ticket out the door.

“What’s the Big Idea?” Discussion Questions

1. How is what you learned about how people come to believe conspiracy theories reflected in why Karen came to believe some conspiracy theories?
   
2. How is what you learned about how to talk to family members and friends about conspiracy theories reflected in how Karen escaped the grip of them?
   
3. Explain what you learned about conspiracy theories or how to talk to family and friends about them that surprised you the most.

Extension and Refining (optional)

Assign or have students individually or in groups pick another one of the Teen Vogue – 11 Most Popular Conspiracy Theories in Recent History . Students will research the topic and compare the evidence presented by conspiracy theorists against the evidence found through research from reputable sources. Students should be sure to document to source of the evidence they find.

OR

Assign students another one of the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Moments of Truth stories or have them pick one.

1. Summarize the story in five sentences
2. How is what you learned about how people come to believe conspiracy theories reflected in this story?
3. How is what you learned about how to talk to family members and friends about conspiracy theories reflected in this story?

Additional Resources

• PBS NewsHour - How to Keep Conspiracy Theories from Ruining Time Your Time with Family
• MediaWise “Is This Legit?” Series
• Fact-Checking Lesson for Student Journalists
• Misinformation Overload Interviews from PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs
• StoryMaker Media Literacy Learning
• 10 Tips to Spot Media Misinformation

These lessons were developed by PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs in partnership with MediaWise and the Teen Fact-Checking Network, which are part of the Poynter Institute. This partnership has been made possible with support from Google.