Unit 5 — Media and Truth

Track G+M · Klasse 10 · Niveau G/M

Template: Activate → Input → Practise → Produce → Reflect.
Niveau: G/M parallel. class test (“Klassenarbeit”) at Niveau M (45 BE).

Learning objectives Link to heading

  • I can read a short text and identify three signs of misinformation.
  • I can use cautious-claim language (it appears that, evidence suggests, critics argue that).
  • I can write a 180-word media-literacy review.

curriculum framework (“Bildungsplan”) alignment Link to heading

  • 3.3.1 Soziokulturelles Orientierungswissen / Themen
  • 3.3.3.2 Leseverstehen
  • 3.3.3.5 Schreiben
  • 3.3.3.7 Verfügen über sprachliche Mittel – Wortschatz
  • 3.3.4 Text- und Medienkompetenz

(Source: https://www.bildungsplaene-bw.de/,Lde/LS/BP2016BW/ALLG/SEK1/E1)

Lead-in story Link to heading

Sam’s class made a Five-Minute Fact-Check board on the wall. Each Friday, every student pinned one viral claim to the board, with three columns: source / evidence / what would change my mind. By March, the wall was full. Mr. Yilmaz did not say I told you so. He just looked at the wall sideways and smiled.

1. Activate Link to heading

Headline scan. Three real-looking headlines on the slide. Mark each: check / probably true / probably wrong.

2. Input Link to heading

Reading — Five-Minute Fact-Check Link to heading

Most viral claims feel true because they fit a pattern we already believe. The fact-checker’s job is small but stubborn: ask three questions. Where is this from? What is the actual evidence? What would change my mind? If a claim cannot survive these questions, it does not belong in your shareable list.

Vocabulary — media literacy Link to heading

verify, source, primary source, secondary source, fact-check, peer-reviewed, citation, anecdote, correlation vs. causation, statistical sample, bias, framing, context, viral, debunked, retracted.

Cautious-claim language Link to heading

It appears that … / Evidence suggests that … / According to (named source) … / Critics argue that … / This is contested / Studies indicate that … / There is some evidence that …

3. Practise Link to heading

Niveau G Link to heading

  1. Match: peer-reviewed → expert-checked; primary source → original; debunked → shown false.
  2. Choose cautious phrase: (my own claim) → ___ ; (another expert’s claim) → ___ .

Niveau M Link to heading

  1. Build 4 cautious-claim sentences from a real or imagined news topic.
Answer key

G. 1. all true. 2. In my view / Studies indicate that.

M. 3. Open.

4. Produce Link to heading

Media-literacy review, 180 words. Pick a viral claim. Apply the three-question check. Use 4 cautious-claim phrases.

Sample Link to heading

A widely-shared post claims that one cup of green tea per day reduces the risk of dementia by 40 %. The post links to a science-sounding website. According to the linked website, the claim is based on a 2019 study. It appears, however, that the study sampled only 70 participants over six months — too small to support a 40 % claim. There is some evidence that green-tea polyphenols affect inflammation, but this is contested. Critics argue that the study has not been replicated. What would change my mind: a larger, peer-reviewed study with at least 1,000 participants over five years, ideally a meta-analysis. The original post itself shows two warning signs: the round number (40 %) and the absence of a named researcher. I would share it only after a serious follow-up.

5. Reflect Link to heading

  • I can identify 3 signs of misinformation.
  • I can use cautious-claim language.
  • I can write a 180-word media-literacy review.

One thing in your notebook: Write one sentence using something you learned in this Unit.

Exam example Link to heading

class test ("Klassenarbeit") — Niveau M (45 minutes)
Time. 45 minutes. Total. 45 points.

Task 1 — Listening (10 BE) Link to heading

Listen twice.

“The post claims that one cup of green tea per day reduces dementia risk by 40 %. The study sampled only 70 participants over six months. Critics argue the study has not been replicated. The post itself uses a round number and no named researcher.”

  1. Claim: ___ . 2. Sample: ___ . 3. Critics’ point: ___ . 4. Two warning signs: ___ .

Task 2 — Reading (12 BE) Link to heading

Read the Five-Minute Fact-Check extract above.

  1. Three questions: ___ . 2. What viral claims exploit: ___ . 3. Fact-checker job: ___ . 4. Conclusion: ___ .

Task 3 — Use of English (10 BE) Link to heading

Insert cautious-claim language.

  1. ___ that 86 % of Australians live in cities.
  2. ___ that hybrid work reduces stress.
  3. ___ , the study has not been replicated.
  4. ___ argue that the data is incomplete.

Task 4 — Writing (13 BE) Link to heading

Write 180 words: a media-literacy review of a viral claim. Use 4 cautious-claim phrases.

Answer key
T1. green tea reduces dementia by 40 %; 70 participants over 6 months; not replicated; round number + no named researcher. T2. Where is this from? / What is the actual evidence? / What would change my mind?; pattern we already believe; small but stubborn — ask three questions; if a claim cannot survive these questions, it does not belong in your shareable list. T3. It appears / Evidence suggests / However / Critics. T4. Open.
grading scale (Notenschlüssel) (von 45)
| 42–45 | 1 | 36–41 | 2 | 30–35 | 3 | | 22–29 | 4 | 13–21 | 5 | 0–12 | 6 |

Downloads Link to heading

**Slide deck timing.** 45 minutes total. Lead-in 4 min · Activate 5 min · Input 14 min · Practise 8 min · Produce 11 min · Reflect 3 min.

Differentiation. Niveau G: scaffold card with the key structure. Above Niveau M: extension prompt linking to Klasse 11 (or post-Klasse-10 path).

Common pitfalls Link to heading

  • Studies say (vague) — better: A 2019 study by … indicates that ….
  • Most people think without source — anecdote, not evidence.
  • Round numbers (40 %, 90 %) → red flag for approximated or invented data.

Further reading / listening Link to heading

  • BBC Reality Check.
  • FullFact.org (UK).
  • Snopes.com — wide range of fact-checks.

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