"SIFT"+ Lateral Reading

Welcome to the "Froot Loop Conspiracy Theories" media literacy unit and lesson series by Wes Fryer, designed for middle school students but adaptable for older students and adults as well. (last updated 15 Nov 2024)

Note these lessons and ideas are openly licensed: See the Creative Commons license details below.

I (Wes Fryer) have been teaching versions of this lesson series since Fall 2019, after I participated in the Summer Institute in Digital Literacy hosted by the Media Education Lab.

This page is currently being updated with changes from my fall 2024 lessons. The archived Spring 2024 version of this page is available. More background about this project is available on my "Conspiracies and Culture Wars" media literacy inquiry project homepage.

The 6 minute video, "Froot Loop Conspiracy Theory Unit (Parent Intro)" provides an overview of project goals and activities, which are further detailed below.

Goals

1. Introduce SIFT.

2. Introduce the idea of "people pulling your strings."

3. Continue developing Sketchnoting skills and InfoPic creation skills.

4. Continue learning and practicing "lateral reading skills."

5. Practice ways to responsibly and effectively utilize WikiPedia when checking online news / information sources.

6. Start thinking about CONSPIRACY THEORIES and why they are often popular.

Why the Moon Landing COULDN'T Have Been Faked (5 min)

Goals

1. Understand the SIFT Framework: You'll get to know the SIFT web literacy framework better.

2. Critical Thinking: Practice your critical thinking by analyzing and deciding how credible different sources are, especially when it comes to conspiracy theories.

3. Narrative Skills Development: Improve your storytelling skills by making and narrating your own sketchnote.

4. Media Literacy: Use different digital tools like your iPad, a sketching / drawing app like FreeForm, and Padlet effectively.

5. Awareness of Misinformation: Learn about how misinformation spreads and why it's important to check how reliable sources are.

The lesson slideshow is available, which includes embedded videos.

1. Introduction and Video Viewing: First, learn about the SIFT framework by viewing the attached slideshow. Then, start to check out JP Sears' video, "13 Reasons the Moon Landing was Fake."

2. Research and Investigation: Use LATERAL READING to check out JP Sears' Wikipedia page and at least TWO of the links from the REFERENCES. Think about how believable his claims are.

3. Watch and Note Taking: Watch JP Sears' video, "13 Reasons the Moon Landing was Fake."  Take notes on your iPad or laptop summarizing JP Sears' main ideas from his video.

4. 3 InfoPics: Use a tool of your choice (Google Slides, Canva.com, Adobe Express) to create THREE (3) InfoPics which communicate why it is important to use SIFT to "Investigate a Source" like JP Sears. You can create these on a laptop or your iPad. You can use any of these images if you want.

5. OPTIONAL - AI Brainstorming: You can use this FlintAI custom activity to help BRAINSTORM ideas for your InfoPics! (Private link removed from this page.)

6. Share to Padlet: After LOGGING IN, upload your THREE InfoPics to our shared Padlet. (Private link removed from this page.)

13 Reasons Why the Moon Landing was FAKE (7 min)

1. "Find Trusted Coverage" as part of the SIFT process for the Apollo Moon Landings

2. Create meaningful notes about SG Collins' video, "Moon Hoax Not!"

3. Compare the ideas and arguments Collins presents with those of JP Sears.

Steps

Turn In

You need to:

1. Upload / share your sketchnote or 3 InfoPics to Padlet:

   1. If you created a Sketchnote, here is the PADLET SHARE LINK FOR SKETCHNOTES to use.

   2. If you created 3 related InfoPics, here is the PADLET SHARE LINK FOR INFOPICS to use.

2. Add your SKETCHNOTE or your INFOPICS to your Google Site / Digital Portfolio.

3. Turn in the PUBLIC LINK to your Google Site / Digital Portfolio page which includes your Sketchnote or InfoPics here / below!

Bonus Links

Here are some additional links related to this assignment you can OPTIONALLY check out:

1. Use images from our Shared "SIFT - Froot Loop Conspiracy Theories" Google Drive Folder in your InfoPics or Sketchnotes.

2. Dr Fryer's Narrated Sketchnote about "Moon Hoax Not!"

3. Operation PaperClip (WikiPedia)

4. Apollo 11 Moon Landing Site Seen in Unprecedented Detail (Space.com)

5. More videos about The Apollo Moon Landings, "Moon Landing Hoaxers" and SIFT!