Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Fact or fiction carousel

20 minutes

Find Out: Give it the FLICC

20 minutes

Take Action: Fact-checkers

10 minutes

Reflection: Two truths and a myth

Learning intentions

Students will:

understand what misinformation and disinformation is.

Success criteria

Students can:

use strategies to identify misinformation and disinformation
understand how misinformation and disinformation affect real-world issues.

Tune In: Fact or fiction carousel

Preparation

This element of the lesson requires students to participate in a station activity. Before facilitating, create 5 stations around the classroom and ensure each station has a large piece of paper with 2 columns: ‘True’ and ‘False.’ Place students into groups of 5 or 6.

Step 1

Distribute 4 of the 20 Clean Energy Statements to each station (mix of true and false statements). Groups start at 1 station and have 2 minutes to discuss and sort the statements into ‘True’ or ‘False’ columns, writing their reasoning beside each placement.

Instruct the groups to rotate, then review and discuss the previous group's sorting, adding their thoughts and making changes if they disagree.

Repeat until all groups have visited all stations (10 minutes total).

Step 2

Conclude with a brief class discussion about which statements were most challenging to categorise and why. Use these guiding questions for your discussion:

How can we tell if a statement is true or not?
What could be the effect of spreading ‘untrue’ statements?
How is false information spread, and why?

Find Out: Give it the FLICC

Step 1

As a class, watch the following video:

What is misinformation? Let’s break it down | CBC Kids News (youtube.com/watch?v=wyUrV8BELG4)

Ask students to define misinformation and disinformation in their own words. Record these definitions visibly in the classroom for future reference.

Step 2

Guide students through the FLICC model Visual Explainer:

Fake experts
Logical fallacies
Impossible expectations
Cherry picking
Conspiracy theories

This presentation will break down the model with some examples that students might encounter daily. These examples will help students connect and understand misinformation and disinformation through engaging and familiar contexts, before setting them up to recognise and analyse similar patterns in real-world scenarios about clean energy.

Explain to students that this model is a helpful way to spot tricks that people sometimes use to spread false information. Each technique includes a slide that provides 3 pro tips on how to spot if a specific trick has been used in the delivery of information. Guide students through these tips.

Step 3

Remind students that it's important to think critically and look for these FLICC strategies when they see or hear information. This will help them determine what's true and what's not.

Take Action: Fact-checkers

Step 1

Divide students into small groups of 2 or 3. Provide groups with 2 Fact-checking Finder Activity Sheets (1 true and 1 false) about clean energy. Your students' task is to engage in this activity for 20 minutes, practising and applying their critical thinking skills to clean energy information.

Learning support: Print out the Visual Explainer or allow students digital access to help them. Displaying these on the wall will also help with future referencing as students become more aware of possible misinformation and disinformation exposure in their everyday lives.

Step 2

Next, encourage groups to discuss whether each statement is true or false, explaining their reasoning based on the FLICC Model. Provide groups with the following guiding questions to support their discussion:

Is it from a Fake expert?
Does it contain any Logical fallacies?
Are there any Impossible expectations?
Is it Cherry-picking information?
Does it sound like a Conspiracy theory?

Step 3

Invite each group to share their findings with the class. See the correct responses in the table below:

Statement	True or false
It snowed today, so climate change isn’t real!	False: Cherry picking This statement uses a single weather event to dismiss long-term climate trends and clean energy needs.
Clean energy sources will never be able to power entire cities.	False: Impossible expectations This statement sets an unrealistic standard for clean energy, ignoring the progress and potential of renewable sources.
A scientist I know says wind turbines are useless, so we shouldn’t use them.	False: Fake expert This statement relies on an unnamed, potentially unqualified individual’s opinion rather than scientific consensus.
Either we use fossil fuels, or we’ll have no electricity at all.	False: Logical fallacy This statement presents only 2 extreme options, ignoring the reality of a transition to clean energy.
The government is hiding a perfect clean energy solution from us.	False: Conspiracy theory This statement suggests a baseless conspiracy about hidden energy solutions without evidence.
Renewable energy sources like solar and wind are rapidly growing, with renewables expected to produce 35% of global electricity by 2025.	True: This is true because international energy organisations like the International Energy Agency (IEA) regularly publish detailed reports and forecasts based on extensive data collection and analysis from countries worldwide.
Clean energy investments are helping to reduce carbon emissions significantly. In Australia, renewable energy has already avoided over 200 million tonnes of CO2 emissions since 2015.	True: This statement is verifiable through data from the Australian government's Clean Energy Regulator, which tracks and reports on renewable energy generation and its impact on emissions.
Solar and wind power are becoming major electricity sources, with solar power expected to surpass hydropower as the largest renewable power source globally by 2029.	True: This projection comes from reputable energy research firms and international agencies that analyse global energy trends, installation rates, and technological advancements in the renewable energy sector.
Electric vehicles are expanding quickly, with more than 16 million vehicles sold in 2024, driven particularly by countries like China.	True: This information can be trusted because it's based on global sales data collected by automotive industry analysts and verified by multiple independent sources, including government transportation departments.
Australia is on track to reach 50% renewable energy usage by 2025, showcasing rapid growth in the clean energy sector.	True: This projection is supported by recent data from the Clean Energy Council, which reported that renewable energy accounted for 39.4% of Australia's total electricity supply in 2023

Learning extension: Challenge students to create their own accurate statement about clean energy, avoiding FLICC tactics.

Learning opportunity: Encourage students to start a ‘Clean Energy News’ bulletin board where they regularly post verified facts and updates about renewable energy developments.

Reflection: Two truths and a myth

Step 1

Ask each student to write down 2 accurate statements and 1 myth they learned or discussed about clean energy.

Step 2

In pairs, students take turns reading their statements aloud while their partner tries to guess which one is the myth and which FLICC strategy was used, if any.

Step 3

Ask students to share any surprising myths they encountered, reflecting on how easily misinformation and disinformation can spread the importance of fact-checking.

Understanding Misinformation and Disinformation

Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables

Understanding Misinformation and Disinformation

Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables