Watch Out for Fake News | How to Teach Students to Identify Quality Sources Through Lateral Reading

Students are consistently bombarded by information and misinformation. It's more important than ever that they develop the skills needed to identify quality sources in order to differentiate fact from fiction

"Fake news and rumors thrive online because few verify what's real and are always biased toward content that reinforces their own biases" -Ryan Higa

Lateral reading can help students determine an author's credibility, intent, and biases.

Here are some resources you can use to teach students about lateral reading.

• This resource from Stanford is a good place to start.
• Lateral readers are good "fact checkers".
• Research shows that "lateral reading" techniques work.
• Explore the differences between lateral reading and vertical reading.
• Wikipedia can be a useful tool for lateral reading.