This Lens In Action: Mini-lessons to Try Tomorrow!

• Asking The Right Questions Jamboard: This tool can be used to help learners prioritize which questions should guide their investigation. 

The link will prompt you to make your own copy of this Jamboard. Before sharing it with students, you’ll need to update the share settings on your copy. Then, you’ll need to duplicate the second board as many times as necessary to accommodate the number of groups you are working with. 

1. This resource was designed to use with information (an article, video, etc) of your choosing. 
2. Working in groups, have Digital Detectives use the “Two Can Stay, The Rest Can Go” protocol from popular memes to select the two most important questions for them to pursue as part of an investigation into the information you’ve provided them. 
3. Then, have Digital Detectives use the subsequent boards (see above) in the Jamboard to justify their responses. 
4. Optionally, you might wish to adjust the questions on the first board, in order to focus on the skills your learners need to practice most. Once you’re satisfied with the question options, duplicate board two as many times as necessary to accomodate the number of groups you’ll be working with.

• From Emotional Triggers to Investigative Questions: Use this resource to help learners create questions based on the red flags they identify when applying the Triggers Lens to information.

This activity was created for use with information of your choosing. As a reminder, you’ll need to make a copy of the Padlet board linked to the right before use. Please read the directions thoroughly. 

Specific directions can be found on the Padlet itself. However, for more information on Written Conversations, checkout the book by Harvey “Smokey” Daniels and Elaine Daniels. 

• Blue Checkmark – Use this activity help Digital Detectives think critically about the elements that make social media profiles worthy of being “official.”

For this activity, assign Digital Detectives a figure from history (perhaps someone they’ve been studying) or a character from a book. Then…

1. 1.  Using the [INFOGRAPHIC] “Is This An Official Account?” have Digital Detectives create an “official account” for the person they’ve been assigned.
   2. As a possible extension, have Digital Detectives share their work with a partner – using their feedback to revise and update their work.

• Building Better Headlines – This activity is designed to help students:
  • understand that all media messages are constructed.
  • understand how headlines are constructed to maximize engagement with content. 

1. This resource can be used with any online content you choose. However, you may find the following links useful:
   • From the Pew Research Center: Print books continue to be more popular than e-books or audiobooks
     • URL 
     • PDF
   • From NBC News: Mayo Clinic fires 700 workers who failed to comply with Covid vaccine mandate
     • URL
     • PDF

Word Choice + Triggers – This activity is designed to help students:

• • understand that all media messages are constructed.
  • understand how word choice can be used to drive engagement.

Word Choice + Triggers: PDF (for printing)

Word Choice + Triggers: PNG (for digital use)

This activity consists of three parts, with sections one and two scaffolding students towards independent thinking in section three.

Part 1: The first section should be completed within the context of a whole class discussion to help Digital Detectives understand how the use of specific wording in access points to information (such as headlines or photo/video captions) can do all of the following:

• • shape our understanding of an event, person or group
  • confirm our own biases about an event, person or group
  • trigger emotional responses that, in turn…
  • drive engagement

Part 2: The second section was designed for Digital Detectives to complete in pairs or small groups. This section challenges students to apply their understanding of word choice as an engagement driver to a current event of their choice.

Part 3: The third section of this activity was designed for Digital Detectives to complete independently.