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9th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 6 of 12

Digital Smarts

Trust, privacy and credible sources

What your child practices

Telling misinformation from disinformation, checking sources before trusting them, managing passwords and privacy, spotting phishing, and citing and using other people's work respectfully.

Alaska content standards learning standard: W.9-10.6; W.9-10.8 · credible sources, technology-made content and privacy

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Misinformation is false information shared by mistake. Disinformation is spread on purpose to mislead.
  2. A padlock means the connection is encrypted, not that the content is true. Check facts, including chatbot answers, with reliable sources.
  3. Use strong passwords, watch for phishing and ask permission before posting about others.

Example: A chatbot gives you a statistic for your report. What is the best next step? Chatbots can make mistakes or invent numbers. Confirm before using it. Answer: Check it against a reliable source before using it

Digital Smarts in Alaska

In the Alaska content standards, this is unit 6 of 12 in 9th grade English Language Arts, after Literary Devices and before Forms & Features.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Alaska Department of Education and Early Development

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    A video shows a famous athlete saying something shocking. Which step is best before sharing?

    • Assume it is real because it has views
    • Check whether trusted news sources report the same thing
    • Send it to everyone in your contacts
    • Share it first

  2. Question 2

    A social media feed shows you posts based on what you liked before. This is an example of…

    • a random sample of all posts
    • curated information
    • a printed encyclopedia
    • an unbiased news report

  3. Question 3

    Which of these is safest to put on a public profile?

    • Your full birth date and phone number
    • Your favorite book
    • Your password
    • Your home address

  4. Question 4

    A headline reads “SHOCKING!” and the article has no author, date or sources. What does this suggest?

    • It must be true because it is exciting
    • It may not be credible and should be checked
    • It is the newest information
    • It is written by an expert

  5. Question 5

    Which source is most reliable for facts about vaccine safety?

    • An anonymous forum post
    • A friend's short video
    • A public health agency page that lists its studies
    • A company's advertisement

  6. Question 6

    You read a startling claim on a site you do not know. What is the best first step?

    • Share it right away so others can check it
    • Trust it because the site looks professional
    • Search for what other trusted sources say about the claim and the site
    • Trust it because it has many likes

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