References: Becoming a Fact Checker
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Fact-checking - Wikipedia - Explains the practice of verifying claims and statements for accuracy, covering professional fact-checking organizations, methods, and the history of verification in journalism.
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Lateral reading - Wikipedia - Describes the research-backed strategy of opening new browser tabs to check a source's credibility through outside references rather than relying on the site's own claims about itself.
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Confirmation bias - Wikipedia - Covers the well-documented psychological tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information that confirms existing beliefs, and strategies for overcoming it.
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Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers by Mike Caulfield, self-published (Creative Commons), 2017 - A concise, freely available guide teaching the SIFT method (Stop, Investigate, Find, Trace) for evaluating online claims, widely used in media literacy education.
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Evaluating Information: The Cornerstone of Civic Online Reasoning by the Stanford History Education Group, Stanford University, 2016 - Landmark research study showing that students at all levels struggle to evaluate online sources, with practical recommendations for teaching lateral reading and source verification.
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Finding Credible News - Common Sense Education - A classroom lesson where students learn criteria for evaluating news credibility and practice distinguishing reliable reporting from misleading content.
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News Literacy Classroom Resources - News Literacy Project - A curated collection of free fact-checking lessons, posters, quizzes, and slideshow activities available through the Checkology platform for grades 5 and up.
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NewsFeed Defenders - FactCheck.org - An interactive educational game from the Annenberg Public Policy Center that teaches students to identify misinformation markers and practice real fact-checking skills.
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Snopes Fact Check Ratings - Snopes - The oldest and largest fact-checking website explains its rating system and methodology, providing a model for how professional fact-checkers evaluate and categorize claims.
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News and Media Literacy Resources for Classrooms - Common Sense Education - A curated list of vetted tools, websites, and lesson plans for teaching students how to evaluate sources, check facts, and read news critically.