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Year 6

Verifying what I see online

I can explain how to analyse and verify the information I consume online.

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Year 6

Verifying what I see online

I can explain how to analyse and verify the information I consume online.

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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Misinformation is common online.
  2. We must verify information to ensure it is true.
  3. Understanding the motivation of the author can help us decide if information is trustworthy.
  4. Deciding what is real and what is fake online is difficult, even for adults.
  5. Misinformation can have serious consequences for us and the world.

Keywords

  • Misinformation - false or inaccurate information, getting the facts wrong

  • Analyse - in this context, looking closely at where information has come from

  • Verify - checking if information is accurate by looking at more reliable sources

  • Author - in this context, the person creating a website or app

  • Motivation - the reason why someone does something

Common misconception

Misinformation is harmless.

Misinformation causes many problems in the world. It can lead to bullying, hatred, violence and serious political issues.

Acknowledge that adults also find it hard to tell what is real and what is not online. The only way to be sure of something is to cross-reference with reliable sources of information.
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Teacher tip
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Equipment

content-guidance

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the word with the correct definition.
Correct Answer:content,posts, videos, reels or articles put online by a content creator
tick

posts, videos, reels or articles put online by a content creator

Correct Answer:post,in this context, to put something online, such as a video or image
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in this context, to put something online, such as a video or image

Correct Answer:influencer,someone famous or trying to be famous through posting content
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someone famous or trying to be famous through posting content

Correct Answer:social media,websites and apps used to share words and images with other people
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websites and apps used to share words and images with other people

Q2.
Which of these statements are false?
Correct answer: Most people think the same way we do.
People can pay money to advertise their products.
Correct answer: One company owns the internet.
Echo chambers create polarised opinions and can cause problems in society.
Q3.
How content is created, shared and viewed online is influenced by how much it could earn.
Correct Answer: money
Q4.
Everyone is in some way, even if they try to be kind.
Correct Answer: biased, bias
Q5.
An __________ is when we only hear opinions and beliefs similar to our own.
algorithm
Correct answer: echo chamber
influencer
advert
Q6.
What is the term used to describe computer programmes that can learn and think in a way similar to humans?
Correct Answer: artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence (AI), AI, a i

Exit quiz

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5 Questions

Q1.
Match the word to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:misinformation,false or inaccurate information, getting the facts wrong
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false or inaccurate information, getting the facts wrong

Correct Answer:motivation,the reason why someone does something
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the reason why someone does something

Correct Answer:verify,checking if other people or websites confirm that information is true
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checking if other people or websites confirm that information is true

Correct Answer:analyse,in this context, looking closely at where information has come from
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in this context, looking closely at where information has come from

Q2.
Which is not an effective way of analysing information online?
checking other websites
asking if it seems real
Correct answer: asking a friend what they think
checking the source
Q3.
Which of these statements are true?
Misinformation is harmless.
Correct answer: Misinformation can have powerful consequences.
Everyone recognises misinformation easily.
Correct answer: Everyone, including adults, can find it hard to identify misinformation.
Q4.
Understanding the __________ of the author can help us decide if information is trustworthy.
opinion
location
Correct answer: motivation
Q5.
Verifying information by looking up the information elsewhere is called ...
Correct Answer: cross-checking, cross-referencing, cross checking, cross referencing