In our everyday lives, we tend to search for information online because magazines are not usable nowadays. Fake news and misleading posts are spreading fast on different apps such as Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, or Twitter, and other platforms, especially during elections. With this, critical literacies pedagogy can help people or students tell fact from fake. Thus, a great example would be a middle school fact-checking project in a school setting that would be entitled as "News You Can Trust" Project.

With this project, students will focus on news stories that they can critically work on. Of course, there would be an absolute steps to follow. First is to collect a story, where students bring in a news link, meme, or post that was shared in their family groups or on their own feeds (e.g., about local infrastructure projects, health tips, or community events.) Second is to investigate the source in a way that they will check if the website or account is reliable, looking at whether it has a clear author, contact info, and a history of accurate reporting. In line with this, they can also use tools like fact-checking websites to verify claims. Third is to analyze the message, where students discuss who might benefit from the story, if it uses emotional language to sway opinions, and whether it includes different sides of the issue. For example, if a post claims a new park will "ruin the neighborhood," they research what local officials and residents actually say. Lastly is to share their findings and students create simple posters or short video clips to explain their conclusions to their families and classmates, teaching others how to check information too. Overall, it is like you are promoting or spreading educational awareness to people.

Additionally, there are strengths that can be found in this pedagogy, which includes tackling a real problem that affects their families and communities, making students' learning meaningful. It builds skills like Critical Thinking Skill and Responsible Communication, which is a key for navigating today's digital era. Not only that, it would encourage students to be "citizen fact-checkers," helping them feel empowered and knowledgeable enough to make a difference. However, weaknesses can also be evident such as some students would struggle to tell the difference between reliable and biased sources, especially when information looks official. Fact-checking takes time , so the project can't cover as many topics as a faster lesson might. Also, families may sometimes disagree with students' findings, which can create tension if not handled carefully.

Furthermore, in terms of similarities, both focuses on helping students use information to make decisions in daily life. Both teach practical skills, functional literacy would teach students to read and understand a news article, while critical literacies build on that. Thus, both connect learning to real-world situations. In terms of its differences, functional literacy aims to help students understand what they read or hear, while critical literacies aims to help students evaluate and question it.

To wrap things up, this fact-checking project shows how critical literacies can prepare today's generation to be smart, responsible consumers of information. Yes, it may have challenges, hence, it helps students protect themselves and their communities from misinformation or shall we say FAKE NEWS , which is a vital skill in our connected world.

Click, Check, Think: Teaching Critical Literacies Through News Fact-Checking Projects