Home›Lesson Plans›English Language Arts›Media Literacy · Grade 7

Checking News Credibility

Seventh graders learn a reliable routine for judging whether a news story can be trusted — check the source, the author, the date, the evidence, and then cross-check with another outlet. Five quick checks turn a reader into a careful news consumer.

Grade 7News Credibility50 minutes1 class periodMedia Literacy · CCSSExplicit teaching4 StandardsCCSS / NAMLE
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Check news credibility.
  • ✓Look at source, author, date.
  • ✓Order the checks.
  • ✓Read news wisely.
Essential Question

Not all news is equally trustworthy. What checks help you judge whether a story is credible?

0
Lesson Phases
0
Vocabulary Terms
0
Standards Aligned
0
Interactive Task
Put in Order · Interactive

Order the Credibility Checks

Project this and have students put the news-credibility checks in order.

📰 Put the credibility checks in order!Try it
Tap the first step!
The Lesson · Literacy Flow (Hook · Explore · Practice · Apply · Reflect)

50 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Hook — Is This News Trustworthy?

6 min

Not all news is equally trustworthy — what checks help you judge?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a suspicious story.
  • Ask how to judge it.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Explore — News Credibility

13 min

Students explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Present the checks.
  • Note source & author.
  • Note cross-check.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Note it.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Order It

13 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Order the Checks.
  • Put it in order.
  • Explain.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Order.
  • Say.
  • Explain.
4

Apply — Apply

12 min

Students apply.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Run the checks on a story.
  • Decide: credible?
  • Share your verdict.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Check.
  • Decide.
  • Share.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a first check.
  • Say why cross-check.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name it.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Common Core ELA Standards (informational literacy) & NAMLE media-literacy competencies.

CCSS
W.7.8

Assess source credibility.

CCSS
RI.7.1

Cite text evidence.

NAMLE
Evaluate

Verify news reliability.

CCSS
RI.7.9

Compare across sources.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Check cards.
  • Sentence frame: “First ___, then ___.”
  • Use a sample story.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with source & author.
  • Order two at a time.
  • Use examples.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Rate three stories.
  • Build a credibility rubric.
  • Cross-check a claim.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 📰A sample story
  • 💻Order the Credibility Checks
  • 📋A credibility checklist
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

credibilityhow trustworthy it issourcethe outlet or siteauthorwho wrote itbylinethe author’s namedatewhen it was publishedevidencebacking for claimscross-checkcompare to othersreliablecan be trusted
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What is a good FIRST check for news credibility?
Check the source — is it a known, trusted outlet?
QUESTION 2
Why check the date of a story?
Old news can be reused to mislead.
QUESTION 3
What is cross-checking?
Comparing the story with another trusted outlet.

Reflect: news credibility.

Have students name three checks they’d use to judge whether a news story is credible. A printable credibility sheet is in the ELA library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Checking News CredibilityFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
0

Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Checking News CredibilityQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Checking News CredibilityPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: author, byline, credibility, cross-check, date, evidence, reliable, source
  1. how trustworthy it is
  2. compare to others
  3. who wrote it
  4. backing for claims
  5. the author’s name
  6. the outlet or site
  7. can be trusted
  8. when it was published

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What is a good FIRST check for news credibility?
  2. Why check the date of a story?
  3. What is cross-checking?
Answer key — Part A: 1) credibility · 2) cross-check · 3) author · 4) evidence · 5) byline · 6) source · 7) reliable · 8) date
Part B: 1) Check the source — is it a known, trusted outlet? 2) Old news can be reused to mislead. 3) Comparing the story with another trusted outlet.