Spotting and Responding to Science Misinformation

Warm-Up (5 min)

Ask: "Have you ever seen someone share something about science on social media that you knew was wrong? What did you do?"

Collect responses. Most students will say they ignored it or scrolled past. A few might have argued in the comments. Frame: "Today we are learning why ignoring it does not work, why arguing usually backfires, and what actually does work."

Direct Instruction (15 min)

Introduce the Misinformation Playbook — common tactics people use (intentionally or not) to distort science:

Cherry-picking — selecting one study or data point while ignoring the broader evidence

False balance — presenting fringe views as equal to scientific consensus

Appeal to nature — "natural is always better" (ignores that arsenic is natural)

Correlation vs. causation — "ice cream sales and drownings both rise in summer, therefore ice cream causes drowning"

Moving the goalposts — constantly changing what evidence they would accept

Appeal to authority (misused) — citing someone with credentials outside the relevant field

For each, show a brief real example. Ask students to name the tactic before you reveal it.

Activity: Spot the Tactic (15 min)

Give students 4-5 real-world misinformation examples. For each:

Identify which tactic(s) are being used

What is the actual science? (may require a quick search)

Why is this example convincing to someone who does not know the science?

Work in small groups. Each group presents one example to the class.

Activity: Truth Sandwich Builder (15 min)

Introduce the truth sandwich framework:

Lead with the truth — state the accurate science clearly and simply

Warn that a myth exists — name it, but do not lead with it

Explain why the myth is wrong — use the tactic name ("this is cherry-picking because...")

End with the truth again — reinforce what is actually supported by evidence

Students pick one of the misinformation examples and write a truth sandwich response as if they were posting it on social media (character limit: 280 characters for the short version, unlimited for the long version).

Wrap-Up (5 min)

Ask: "Why lead with the truth instead of leading with the myth?"

Answer: "Because whatever you say first is what people remember. If you start with the myth, you accidentally reinforce it — even while debunking it. Lead with what is true."

Assessment