Lesson 2: Tika, Hē, me te Pono

Truth, Lies & Bias

Year 8 Critical Thinking Unit | 45 minutes

Students learn to identify bias, fake news, and evaluate source credibility

📝 Materials Needed

👨‍🏫 Teacher Preparation Notes

Key Learning Goals:

Vocabulary:

Lesson Structure

🔍 Starter: News Headline Challenge 10 minutes

Display these headlines about Matariki becoming a public holiday:

Source A - RNZ News:

"Government announces Matariki public holiday to begin in 2022, marking significant recognition of Māori culture"

Source B - Social Media Post:

"BREAKING: Govt forces ANOTHER holiday on hardworking Kiwis while economy crashes!!! #EnoughIsEnough"

Source C - Stuff.co.nz:

"Matariki public holiday: What you need to know about New Zealand's newest national day"

Quick Discussion Questions:

  1. Which sources seem most reliable? Why?
  2. What language makes some sources seem biased?
  3. How can you tell if a source is trustworthy?

💻 Main Activity: Fact-Checking Challenge 20 minutes

Using Google Fact Check Explorer

Student Task (Pairs):

  1. Open Google Fact Check Explorer: factcheckexplorer.withgoogle.com
  2. Search for claims about current NZ issues (provided list below)
  3. Evaluate 3 different fact-checks
  4. Complete evaluation worksheet

Suggested Search Topics:

Teacher Support During Activity:

📚 Cultural Connection: Oral vs. Written Evidence 10 minutes

Te Ao Māori Perspective on Evidence

Discussion Starter:

"Traditional Māori knowledge was passed down through pūrākau (oral narratives) for centuries. How is this different from written records? Which is more reliable?"

Comparison Activity: Create class comparison chart

Oral Tradition (Pūrākau) Written Records
Strengths:
  • Preserved for thousands of years
  • Contains cultural wisdom
  • Flexible, adaptable to context
  • Personal connection to storyteller
 Strengths:
  • Exact preservation of words
  • Can be verified by multiple people
  • Date and author clearly recorded
  • Less likely to change over time
Limitations:
  • Can change with each telling
  • Hard to verify exact details
  • May be lost if not passed on
 Limitations:
  • Author's bias affects content
  • May lack cultural context
  • Can be deliberately falsified

Key Question: "How can we use both types of evidence to get a more complete picture of truth?"

📊 Wrap-up: Source Reliability Checklist 5 minutes

Class Creation of "Reliability Indicators":

📊 Assessment: Source Evaluation

Students evaluate one news article using the reliability checklist

Assessment Criteria:

📄 STUDENT WORKSHEET - FACT-CHECKING INVESTIGATION

Name: _________________ Date: _________________

Part 1: Headline Analysis

1. Which Matariki headline seemed most reliable? Why?

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

2. What words or phrases showed bias in the unreliable sources?

_________________________________________________

Part 2: Fact-Check Investigation

Topic searched: _________________________________

3. What claim were you fact-checking?

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

4. What did the fact-checkers conclude?

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

5. What evidence did they use?

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

6. Do you trust this fact-check? Why or why not?

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

Part 3: Oral vs. Written Evidence

7. Give an example of when oral tradition might be more reliable than written records:

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

8. Give an example of when written records might be more reliable:

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

Part 4: Source Evaluation

Evaluate this news article using our reliability checklist:

[Teacher will provide a current news article to evaluate]

Reliability Indicator ✓ or ✗ Evidence
Author credentials listed
Recent publication date
Neutral language used
Sources/evidence provided

9. Overall reliability rating (1-10): _____ Explanation:

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

Vocabulary Check

10. Match the te reo Māori terms:

🏠 Homework/Extension

🔗 Next Lesson Preview

Lesson 3: Logical Fallacies - Students will learn to spot common errors in reasoning like ad hominem attacks and false causes, using examples from NZ political speeches and advertisements.