Check in + Step 1: Old news, new news, fake news

• Engels
• Secundair onderwijs

UNIT 5: I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE

Check in: Fact or fake?

Ex. 1

Decide whether these newspaper headlines are fact or fake. Why do you think so?

(different from the ones in your workbooks!)

1.Nasa is installing internet on
the moon.

1. FACT
2. FAKE

This is really happening! Nasa will be building a 4G network on the moon, enabling them to control lunar robots. This story was reported by Newsround, The Independent, and several other sites.

2. A couple in California name
baby with emoji.

1. FACT
2. FAKE

This story was completely made up and shared by a satirical news site. If you're unsure about a story, remember to question the source: does it look like a professional news site? Have you heard of them before? Check if anyone else is reporting the story as well!

3. Gorilla learns to knit.

1. FACT
2. FAKE

Gorillas are impressive, but they haven't mastered knitting yet. This was a fake story, based off a fake photo on the internet, and we know we can't always trust pictures we see online!

4. Teenager fined £100 for feeding
a chip to a pigeon.

1. FACT
2. FAKE

Yes this really happened - if you're not sure about a news story, always check if any news organisations that you trust are reporting on it - this one was reported by the BBC and ITV news.

5. Police in Germany rescue man
chased by baby squirrel.

1. FACT
2. FAKE

It sounds unlikely, but this did happen - the police sent out a patrol car to help, but luckily the chase ended when the baby squirrel curled up and fell asleep. You can find this reported on The Guardian and the BBC.

6. Criminal farts so loudly he gives
away his hiding place.

1. FACT
2. FAKE

The original source for this story was a post on social media from the local sheriff's department, who were directly involved in the smelly incident! It was later reported by lots of publications, including the Independent and USA Today.

STEP 1: Old news, new news, fake news

Using past tenses

Ex. 1

 Fake news is a phenomenon that has existed for a long time. What is ‘fake news’ to you?

Brainstorm below. Then explain your answer.

--> word web!

fake news!

Ex. 2

Fake news is spreading like a real virus. Read this modern fake story and discuss the questions.

a Is this realistic to you? Can you imagine these things happening in real life?

b Why do people often believe fake news?

c Why do you think fake news is spreading so fast?

d What is the implication of the word ‘reportedly’ here?

Ex. 3

Before reading an article about the history of fake news, do the vocabulary exercise below.

whiteboard

Ex. 4

Now read the article ‘The long and brutal history of fake news’ and answer the questions.

a Describe the story that happened in Italy on Easter Sunday in 1475 in your own words.

b What does this story prove?

c Give 2 other examples of ‘religious’ fake news spreading.

d Which example is given in the text for fake news spreading for political means?

e What do you think ‘yellow journalism’ is?

f How did digital news bring yellow journalism back to the fore?

Ex. 4

a Describe the story that happened in Italy on Easter Sunday in 1475 in your own words.

After a young boy went missing, a preacher gave a sermon accusing the Jewish community of having murdered the child in a gruesome way. This was picked up by the Prince-Bishop of the town who ordered Jewish people to be killed in return. Even though the pope realised this was a fake story, the Prince-Bishop refused to hear about it, resulting in many more atrocities against the Jewish community. 

b What does this story prove?

One story can be the start of a series of atrocities committed against people for a long time after the story originated. In this case, this story is seen as part of the foundation of anti-Semitism.

c Give 2 other examples of ‘religious’ fake news spreading.

− The Lisbon Earthquake of 1755: the Church and many European authorities blamed the natural disaster on divine retribution against sinners.

− In 1761, Marc-Antoine Calas, the 22-year-old son of a respected Protestant merchant in Toulouse, committed suicide. Catholic activists spread news stories that Calas’ father, Jean, had killed him because he wanted to convert to Catholicism.

 

e What do you think ‘yellow journalism’ is?

• A style of reporting that emphasises facts over sensationalism.
  
• A style of reporting that emphasises sensationalism over facts.
  
• A style of journalism that favours the objective facts.
  
• A style of journalism that has become popular after the coming of digital media.

f How did digital news bring yellow journalism back to the fore?

On the one hand, algorithms that create news feeds and compilations have no regard for accuracy and objectivity. On the other hand, there are far fewer journalists to fact check all the available data.

d Which example is given in the text for fake news spreading for political means?

Benjamin Franklin concocted propaganda stories about murderous ‘scalping’ Indians

working in league with the British King George III.

Ex. 5

Read the first 2 paragraphs of the text in more detail.

a You will recognise 5 different tenses in these 2 paragraphs. Highlight them in different colours and write an example in the table below.

--> match on next slide

Past simple

Past continuous

Past perfect simple

Past perfect continuous

Present perfect simple

hit

had gone

gave

had murdered

had drained

had drunk

spread

was exclaiming

had been found

ordered

were found

inspired

intervened

attempted

refused

had been drinking

made

attributed

have catalogued

have existed

Ex. 5

 b Focus on the following sentence from the text to establish the timeline.

Ex. 5

 b Focus on the following sentence from the text to establish the timeline.

--> where do you put these verbs on the timeline?

c What difference do you notice in the following sentence of the article? Establish the timeline.

‘had been drinking’ = past perfect continuous. It indicates that the drinking happened not just 1 time but repeatedly.

d Complete the rule on how to form the past perfect continuous tense. Write down 2 other examples.

to talk

to send

d Complete the rule on how to form the past perfect continuous tense. Write down 2 other examples.

to talk

to send

Ex. 6

When is the past perfect continuous used? Use the information in exercise 5 and the words in the box to complete the grammar grid below. Check the examples given.

--> match

completion

duration

temporary situation

unknown duration

Ex. 7

Summarise what you know about the use of the past tenses in the grammar box below.

--> match!

past simple

past simple

for

since

before

before

past perfect continuous

past perfect simple

past perfect simple

temporary

duration

in the past

ended

started

When do we use the past simple tense?

1. To indicate an ongoing action at a specific time in the past.
2. To describe actions that occurred before another action in the past.
3. To talk about completed actions in the past.
4. To show an action in progress in the past.

Which sentence uses the past perfect simple tense?

1. We watched a movie last night.
2. I had finished my homework before dinner.
3. She was reading when I arrived.
4. They had been playing football all afternoon.

When do we use the past perfect simple tense?

1. to indicate that something happened before another action in the past
2. to talk about actions that happened in the past
3. to talk about an action that started and ended in the past, before another action in the past

Which tense is used to show an action that started in the past and continued up to another point in the past?

1. Past perfect continuous
2. Present perfect continuous
3. Past simple
4. Past perfect simple

In the past perfect continuous, the focus is on ...

1. the completion of the action
2. the unknown duration
3. the temporary situation
4. duration and temporary situation

Ex. 8

Discover how ‘the Great Moon Hoax’ originated and spread. Complete these sentences with the verb in the past simple, the past perfect simple or the past perfect continuous.

was

1

published

2

had told

3

claimed

4

had been doing

5

had allegedly discovered

6

were

7

shot up

8

knew

9

had meant

10

had been happening

11