Finding Facts Amidst Fiction

With the amount of information available in the world today, how do we know what claims made about the environment are trustworthy? While some scientific articles, ads, and headlines make claims that seem too good to be true, others make outlandish claims to draw readers in. Fake news published in articles, blogs, and ads have been distributed by organizations and individuals who have interests that benefit from dissuading people from believing in real scientific studies. In recent years, fake news has reached more people than ever before due to social media sharing and information bubbles.

To fight scientific misinformation in the classroom, Andy Zucker and Penny Noyce have developed a “Resisting Scientific Misinformation” curriculum for science teachers who educate 6th – 12th grade students. It’s a free online curriculum program aims to help young students distinguish scientific ‘misinformation’ from reality.

Learn more about it here: https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2019/02/lessons-on-telling-scientific-fact-from-fiction/

Here are the top 4 ways to fight scientific misinformation in the classroom and beyond:

– Ensure that your news is credible by reading through some citation sources and checking in to see if the piece is an opinion piece or from a blog written by a non-professional. Opinion pieces allow people to state their opinion rather than absolute facts.

– Be aware of claims based on personal stories, people using their status to assert that their opinion is correct, and the phrase “the science is uncertain.”

– Check out these news related tips to see how fake news works and how to be aware of sources that use “truth-stretching” methods. This will help you determine more accurate news sources for what you want to learn!

– Download the Resisting Scientific Misinformation Teacher Guide here at https://tumblehomebooks.org/services/resisting-scientific-misinformation/

Facing Environmental Challenges Together!

Grades of Green schools can be found all over the world. Currently, Grades of Green schools span 17 different countries. These schools have implemented Grades of Green activities all around the world while providing a variety of international viewpoints and answers to environmental problems. Many of these solutions can be applied to countries with similar climates, such as using mulch to help soil with water retention- saving water in the process, as St. Roza has shown us. By joining Grades of Green, schools become part of a Global network where they have multiple opportunities to communicate with each other. After all, solutions from 615 (and counting!) schools are better than one!

Last semester, the Global Water Challenge brought Millard Extension from Nebraska and Water Challenge Winner St. Roza from Uganda together. The two schools communicated frequently through Google Classroom. After last year’s challenge, these two schools have kept in contact and are continuing to help each other with their environmental goals!

Buddy Schools!

This year, we have over 40 schools in 10 different countries participating in the 2018 Spring Water Challenge! We’re pairing each school with a buddy school so that people can share their experiences, insights, and inspirations. Through increased communication, schools will be able to learn about other ways to tackle environmental solutions! Moreover, students get to learn about different cultures across the map in their shared goal towards a more environmental conscious world.

If you haven’t registered yet, feel free to register your school with Grades of Green here! You’ll receive FREE downloadable resources and one-on-one staff advisor support year-round.