Defining Mis- and Disinformation: A Toolkit for Teaching and Instilling Critical Thinking Skills

This lesson helps students understand misinformation and disinformation by examining how false or misleading content is created, shared, and amplified across digital platforms. Using the AFT Disinformation Toolkit as the foundation, students look at real examples—from historical yellow journalism to modern social media algorithms and AI-generated content—to see how misinformation influences public perception, trust, and decisionmaking.

This AFT-sponsored toolkit was developed through extensive conversations with educators, parents, and experts in mis- and disinformation. Teachers from across the country—representing communities in Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia—collaborated to create practical, classroom-ready resources and lesson plans that reflect what students are facing today.

Through flexible slide decks, case studies, and guided discussions, students learn to:

• distinguish between misinformation and disinformation
• identify common manipulation tactics in news and social media
• understand how algorithms and engagement-driven platforms shape what people see
• use simple routines for evaluating sources and checking claims

This lesson can stand alone or fit into a broader media or digital literacy unit. It gives students clear, repeatable strategies for questioning information, verifying content, and building confident, responsible habits in a fast-moving digital environment.