LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Evaluate the reliability of a variety of health information sources online; understand how to access the most reliable health information online.

HEALTH ED STANDARDS

NHES 3: Access valid information to enhance health.

CASEL: Responsible decision-making

KEY VOCAB

misinformation

reputable

anecdotes

Lesson Plan: Paging Dr. Google

The internet and social media are overflowing with health information, but you shouldn’t trust everything you see. Here’s how to get reliable advice.

PREPARING TO READ

Before you read the article “Paging Dr. Google,” ask your students the following pre-reading questions:

What are the risks involved in looking for health advice online, and how can you avoid them?

READING AND DISCUSSION

  • Have your students read the article “Paging Dr. Google”; read the article out loud to them; or have students partner-read the article out loud.
  • After they’ve read the article, revisit the pre-reading questions. Have their answers changed?

BUILDING COMPREHENSION

Check students’ comprehension of and engagement with the story with the following assessment tools:

  • Comprehension Quiz

EXPANDING SEL OPPORTUNITIES

Continue the learning journey with the following extension activity:

In STAYING HEALTHY ONLINE, students should work in small groups to create and share skits about how to find reliable health information online. Direct them to use the article, along with their own imaginations, to present their learning. Their skits should tell a story while also teaching the class where unreliable health information might come from, why it is dangerous to follow this type of unreliable advice, and how to identify trustworthy health information. Encourage your class to make their skits as creative and engaging as possible. If any groups struggle to come up with scenarios, they might consider using the ones in the article to help them get started.

Print the Lesson Plan

Text-to-Speech