🩺 Classroom tool: Be Health Informed lesson

⭐ NEW! Teach news literacy with Labubus

🔦 Philip Lensi Insider Spotlight

World Mental Health Day, on Oct. 10, is a good day to remember that well-being isn’t just about what happens in our daily lives but also about the information we take in. For students, much of that information comes from their phones and social feeds. From viral self-diagnoses to “miracle cures,” health misinformation can quickly spread online, often leaving young people feeling stressed, confused or misled about their own health. 

Checkology’s Be Health Informed lesson, led by Dr. Melissa Clarke, invites students to take a closer look at the health claims they encounter online. Rather than memorizing facts, they learn to think critically and build confidence as they navigate a digital world full of information from countless sources. Students can practice spotting trustworthy advice and making informed choices about their own health. By the end of the lesson, they’re not just learning about health — they’re learning how to approach information with curiosity and confidence. 

World Mental Health Day is a great opportunity to spark this conversation in your classroom. By helping students connect reliable information with healthier choices, you’re giving them skills that can make a real difference in managing the noise of their digital lives. Want to try it with your students? If you’re new to Checkology, register here. Already a user? Sign in to explore the Be Health Informed lesson today.

Q: Every day, students are navigating a lot online — from breaking news headlines to AI-generated content to sponsored posts from influencers. Do you have any tips to help students minimize overwhelm?  

A: I, of course, encourage them to limit their screen time (with minimal success!). But mostly, I model and encourage mindfulness when scrolling, as well as try to get students to put the phone down when spending time with friends and family or when studying. We also spend some time normalizing that overwhelming feeling so they don’t feel alone — we all feel it sometimes.  

Q: How do you teach students to seek out credible sources of information?  

A: Slowly. Patiently. Understanding that this is a lifelong goal and we all struggle with this sometimes. We talk about journalists and their professional standards. I encourage students to find some credible people, follow them and see who they trust, building a trust chain.   

Q: Online content can influence students’ beliefs, values and choices. How can educators help students reflect on the impact of their scrolling and content consumption?  

A: This is such a difficult question that I think about all the time. I’ve found the most success with the little things — encouraging them to spend quality time offline with friends and family, to follow better, more reliable accounts, and to talk about what they’re seeing online with trusted people in their lives. Spending time discussing the methods and tricks that companies use to get and keep your attention can help take away some of the power of their algorithms. It’s very tough, though — screens are very appealing and can reach our kids 24/7. It’s like fighting a monster. 

We’re excited to announce NLP’s Cohort 4 District Fellowship participants! Our District Fellowship program, now including 8 school districts across 15 states, includes Chicago Public Schools, with the potential to impact over 1.1 million students. Each district receives a $30,000 grant plus customized support to build out news literacy programs districtwide. Find out more about the District Fellowship program and who is participating here.  

We’re excited to introduce our newest poster, Impostor alert: Don’t fall for fake Labubus or news knockoffs. This resource taps into the popularity of Labubu toys to help students understand how impostor content works and how to avoid being fooled by it. Just as counterfeit Lafufus try to pass themselves off as real Labubus, impostor content online mimics trusted news outlets, celebrities or brands to trick people into believing it’s authentic. The poster breaks down simple, actionable tips like checking the source. Log into Checkology to download it! 

📅 Oct. 28, 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT:

In our age of AI and algorithms, students encounter misleading science and health content at an alarming rate. But strong partnerships between districts, schools, families and medical professionals can make a difference, boosting students’ resilience against health misinformation. These partnerships can ensure that students develop skills such as evaluating sources, assessing evidence, and thinking critically about online content and social media feeds.  

Join the News Literacy Project's Brittney Smith and Elliott Goodman for an edLeader panel (hosted by edWeb) to learn about the dangers posed to students by health misinformation, and the actions that school leaders can take to help students recognize and spot falsehoods. This event will appeal to administrators, district leaders and curriculum leaders. 

Click here to answer a question and be entered into a raffle to win NLP swag! 

Congratulations to Kelsey Robbins, who teaches English and journalism, for winning last month’s giveaway!

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