What grade levels is it designed for?

Checkology is designed for grades 5–12. You'll also find some resources for early elementary. Every resource can be sorted by grade level, topic and activity length to find the right fit for your students.

Do my students need accounts?

Only if you want them to. You can use quizzes, posters and lesson plans with no student accounts at all — or register your class to assign interactive lessons and track progress in the grade book.

Does it work with my classroom setup?

Checkology runs in any web browser — no installation. Downloadable materials like slides, lesson plans and posters can be used in whatever system your school already has.

Free, ready-to-use news literacy lessons for your classroom

250+ standards-aligned interactive lessons, activities and teaching tools for grades 5 to 12, from the nonpartisan, nonprofit News Literacy Project.

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checkology.org · Virtual Classroom

87%

of students

recognized when a social media post failed to provide credible evidence — a gain of 19 percentage points from pre-assessment.

97%

of educators

rate Checkology as either good or excellent.

250+

free resources

lessons, activities and teaching tools.

states

used by educators nationwide.

For curriculum planning Build a full curriculum Preset course pathways, standards alignment, and a grade book to track student progress — for unit- or semester-long planning. Preset courses Grade book & dashboard Standards alignment Explore the full curriculum For this week’s class Find a quick activity Browse timely topics by duration and type — from a 5-minute bell ringer to a full class period. Register when you find something you’ll use. Timely topics 5- to 15-minute activities Quizzes, posters & slides Browse quick activities

Interactive lesson Intro to Algorithms In this lesson, students dive into the world of algorithms and generative artificial intelligence as they weigh the civic and… View lesson details →

Interactive lesson What is News? Interactive Lesson In this lesson, students explore how journalists filter information, or determine which events and issues to cover in a given… View lesson details →

Interactive lesson Practicing Quality Journalism In this lesson, students learn the standards of quality journalism by playing the role of reporter in a gamelike simulation… View lesson details →

Interactive lesson Misinformation In this lesson, students learn to understand different types of misinformation and the ways that misinformation can damage democracy. View lesson details →

Interactive lesson InfoZones In this lesson, students learn to categorize information into one of six zones: news, opinion, entertainment, advertising, propaganda or raw… View lesson details →

Interactive lesson Evaluating Science-based Claims In this lesson, students learn to recognize science-based claims and assess their credibility; explore why people resist science; and gain the… View lesson details →

Interactive lesson Democracy’s Watchdog (lesson plan) In this lesson, students learn about the vital role the First Amendment protections of free speech. View lesson details →

checkology.org · Teacher dashboard

Checkology teacher dashboard — lessons completed report

Interactive lessons Flexible and customizable

Your teacher dashboard

Assign, track and assess — in one place

Online grade book with student progress tracking
Preset courses or individual lessons and quizzes
Built-in assessments with real-time student feedback
SSO and rostering available via Clever

91% of educators rate their students’ experience with Checkology as above average.

Standards-aligned

ELA Common Core C3 Social Studies AASL ISTE NGSS

From a 5-minute activity to a semester-long curriculum — Checkology fits your schedule.

Create your free account

Start building your curriculum — free, in minutes.

Infographic/poster Impostor alert: Don’t fall for fake Labubus or news knockoffs This poster uses the popularity of Labubu toys to offer tips on how to spot impostor content online. View resource details →

Interactive activity Levels of evidence, with Dr. Kat In this mission, students identify the type of evidence exhibited in each example and weigh the credibility of multiple pieces… View resource details →

Video Tutorial: Reverse image search This reverse image search tutorial is one of several tutorials from Checkology’s Check Center that walk students through useful fact-checking… View resource details →

Video Tutorial: Lateral reading This lateral reading tutorial is one of several skills tutorials from Checkology’s Check Center that walk students through useful fact-checking… View resource details →

Instructional slides Daily Do Now slides This collection of “do now” resources is an ideal way to maximize news literacy learning in the opening minutes of… View resource details →

Infographic/poster 6 things to know about AI Artificial intelligence technology is not new, but dramatic advances in generative AI have captured the world’s attention and are transforming… View resource details →

Create your free account Start exploring — register only when you find something you’ll use.

“With Checkology, I learned about the First Amendment, journalistic integrity, deciphering sources. I think that does empower me.”

Neveah Rice Student Cornell High School, Pennsylvania

“Checkology is one of THE best resources I’ve used in 25 years of teaching.”

Beth Holmgren CTE Business Teacher Negaunee High School, Michigan

“Students love the interactive elements in Checkology and really responded to the authentic, real-world examples of ads and social media posts.”

Amy Brownlee Middle School Reading Teacher and Librarian Kansas

Questions, answered

Frequently asked questions

The four things educators ask most before creating a free account.

Still curious? Contact us →

Yes — Checkology is 100% free for educators. Register once with your email (single sign-on is available through Google, Microsoft and Clever) and access all 250+ lessons, activities and tools. No credit card, no trial period, no paid tier.