Professional learning · Teachers, Librarians, Coaches · 50 minutes
Lateral Reading Relay
Teams race to verify viral claims and an AI-written summary by leaving the page, not staring harder at it.
Most of us were taught to judge a source by reading it closely: the About page, the spelling, the look of the site. Professional fact-checkers do the opposite. They leave the page and read laterally, checking what others say about the source before trusting it. In this relay, educators experience both approaches on a set of claims, including one confident AI-generated summary, and then redesign a lesson so students practice the move that works.
In this packet
- Handout A: Claim Cards (cut-apart cards)
- Handout B: SIFT Relay Log (organizer)
- Handout C: Lesson Retrofit Planner (worksheet)
- Facilitator key (last page)
TCEA ELE indicators
- T2.1 I can teach students to critically evaluate online information.
- T2.3 I am aware of strategies to help students identify and combat misinformation.
- AI4.2 I can teach others to question and verify AI outputs.
- AI4.1 I know how to promote critical thinking skills in relation to AI-generated information.
Full facilitator guide: mglearn.github.io/eles/activities/lateral-reading-relay.html
Handout A for Lateral Reading Relay
Claim Cards
Cut apart. Teams keep the stack face down and flip one card at a time. The backs are the facilitator key: print them on a separate sheet.
Card 1 · Social post
"BREAKING: Maple Hollow ISD will ban all phones starting Monday, even at lunch. Share before they delete this!" — posted by @HollowParentsUnite, 14K shares
Card 2 · Website
The Institute for Healthy Screens (healthyscreens.org) reports that blue-light glasses "eliminate eye strain in 97% of students." The site is clean, cites "clinical research," and has a .org address.
Card 3 · Photo
A dramatic photo of a flooded school gym with the caption "Riverside Elementary this morning after the storm."
Card 4 · News article
A regional newspaper reports the state education agency released new graduation requirements, quoting the agency's press release and linking to it.
Card 5 · Study claim
"A new study proves students who use AI tutors score two grade levels higher." — headline on an education blog
Card 6 · Video
A 20-second clip appears to show a well-known scientist saying homework "has zero benefit at any age."
Card 7 · AI summary
An AI chatbot's answer: "Lateral reading was developed by researchers studying fact-checkers. In their study, fact-checkers outperformed historians and students at judging websites. 87% of teachers now teach it."
Card 8 · Infographic
An infographic titled "Reading scores have collapsed since tablets arrived" shows a steep line graph with no labeled y-axis and no source.
Handout B for Lateral Reading Relay
SIFT Relay Log
Log both rounds. In Round 2, name the move that changed or confirmed your verdict.
| Card | Round 1 verdict + confidence (1–5) | Move used (S · I · F · T) | What we found | Round 2 verdict + confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| 6 | ||||
| 7 (AI) | ||||
| 8 |
Handout C for Lateral Reading Relay
Lesson Retrofit Planner
Pick one lesson in the next two weeks where students use online or AI-generated information.
The lesson and the information source students use (website, video, AI chatbot, textbook, database):
Right now, what do students turn in? What is missing about how they checked it?
Which SIFT move will students practice, and when in the lesson?
What verification evidence will students turn in? (a logged move, a second source, a claim they corrected, a note on what changed)
Does this lesson need a device or an AI tool at all? What does it add to the evidence of learning?
Partner feedback: "The evidence I'd look for is…"
Facilitator only for Lateral Reading Relay
Answer key and notes
Handout A: Claim Cards
- Card 1 · Social post
- Other sources: the district's news page and the local paper show a board proposal for a middle-school pilot, with a vote next month. Verdict: misleading. The urgency ("before they delete this") is a manipulation cue.
- Card 2 · Website
- Other sources: a lateral search shows the Institute is funded by a blue-light eyewear company, and the "clinical research" is the company's own survey. Verdict: don't trust. Note that .org says nothing about neutrality.
- Card 3 · Photo
- Other sources: a reverse image search finds the same photo in a news story from a different state, four years earlier. Verdict: real photo, false context. Trace moves catch this; staring at the image does not.
- Card 4 · News article
- Other sources: the linked press release exists on the agency's site and several outlets report the same details. Verdict: trustworthy. Lateral reading also confirms good sources, quickly.
- Card 5 · Study claim
- Other sources: tracing leads to a vendor white paper, not a peer-reviewed study, with a small sample and no comparison group. Verdict: overstated. Ask: who ran the study, and who benefits?
- Card 6 · Video
- Other sources: the full lecture shows the clip was cut mid-sentence; the speaker was describing a claim she then disputes. Verdict: manipulated by editing. Find the original context.
- Card 7 · AI summary
- Trace each claim. The first two match published research on professional fact-checkers. The "87% of teachers" figure has no traceable source: the model generated a plausible number. Verdict: partly accurate, one fabricated statistic. Fluency is not evidence.
- Card 8 · Infographic
- Other sources: no original dataset can be found, and the y-axis may start near the top of the scale to exaggerate the drop. Verdict: unverifiable, likely misleading. Missing sources are a finding.