English · Première, Terminale (B1 to C2), Bac pro

Session 1: What is in my feed? Anatomy of a viral post

Recap check
  1. Name two social networks where people share pictures.
  2. What is news, in your own words?
  3. Have you ever shared a picture without knowing where it came from?
Answer key
  1. For example Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, Snapchat.
  2. A new fact, dated and sourced, that matters to an audience.
  3. Personal answer: we observe our habits, we do not judge.
Question : Why can a fake picture travel around the world in a few hours?

Objectives

Today's language goal

To describe a viral post: who made it, how it was made, how it spread, we need the words of social media (viral, source, caption, share, algorithm, feed) and the passive (The picture was made with Midjourney).

Documents

The viral post

March 2023. A picture shows Pope Francis in a huge white puffer coat with a cross around his neck. Tens of thousands of accounts share it on Twitter, Reddit and Facebook, and many users praise his new style. The picture was made with the AI program Midjourney. We describe it; we do not reproduce it.

Fact-checks : Full Fact · Reuters Fact Check · AFP Fact Check

"These images were generated using artificial intelligence."
Full Fact, verdict
"Is this legit?"
A comment quoted by Reuters Fact Check

Grammar lesson: the passive: was made, is shared, were generated

To describe a viral post: who made it, how it was made, how it spread, we need the passive: was made, is shared, were generated
For the teacher: how to run it (8 to 10 minutes)
  1. Read Full Fact's verdict: “These images were generated using artificial intelligence.” Ask: who generated them? We do not know, and it does not matter: the passive puts the picture first.
  2. Write two sentences: “Someone made the picture with Midjourney.” / “The picture was made with Midjourney.” Circle be + past participle.
  3. Show the present and past forms; students copy the board.
  4. Quick check, then exercises, then the activities.
On the board, to copy

Rule

Use the passive when the action matters more than the person who did it, or when we do not know who did it. Fact-checkers use it all the time: The picture was generated by AI.

Form

  • present: am / is / are + past participle: The post is shared.
  • past: was / were + past participle: The images were generated.
  • the doer, if useful: by + noun: The picture was made by a user of Midjourney.
  • irregular participles: make → made, see → seen, take → taken, write → written, share → shared

Use

  • To describe how a picture was made or how a post spread.
  • In headlines and fact-checks: Pope picture created with AI.
  • Do not overuse it: active sentences are clearer when we know who acted.

Examples from the lesson

  • These images were generated using artificial intelligence. (Full Fact)
  • The picture was made with the AI program Midjourney.
  • It is shared by tens of thousands of accounts.
  • The post was described, not reproduced.

Common mistakes

  • Not The picture was make with AI., but The picture was made with AI.
  • Not The images was generated., but The images were generated.
  • Not The post shared by thousands. (no be), but The post was shared by thousands.
  • Not It was generated from AI., but It was generated by AI.

Quick check (2 minutes, hands up or mini whiteboards)Active or passive? Write A or P.

  1. Thousands of users shared the picture.
  2. The picture was shared on Reddit.
  3. Full Fact checked the claim.
  4. The claim was checked by Full Fact.
Show the answers

1. A. 2. P. 3. A. 4. P.

Exercises

EntryRecognition. Underline the passive verbs and give the tense (present or past).

  1. The picture was made with Midjourney.
  2. Many users praise his new style.
  3. These images were generated using AI.
  4. Posts are chosen by an algorithm.
  5. The coat was not designed by a fashion house.
  6. Fake pictures are shared every day.
  7. A comment was quoted by Reuters.
Show the answers

1. was made, past. 2. no passive. 3. were generated, past. 4. are chosen, present. 5. was not designed, past. 6. are shared, present. 7. was quoted, past.

CoreTransformation. Rewrite in the passive. Keep by + doer only when it is useful.

  1. Someone created the picture in March 2023.
  2. Tens of thousands of accounts shared it.
  3. Fact-checkers checked the picture.
  4. Reuters quoted a comment.
  5. The algorithm shows the post to millions.
  6. Users posted it on Twitter, Reddit and Facebook.
  7. AI generates more and more images.
Show the answers

1. The picture was created in March 2023. 2. It was shared by tens of thousands of accounts. 3. The picture was checked by fact-checkers. 4. A comment was quoted by Reuters. 5. The post is shown to millions by the algorithm. 6. It was posted on Twitter, Reddit and Facebook. 7. More and more images are generated by AI.

StretchProduction. Describe the Pope post in five sentences: three in the passive, two in the active.

Show the answers

For example: In March 2023, a picture of Pope Francis in a white puffer coat was posted online. It was made with Midjourney. It was shared by tens of thousands of accounts. Many users praised his style. Fact-checkers soon explained that the image was generated by AI.

Going further (for students heading to language studies)Advanced passive. Rewrite with the structure given.

  1. People say that the picture is real. (It is said that ...)
  2. People believed that the Pope had bought the coat. (The Pope was believed to ...)
  3. Someone should have checked the picture. (The picture should ...)
Show the answers

1. It is said that the picture is real. / The picture is said to be real. 2. The Pope was believed to have bought the coat. 3. The picture should have been checked. These impersonal passives are typical of journalism: they report a belief without naming who holds it.

Words in action

To say it precisely, we need the right words

EntryMatch: caption, source, share, algorithm, feed.

  1. the text under a picture
  2. where information comes from
  3. to send a post to other people
  4. the program that chooses what we see
  5. the list of posts on your screen
Show the answers

1. caption. 2. source. 3. share. 4. algorithm. 5. feed.

CoreComplete with viral, reactions, account, timing: The picture of the Pope went ______. The ______ that posted it was not a news site. It got thousands of ______. Its ______ helped: people were bored on a weekend.

Show the answers

viral, account, reactions, timing.

StretchExplain the difference between the content and the frame of a post, with the Pope example.

Show the answers

The content is the picture itself (the Pope in a white puffer coat). The frame is everything around it: the caption, the account, the date, the reactions. A real-looking frame does not make the content true.

Activities

  1. Read the description and fill in the grid: who posted, when, where, which caption, how many reactions.
  2. Find what makes the picture shareable: surprise, humour, celebrity, style.
  3. Pair discussion: is someone who shares a fake picture as a joke responsible?
  4. Summary: a viral post combines a picture, a caption and a network of shares. None of these proves it is true.

Exercise

Sort these items into two columns, content and frame: the coat; the caption; the account name; the date; the number of shares; the cross.
Answer keyContent: the coat, the cross. Frame: the caption, the account name, the date, the number of shares.

Figures of speech in the documents

Metaphor: viral, feed

Session title: “What is in my feed? Anatomy of a viral post”

A feed is first the food given to animals: social media “feeds” us posts. A post that goes viral spreads like a virus, from one person to the next. Both words are metaphors that have become ordinary vocabulary. Even anatomy is a metaphor: the post is studied like a body.

EntryWhat spreads like a virus?

Show the answers

A viral post.

CoreExplain the metaphor of the feed: who feeds whom?

Show the answers

The platform and its algorithm feed us posts, like food given to animals; we receive it without choosing much.

StretchIs the image of food or illness more accurate for social media? Two sentences.

Show the answers

For example: Feed is accurate because the algorithm chooses what we consume. Viral is accurate too, because a post spreads faster than anyone can check it.

Gap-fill worksheet

Word bank : viral, caption, source, shares, Midjourney

  1. A post shared very fast by thousands of accounts goes ______.
  2. The text that goes with a picture is the ______.
  3. The picture of the Pope was made with ______.
  4. The number of ______ does not prove a story is true.
  5. Before sharing, I look for the ______.
Answer key
  1. viral
  2. caption
  3. Midjourney
  4. shares
  5. source

Expression task

Now say it

Pair discussion: is someone who shares a fake picture as a joke responsible?

EntryTwo sentences: your answer and one reason with because.

CoreTwo minutes in pairs, then a three-sentence summary with one passive.

StretchUse a metaphor from the session and a nuance (but, although).

Tools to use:

Show a model answer

I think someone who shares a fake picture as a joke is partly responsible. The Pope picture was shared by thousands of people who believed it. Although the first user only wanted to laugh, the joke went viral and became misinformation. A short caption such as “AI image” would have been enough.

Levels

LevelAdjustment
Première (B1)Guided grid, five boxes.
Terminale (B1 to B2)Add a paragraph on why people share.
C1/C2 extensionDiscuss the attention economy: why platforms reward emotion.
Bac proLink to your trade: which pictures circulate in your sector?

Homework

Observe one post on a social network (do not share it). In five lines, write the account, the date, the caption, the reactions, and what makes you trust it or not.
Answer keyModel answer: the account is named, the exact date is given, the caption is copied, reactions are counted, and one trust criterion is given (source quoted, other media, known account). Reward any remark about a missing source.