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

Session 7: Final task: our class column, True or Tale?

Recap check
  1. What is the Overton window?
  2. Name two techniques that shift a debate.
  3. What are the steps of a fact-check?
Answer key
  1. The range of ideas the public accepts at a given time.
  2. Fake expert, unsourced figure, bandwagon effect, repetition, humour.
  3. Read the claim, find the first upload, consult a source, compare, give a verdict.
Question : How can we help others get better informed?

Objectives

Today's language goal

To present a full fact-check orally and answer the class's questions, we need the vocabulary of the method (claim, source, reverse search, verdict, tip) and questions with correct word order (Who posted it? When was it posted?).

Documents

Task. In groups, choose a check published by AFP Fact Check, Reuters Fact Check or Full Fact on a neutral topic. Produce a True or Tale? page: the post described (do not reproduce the picture), the method, the comparison with a press article, the verdict, a tip. Three-minute oral presentation.
CriterionInsufficientSatisfactoryVery good
Description of the postIncompleteAccount, date, captionWith reactions and spread
MethodMissingTwo stepsAll steps
Press comparisonMissingOne criterionThree or more
LanguageMany errorsClearPrecise and nuanced
OralReadPartly spontaneousSpontaneous, eye contact, calm voice

Grammar lesson: asking questions: word order

To present a full fact-check orally and answer the class's questions, we need asking questions: word order
For the teacher: how to run it (8 to 10 minutes)
  1. Ask the class: what questions does a fact-checker ask about a post? Write their answers, mistakes included (“Who it posted?”).
  2. Write the two patterns: question word + auxiliary + subject + verb; subject questions without do.
  3. Correct the class list together. Students copy.
  4. Quick check, then exercises, then prepare three questions for another group's oral.
On the board, to copy

Rule

In English questions, the auxiliary comes before the subject: question word + auxiliary + subject + verb. When the question word is the subject (who, what), there is no auxiliary do.

Form

  • Wh- + do / does / did + subject + base verb: When did the account post it?
  • Wh- + be / have / modal + subject: Where was it taken? Who has checked it?
  • Subject questions: Who posted it? What happened? (no did)
  • Passive questions: When was the picture posted?

Use

  • To interview the post: who, when, where, why, how many.
  • To ask another group about its method after the oral.
  • Indirect questions are more polite: Could you tell us where you found it?

Examples from the lesson

  • Who posted the picture?
  • When was it posted?
  • How many times has it been shared?
  • Which source did you use?

Common mistakes

  • Not Who did post it?, but Who posted it?
  • Not When the picture was posted?, but When was the picture posted?
  • Not Where you found it?, but Where did you find it?
  • Not Could you tell us where did you find it?, but Could you tell us where you found it?

Quick check (2 minutes, hands up or mini whiteboards)Put the words in order.

  1. posted / who / it / ?
  2. was / when / taken / the photo / ?
  3. you / did / which tool / use / ?
  4. it / has / how many times / been shared / ?
Show the answers

1. Who posted it? 2. When was the photo taken? 3. Which tool did you use? 4. How many times has it been shared?

Exercises

EntryRecognition. Correct or incorrect? Correct the wrong ones.

  1. Who shared the post first?
  2. Where the photo was taken?
  3. Why did the account delete it?
  4. What did happen next?
  5. How many likes did it get?
  6. Which fact-check you read?
Show the answers

1. correct. 2. Where was the photo taken? 3. correct. 4. What happened next? 5. correct. 6. Which fact-check did you read?

CoreAsk the question. Write the question that gets the underlined answer.

  1. The account posted it in March 2023. (When ...)
  2. Full Fact checked it. (Who ...)
  3. It was shared fifty thousand times. (How many ...)
  4. We used TinEye. (Which tool ...)
  5. The picture was made in a studio. (Where ...)
  6. They deleted it because it was fake. (Why ...)
  7. The verdict is false. (What ...)
Show the answers

1. When did the account post it? 2. Who checked it? 3. How many times was it shared? 4. Which tool did you use? 5. Where was the picture made? 6. Why did they delete it? 7. What is the verdict?

StretchProduction. Prepare six questions for another group's oral: three direct, three indirect (Could you tell us ...?).

Show the answers

For example: Who first posted the picture? When was it posted? Which press article did you compare it with? Could you tell us how you found the original? Could you explain why the post spread so fast? Do you know whether the account apologised?

Going further (for students heading to language studies)Advanced. Use negative and tag questions to challenge politely. Rewrite and explain.

  1. You checked the original, right? (question tag)
  2. Is it not strange that no other photo exists? (natural form)
  3. I wonder: did they correct it? (embedded question)
Show the answers

1. You checked the original, didn't you? 2. Isn't it strange that no other photo exists? 3. I wonder whether they corrected it. Tags and negative questions invite agreement; embedded questions keep the statement order and sound more formal.

Words in action

To say it precisely, we need the right words

EntryPut the steps of the method in order: verdict, describe the post, reverse search, compare with the press, find the original.

Show the answers

describe the post, reverse search, find the original, compare with the press, verdict.

CoreComplete with: spread, spontaneous, nuanced, tip. Our ______: always look for the original. The post ______ fast. Our language is ______. The oral must be ______.

Show the answers

tip, spread, nuanced, spontaneous.

StretchExplain the axes Citizenship and virtual worlds, and Fictions and realities, with your topic.

Show the answers

For example: checking a post is a citizen's act in a virtual world; a fake picture blurs fiction and reality.

Activities

  1. Choose the topic and the source fact-check.
  2. Write the page in groups.
  3. Peer review with the grid.
  4. Oral presentation.

Exercise

Write the final tip of your page in two sentences, like a newspaper column.
Answer keyExample: Before sharing a spectacular picture, check whether a reliable outlet shows it too. If nobody reports it, wait: speed is not truth.

Figures of speech in the documents

Wordplay: True or Tale?

Sequence title and final task: “True or Tale?”

The title plays on the expression true or false: tale (a story) replaces false. The alliteration in t (true, tale) makes it catchy, and the pun reminds us that a fake is often a good story.

EntryWhich common expression does the title play on?

Show the answers

true or false.

CoreWhy is “tale” a clever choice instead of “false”?

Show the answers

Because fakes spread as stories: they are invented narratives, not just errors.

StretchInvent a catchy title with alliteration or a pun for your class column.

Show the answers

For example: Fact or Fiction Friday; Check Before You Click.

Gap-fill worksheet

Word bank : fact-check, sources, share, press, tip

  1. Our page presents a full ______.
  2. We quote our ______.
  3. We do not want to ______ fake news.
  4. We compare with the ______.
  5. We end with a ______ for readers.
Answer key
  1. fact-check
  2. sources
  3. share
  4. press
  5. tip

Expression task

Now say it

Three-minute oral presentation of your True or Tale? page, then questions from the class.

EntryPresent the post and the verdict in four sentences.

CoreThree minutes: post, method, press comparison, verdict, tip; then answer two questions.

StretchSpeak without notes and ask one challenging question to another group.

Tools to use:

Show a model answer

Our post was a video of the Eiffel Tower on fire, viewed millions of times in January 2024. First, we ran a reverse search and found the original upload: a VFX video from July 2023. AFP explained that the images were created with visual effects, and live webcams showed the tower was intact. Compared with the TikTok post, the AFP article was signed, dated and sourced. Our verdict: tale, not true. Our tip: when a symbol burns online, check a live feed.

Levels

LevelAdjustment
Première (B1)Guided page with frames; talk in pairs.
Terminale (B1 to B2)Argue: should platforms be responsible for fakes?
C1/C2 extensionC1/C2: write a 400-word opinion column with concession and rebuttal.
Bac proProfessional role play: warn a colleague about a fake.

Homework

Prepare your talk: a card with five key words at most, and rehearse aloud twice.
Answer keyModel answer: the card has key words, not sentences; the talk lasts three minutes; the conclusion gives a clear tip.