Question the Headline

Each lesson starts with a recreated front page showing a claim that was once printed as true. Everybody stands on a line from 0 to 10 to show how much they believe it. If you would rather start with ten minutes in registration, Busted covers the same kind of claim in ten minutes a morning for a week.

Students then use five questions: who is saying it, who gains, who paid, what is the evidence, and has it been tested. The same five questions are used in every lesson, and each table gets them on a card.

Groups are then given evidence cards one at a time, such as an advert, a document, a graph or a scientist. Every student logs each card on their own evidence sheet, says which question it answers, and moves along the line if their view changes.

The graph card comes with three questions for students to work out, from how many times higher one bar is to what percentage something fell. Once groups have had a go, you show the answers.

To finish, each student or pair writes the front page the paper should have printed, using at least two cards and one number. Somebody from another group marks it, and only after that do you reveal the verdict.