This document provides a lesson plan for teaching students how to evaluate conspiracy theories. It begins with an introduction that outlines the common core standards covered, including writing informative texts, arguments with evidence, and collaborative discussions. The lesson then discusses what conspiracy theories are and provides examples. It encourages students to consider different perspectives and evidence when assessing theories. Students take notes during class discussions and write a two-page essay analyzing a conspiracy theory by presenting both sides and taking a position supported by facts.

1. Conspiracy Theories:
Weighing the Evidence
Read, Discuss, and Write

2. Common Core Lesson
This short lesson is designed to be completed in one
or two class periods. In some cases, longer class
discussions may lengthen the lesson to three days.
By
Dean Berry, Ed. D
Gregg Berry, B.A.
www. Commoncorecurriculum.info

3. Introduction
This lesson will help you learn the following
important common core curriculum
standards.
Right Click to Pause or go back
3

4. Common Core Writing Standard
Write
informative/explanatory
texts to examine a topic and
convey ideas and information
clearly.

5. Text Types and Purposes
Write arguments to
support claims in an
analysis of substantive
topics or texts using
valid reasoning and
relevant and sufficient
evidence

6. Speaking and Listening
Engage effectively in a range of
collaborative discussions with diverse
partners on topics and texts, building on
others’ ideas and expressing their own
clearly

7. Take Notes
As we proceed through this lesson,
you will need to take careful notes.
The information you gather will be
useful in completing a two page
essay.
7

8. Conspiracy theories
This lesson will present an
overview of conspiracy
theories and provide skills
for effective evaluation of
those theories.

9. Class Discussion
• Where do you get your information about major events in the
world?
• How do you know if your sources are credible?
• Are one or two sources enough to determine the accuracy of
important information?
• Right Click to Pause or Go Back

10. When horrible events occur, we want to know about all of the
facts as quickly as possible. After all, we live in a world of cell
phones, television, and the internet where most information is
available at our fingertips within seconds. We expect media
reports of events and witnesses to be accurate and unbiased.
Unfortunately, sometimes we have to be patient and allow extra
time for evidence trails to materialize and crime scenes to be
thoroughly investigated. In addition, different media sites may
report very different details.

11. To make things worse, we cannot always depend on political leaders
or government officials to provide accurate facts. In New Jersey, a
major bridge was closed for several days supposedly for maintenance.
However, a close investigation revealed that government officials
purposely closed the bridge to punish another political rival and then
lied about the reason for the closure. We know that some government
officials are not always honest.

12. Class Discussion
•Do you think most Americans
trust their government?
•What changes would you
recommend to help build trust in
the government?

13. Since government officials and business leaders are sometimes
dishonest and willing to cover up activities harmful to the public,
most people harbor a fair amount of skepticism regarding the
reporting of major events. To make it worse, major media outlets
tend to focus on selling products and building a large audience
rather than spending time thoroughly investigating facts before
reporting on them. In recent times, the general public seems to be
distrusting both government and the media to be forthright about
emotionally charged events.

14. Even though most government officials and media sources
attempt to be accurate and honest, we hear enough about
those that are not to make us skeptical as discrepancies
and omissions become obvious. When this happens,
conspiracy theories begin to circulate.

15. Class Discussion
•What are some of the conspiracy
theories often talked about on the
internet?
•Right Click to Pause or Go Back

16. It’s no wonder that suspicions and skepticism that
exist in our world today lead to an abundant supply
of conspiracy theories when horrible events are
reported in the media. Sometimes the evidence
should raise serious questions about events, but
too often internet rumors become facts that have
little or no supporting evidence.

17. Class Discussion
•What is the difference between committing a
crime or engaging in a conspiracy to commit a
crime?

18. The way visual information is presented can skew or alter our
perception. For example, using “Photoshop” techniques or
changing angles or positions can make photographs of events
look different. Selecting some visual images of an event and
omitting others can change our perception of the actual facts of
an event. Some of you will see different images and draw
different conclusions about what you see in the pictures on this
page.

19. • We know that government
conspiracies have happened in the
past. When Nixon was our President,
we endured the Watergate scandal and
cover-up which included lying by key
officials inside the White House. As it
turned out, even President Nixon was
lying and forced to resign his
presidency. This was a dramatic
conspiracy carried out at the highest
levels of government. However, it is
important to note that with adequate
time to investigate and with power
spread over three branches of
government, it was not possible to
keep this conspiracy from being
exposed. The more people that need
to be involved in a conspiracy the more
likely secrets will eventually leak out.

20. Class Discussion
• If you have a secret and tell only your best friend, do you think
the secret will be discovered by others?
• If you have a secret and tell a dozen of your acquaintances, how
soon do you think the secret will show up on Facebook?
• If your secret is kind of boring to most people, do you think it
will spread rapidly when it is leaked?
• Let’s assume that your secret is really juicy and explosive, how
hard will it be for others not to tell their closest friends about
the newly discovered news?

21. • We all love a suspenseful, thrilling movie. It
heightens our emotions to view the most
dangerous and risky events. Mundane stories
will not sell books or movie tickets. Most people
enjoy science fiction since it goes beyond
science and stimulates our imagination.
Conspiracy theories, regardless of their merit,
capture our interest and raise our adrenalin
levels. It’s far more exciting to engage in
speculation than to passively accept obvious
facts. As a result, many people are susceptible to
believing in conspiracy theories.

22. Class Discussion
•Is there a problem with immunizations?
•Why do some parents refuse vaccinations for
their children?
•Is there a conspiracy theory involved?

23. • In 1998, Dr. Andrew Wakefield published
his research study that linked the MMR
vaccine with the onset of autism in
children. Normally, medical studies need
to be replicated many times before
physicians are comfortable accepting the
results. However, sometimes people
become desperate for answers to
problems and are unwilling to wait for
definitive evidence. Within a couple years,
many parents decided it was too risky to
have their children vaccinated for serious
diseases. The fear of autism led parents to
deny immunization protection for their
children. While they believed they were
doing the best thing for their children, they
inadvertently caused serious medical
problems for thousands of children who
became ill or died from preventable
diseases. Several years later, Dr.
Andrew’s research was determined to be
fraudulent. He admitted that his research
was faked, and he lost his license to
practice. The belief that vaccinations
caused autism morphed into a huge
conspiracy theory and, in spite of being
totally debunked, is still believed by some
people.

24. • While some conspiracy theories
deserve consideration, most
conspiracy theories are quite
ludicrous and lack any substantial
evidence. As human beings, we
are naturally suspicious as a
means of self preservation. While
doubting some things we are told
by people in power is a very
healthy and intelligent way to
behave, an emotional response
based on very little information
tends to snowball into a form of
paranoia that can become
dysfunctional.

25. Class Discussion
•What are some of the conspiracy theories
discussed on the internet?
•Do any of these theories make sense to you?
Why?

26. • During the last few years, there have been many
conspiracy theories about various major events.
Some people believe that the attack on the twin
towers on September 11,2001, was an inside job
carried out by our own government. While the
preponderance of evidence supports the belief that
Bin Laden directed his terrorist group to implement
the attack, there are still people who insist that the
attack was from some other group. The Sandy Hook
School shooting and the Boston Marathon Bombing
have also generated conspiracy theories. Those
theories have not been supported by any serious
evidence. Some conspiracy theories are pretty
farfetched. The Illuminati and alien lizards
conspiracy to create world domination defy
everything we know about scientific problem
solving and evidence collection. During this lesson,
you will have an opportunity to study some of
these conspiracy theories, collect
evidence, and reach your own conclusion.

27. Class Opinion Poll
What Do You Think?

28. Do you believe that the
illuminati is a real group of
famous and powerful people
who are trying to take over
the world?

29. Raise your hand if…

30. Is the illuminati a sophisticated
conspiracy?
...you believe that the illuminati
really exists and conducts secret
activities to control the world.

31. Raise your hand if…

32. Is the illuminati a sophisticated
conspiracy?
…you believe that the
illuminati is a story built on
fantasy and imagination and
has no supporting evidence.

33. Let’s review some of the
issues that are raised about
major events and conspiracy
theories.
Take Notes

35. Share Your Ideas
What are some of the major historical events that
have created distrust and suspicion among some
groups of people?
Think about some events that people
may consider as possibly being highly
secret conspiracies and cover-ups.
Raise your hand and share your ideas.

36. Prepare to Summarize
Review possible ideas, take
notes, and prepare to write a two
page essay .

37. Landing on
the Moon

38. Common Core Curriculum Standards
Writing Standards
Write arguments to
support claims in an
analysis of substantive
topics or texts, using valid
reasoning and relevant
and sufficient evidence.
38

39. Common Core Curriculum Standard
Writing-Argument
• Compose Full Text: Write full persuasive
pieces/arguments about topics or texts, attending
to purpose and audience: establishing and
supporting a claim, organizing and citing supportive
evidence from credible sources, and providing a
conclusion appropriate to purpose and audience.
39

40. Develop a Writing Plan
Use Your Notes and Write a Two Page Essay
• Determine what your main
point will be, and write a topic
sentence that provides focus for
your essay.
• Choose several main ideas that
support your topic sentence.
• Sort your information into
supporting details with facts
and examples.
40
•Write an essay about a
major conspiracy
theory presenting the
pros and cons of both
sides of the issue.
Take a position based
on the facts.

41. Details Must Support the Main Ideas
Provide specific
facts, examples,
and reasons for
each main idea in
the body of your
essay. Create an
outline with your
main ideas and
supporting
details.

42. Use the five paragraph essay
format to write your paper.
42

43. 43
Five Paragraph Essay
Outline
Introduction
What is my topic
sentence?
Body-Main Ideas
With supporting
details
Conclusion
How can I summarize
my paragraph?
How can I rephrase my
topic sentence?

44. Essays Require
Three Main
Sections

45. Begin Your Essay With
a Carefully Crafted
Introduction

46. Get the Reader’s Attention and State Your Thesis

47. The Key Elements of a
Strong Introduction

48. Check Out This Sample Introduction

49. Details Must Support the Main Ideas
Provide specific
facts, examples,
and reasons for
each main idea
in the body of
your essay

50. Create an Outline
Topic Sentence___________________________________
_______________________________________________
A. Main Idea_____________________________________
_______________________________________________
Details/Evidence__________________________________
_______________________________________________
Details/Evidence__________________________________
_______________________________________________
B. Main Idea_____________________________________
_______________________________________________
Details/Evidence__________________________________
________________________________________________
50

51. Prepare to Write
•Write an essay about a major
conspiracy theory presenting
the pros and cons of both sides
of the issue. Take a position
based on the facts.
•As you write your rough draft, it
will be very important to use
special words that enable you to
transition smoothly from one
idea to the next.

52. Transition Words
As you view these words,
select the words that help
you make transitions
smoothly from one idea to
the next.
• as a result
• such as
• for example
• nevertheless
• for that reason
• finally
• at this time
• therefore
• furthermore
• in addition
• in conclusion
• as well as 52

53. Write a Conclusion
Write a conclusion for
your essay reviewing
your main points and
discussing why this
issue is so important .

54. Write a Strong Conclusion for Your Essay

56. Let’s Review a Good Conclusion

57. Review, Edit, and Rewrite
1. Re-read your essay several
times.
2. How can you improve your
sentences to communicate more
clearly?
3. Are your main ideas supported
by examples and details?
4. Exchange papers with another
student and read each other’s
essay out loud.
5. Make final corrections and write
the final draft of your polished
essay. 57

58. Check the Facts on Quackwatch
• https://www.quackwatch.org/index.html

59. Find Reliable Information on Sweetsearch
• http://www.sweetsearch.com/