The Nantucket Sea Monster: A Fake News Story by Darcy Pattison

Summary

Do you believe everything you read in newspapers? What if you read a news report about a monster living in the sea? Would you believe the story? In 1937, The Inquirer and Mirror published sea monster sightings in Nantucket. After large webbed footprints appeared in the sand, people were intrigued. Could this monster be real? The surprise ending will leave readers wondering about the validity of news.

Response to Literature

AASL Standards Framework for Learners: Engage/Think VI.A.2 Learners follow ethical and legal guidelines for gathering and using information by understanding the ethical use of information, technology, and media.

As the subtitle indicates, the sea monster story was fake news. The people that read the story were fooled.

Ask learners the following questions:

• “How do you think the people must have felt when they learned the truth?”
• “What do you think they did when they realized what happened?”
• “Why is it important for newspapers to report the truth?”

High School Learners

Have you heard about Gabe Fleisher, a remarkable teen journalist? He writes a nonpartisan newsletter that makes government news easier to understand. Wake Up To Politics provides readers with the latest facts five days a week.

• • Meet Fleisher by listening to an interview with Joshua Johnson on NPR’s 1A.  Learners will be fascinated hearing about Fleisher’s passion for reporting the truth.
  • Read Fleisher’s newsletter, Wake Up to Politics. Give learners time to explore and discuss.

Professional Development

• Read News Literacy: The Keys to Combating Fake News by Michelle Luhtala and Jacquelyn Whiting.
• Watch Luhtala and Whiting discuss news literacy on YouTube.

If you like these lesson ideas, please check out our book Lessons Inspired by Picture Books for Primary Grades. You’ll find ready-to-go lessons with worksheets, rubrics and assessments to use with compelling picture books.

Works Cited:

1A (https://the1a.org/shows)

News Literacy: Book Talk With Michelle Luhtala and Jacquelyn Whiting (https://youtu.be/5i15lk9uGq4?t=2m22s)

Wake Up to Politics (https://us3.campaign-archive.com/?u=4946817b18454973fb1cd7ecc&id=ea11899aa8)

Watch This Space: Meet Teen Journalist Gabe Fleisher (https://the1a.org/shows/2018-05-03/watch-this-space-meet-teen-journalist-gabe-fleisher)