Headline Reality Check

This worksheet supports students in Grades 5, 6, and 7 as they practice critical reading, evidence analysis, and media literacy by comparing a headline to a related passage. Students decide whether the headline is accurate or misleading, underline key evidence from the text, and write a brief explanation defending their judgment. The activity makes clear how media framing can exaggerate or distort information and helps learners connect claims to supporting details.

Learning Goals

• Headline Accuracy (Grades 5-7)
  Determine whether a headline is supported by the information in the text.
• Textual Evidence Use
  Identify and underline details that justify conclusions.
• Media Literacy Skills
  Recognize sensationalized or misleading headlines and understand framing.
• Critical Claim Evaluation
  Connect evidence to conclusions using clear reasoning.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource
  Designed by educators to align with ELA and media literacy standards.
• Annotation Practice
  Encourages close reading through underlining and evidence gathering.
• Concise Writing Focus
  2-3 sentence explanations promote clarity and precision.
• Flexible Classroom Use
  Ideal for independent work, discussion, homework, or assessment.
• Low-Prep Format
  Print-and-go worksheet for classroom or homeschool instruction.

This printable worksheet builds strong skills in evaluating accuracy, citing evidence, and analyzing media messages. By comparing headlines to source texts, students learn to question claims, spot exaggeration, and support judgments with evidence-essential skills for academic success and responsible media consumption.

This worksheet is part of our credibility of sources worksheets collection.