Red Flag Radar

This worksheet helps students in Grades 6, 7, and 8 develop critical reading, media literacy, and source evaluation skills by closely examining a short passage for signs of misinformation. Students identify red flags such as exaggerated claims, missing evidence, emotional language, and biased reasoning, then explain how these issues weaken credibility. The activity makes abstract media literacy concepts concrete and accessible through hands-on analysis.

Learning Goals

• Misinformation Detection (Grades 6-8)
  Identify warning signs such as unsupported claims, exaggeration, and emotional manipulation.
• Claims, Evidence, & Reasoning
  Analyze whether arguments are backed by trustworthy evidence and logical thinking.
• Author Purpose & Bias
  Examine how tone, word choice, and intent influence reliability.
• Media Literacy Skills
  Evaluate online and informational texts with a critical, questioning mindset.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource
  Designed by educators to align with ELA and media literacy standards.
• Active Annotation Practice
  Students underline and analyze suspicious parts of a text for deeper engagement.
• Explanation-Based Responses
  Requires students to justify why each red flag reduces credibility.
• Real-World Relevance
  Prepares learners to recognize unreliable information in digital environments.
• Low-Prep Format
  Print-and-go worksheet suitable for classroom or homeschool use.

This printable worksheet strengthens critical reading, reasoning, and misinformation awareness by teaching students how to recognize red flags in texts. By practicing how to question claims, evidence, and author intent, learners become more informed readers and responsible digital citizens. It’s a practical, high-impact resource for both classroom instruction and homeschool learning.

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