Home›Lesson Plans›English Language Arts›Media Literacy · Grade 8

Responsible Sharing

Eighth graders learn to pause before they share online. Five quick questions — is it true, who is the source, is it kind, why am I sharing, would I stand behind it — turn a reflex into a responsible choice, and stop misinformation from spreading.

Grade 8Responsible Sharing50 minutes1 class periodMedia Literacy · CCSSExplicit teaching4 StandardsCCSS / NAMLE
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Pause before sharing.
  • ✓Ask the right questions.
  • ✓Match questions to checks.
  • ✓Share responsibly.
Essential Question

One tap can spread a post to thousands. What should you ask yourself BEFORE you share?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Match It · Interactive

Match the Question to What It Checks

Project this and match each before-you-share question to what it checks — tap the question, then tap the check.

📤 Match each question to what it checksTry it
Before-You-Share Question
What It Checks
Now tap the check!
The Lesson · Literacy Flow (Hook · Explore · Practice · Apply · Reflect)

50 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Hook — Before You Tap Share

6 min

One tap can spread a post to thousands — what should you ask first?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a viral post.
  • Ask if you’d share it.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Explore — Responsible Sharing

13 min

Students explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Match the Question.
  • Match each one.
  • Note pausing helps.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Match.
  • Say.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Practice

13 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Ask a check question.
  • Apply it to a post.
  • Explain.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Ask it.
  • Apply.
  • Explain.
4

Apply — Apply

12 min

Students apply.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Run the checks on a post.
  • Decide: share or not?
  • Share your reasoning.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Check.
  • Decide.
  • Share.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a check question.
  • Say why pause first.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Common Core ELA Standards (informational literacy) & NAMLE media-literacy competencies.

CCSS
W.8.6

Use technology responsibly.

CCSS
SL.8.1

Communicate respectfully.

NAMLE
Act

Share media responsibly.

CCSS
SL.8.4

Present info responsibly.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Question cards.
  • Sentence frame: “Before sharing, I ask ___.”
  • Use scenarios.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with “is it true?”
  • Match one pair at a time.
  • Use examples.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Make a share-checklist poster.
  • Judge three posts.
  • Teach a friend.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 📤Question cards
  • 💻Match the Question
  • 📱Sample posts
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

shareto repost or forwardresponsiblecareful & thoughtfulaccuratetrue and correctsourcewhere it came fromkindnot hurtfulverifyto checkreflectto think it overreputationhow others see you
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
Name one question to ask before sharing a post.
Is it true? Who is the source? Is it kind? Why am I sharing it?
QUESTION 2
Why ask “who is the source?”
To check if it comes from a reliable place.
QUESTION 3
Why pause before sharing?
One tap can spread misinformation — responsible sharing stops it.

Reflect: responsible sharing.

Have students list three questions they’ll ask themselves before sharing something online. A printable sharing sheet is in the ELA library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Responsible SharingFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Responsible SharingQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Responsible SharingPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: accurate, kind, reflect, reputation, responsible, share, source, verify
  1. to check
  2. to repost or forward
  3. not hurtful
  4. how others see you
  5. to think it over
  6. careful & thoughtful
  7. where it came from
  8. true and correct

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. Name one question to ask before sharing a post.
  2. Why ask “who is the source?”
  3. Why pause before sharing?
Answer key — Part A: 1) verify · 2) share · 3) kind · 4) reputation · 5) reflect · 6) responsible · 7) source · 8) accurate
Part B: 1) Is it true? Who is the source? Is it kind? Why am I sharing it? 2) To check if it comes from a reliable place. 3) One tap can spread misinformation — responsible sharing stops it.