Merlin Entertainments launches new school lesson ‘Fake News and the Media’ to educate young people on the pitfalls of false information in popular and celebrity culture. Madame Tussauds London
has been at the forefront of popular and celebrity culture for more than 250 years, this amazing new a new programme will support and educate students about fake news.
The ‘Fake News and the Media’ school lesson is part of Merlin Entertainments new ‘Today’s Lesson Will Be…’ educational programme that is being rolled out across the company’s London attractions. Created in collaboration with education specialist SHAPES for Schools this new lesson is linked to PSHE and the English national curriculum and is targeted at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 students aged between 9 – 13 years old. The ‘Fake News and the Media’ lesson has been created as a reaction to the current issues around the distortion and misuse of false information and the influence it is having on young people’s choices. As the lines continue to blur between what is a real news story and what is false, the interactive lessons will provide teachers and their students with the essential skills to navigate the news agenda safely online and across social media.
Delivered by Madame Tussauds performers, the ‘Fake News and the Media’ lesson will lead students through a critique of how the media presents news whilst also analysing the difference between rumour, spin, satire and false information. It will include:
- Structured discussion around modern celebrity culture and the media, and how the two are linked.
- Working in groups to categorise news stories according to different criteria, including, how the news was shared; who wrote it, text and images, and the emotive impact on the reader.
- A group-based definition of ‘fake news’ and other key terminology.
- A game in which pupils try to identify their classmates’ real stories from their fake ones.
Joanne Channon, Education Manager at Merlin Entertainments, said: “The dissemination of false information through the media both online and across social media can be incredibly confusing and challenging for young people. Out of the classroom learning is proven to be highly effective in helping to stimulate young minds while boosting student’s social skills such as confidence, creativity and communication. We believe our new workshop will inspire students this academic year and we hope it will have a positive impact on how they interact with modern media in the future.”
Merlin Entertainments ‘Today’s Lesson Will Be…’ educational programme offers high-quality learning opportunities outside of the classroom with a variety of curriculum-linked workshops at five of London’s most iconic attractions. The learning experiences, accredited with the LOtC quality badge by The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom, are currently available at the Coca-Cola London Eye, Madame Tussauds London, DreamWorks Tours: Shrek’s Adventure! London, SEA LIFE London and The London Dungeon and offers a range of workshops covering subjects from English, science, geography to history and even drama – offering a range of levels from KS1 all the way through to KS5. For more information visit www.merlinsmagicallondon.com/schools
