Health Learning Stations: Spy School - The PROVE It Protocol (Access Resources)
An Interactive Learning Station Activity on fact-checking and accessing valid information.
The Spy School: PROVE It Protocol activity is a great way to teach SHAPE America Standard #3 (a.k.a. accessing valid information) and build media literacy skills.
This Spy School resource is a mission-based activity. During this learning experience, students become critical thinking agents tasked with assessing the validity of information by using the PROVE It Protocol.
Together, they will work through five stations related to the PROVE It skill cues:
P - Purpose - Define the creator’s purpose for creating and sharing the content.
R - Recency - Check the publication date or the most recent update (or review) date.
O - Objective - Determine if the information is objective and unbiased.
V - Verifiable - Verify if the information is accurate and valid.
E - Expertise - Assess if the creator is regarded as an authority and expert on the matter.
The five tasks give students an opportunity to explore and develop skill competency for each step of the PROVE It skill cues. Throughout this interactive experience, students complete missions and uncover code words.
Activity Set-Up
Print the mission notepads, each mission sheet, and any corresponding cards or papers. You have two options for printing:
Print one complete set per group (great for a full class set-up, but requires a lot of printing and cutting), OR
Print 2-3 rotating sets for the whole class to use. Since the missions don’t have to be completed in order, students can take turns and rotate through them at their own pace.
For Mission #4: Place the reading materials in clear sheet protectors.
Put Vis-a-Vis markers in the mission folder so students can underline or circle directly on the protector (they’ll just clean it off when they finish the mission.
Once everything is printed and cut, place each set of mission materials in a clearly labeled folder for easy access and organization.
Activity Directions
Activity Directions Once you’ve decided on a format, divide students into groups and explain how the activity works:
Complete each mission by following the steps on the sheet.
Each mission includes a hands-on task to explore one part of the PROVE It Protocol.
At the end of each mission, students will uncover a secret code. When all five missions are complete, the five code words will reveal a final mission (see answer key included!).
My students had a great time completing this activity. It helped reinforce fact-checking skills. To follow up with this activity, I use this Validity Report Card health worksheet!