‘Think of a historical event that you know very well. How do you know what you know?’ This is the question that introduces the lesson plan. By taking part in this lesson, young people will understand how multiple historical narratives arise from the same facts and how to recognise the mechanisms of manipulation and disinformation in contemporary media.
Objective: Students learn to recognise the mechanisms of historical disinformation (selection of facts, altering or removing the context, the role of images).
Methods and forms of work
- work in small groups
- classification exercise (fact / interpretation / opinion)
- constructing narratives from an identical set of sentences
- simulation of information flow
- the red line – mapping the boundary between interpretation and manipulation
- long table (rotating thematic tables)
- individual reflection
Materials and teaching aids:
- 3 x A3 sheets labelled ‘FACT / INTERPRETATION / OPINION’
- 4 x A3 sheets labelled ‘VICTIMHOOD / LIBERATION / CHAOS / RESPONSIBILITY’
- 3 x A3 sheets labelled ‘IMAGES AND SYMBOLS / EMOTIONS / CHANGE OF CONTEXT’
- sets of 8 sentences (1 set per group) – Appendix 1
- role cards for the simulation (1 per group) – Appendix 2
- masking tape or string (for the ‘red line’) + sticky notes
- markers
Lesson plan
- Introduction: the history we know
- Ask the participants to pair up. Explain that their task is to discuss the following question: ‘Think of a historical event that you know very well. How do you know what you know?’
- Suggest possible sources: school, home, movies, the internet and social media.
- After about 3 minutes, collect four or five answers to share with the whole group. Write the suggested sources on a flipchart or blackboard.
- Summarise the exercise with reference to the following point:
‘Our knowledge almost always comes to us in the form of a story. Today we’ll see how such a story is created.’
2. Fact / Interpretation / Opinion
- Hand out a card with eight sentences to each participant (Appendix 1).
- Explain that the task is to assign each sentence to one of three categories: fact / interpretation / opinion.
- Once the individual work is complete, discuss two or three examples that may have raised questions. Encourage participants to justify their decisions.
- Conclude the stage with the following point: ‘Most of the historical content we encounter consists of interpretations, not just facts.’
3, One event – three narratives
- Divide the participants into groups of three or four people. Give each group an identical set of eight sentences relating to a single event.
- Ask the groups to select one of the following narrative frameworks:
victimhood / liberation / chaos / responsibility. - Explain that, based on the same facts, they have 10 minutes to create a short story consisting of five to six sentences.
- Once they have finished, each group presents their version of events.
- After the presentations, ask these questions: ‘What have you pointed out?’, ‘What have you left out?’
- Sum up the exercise with reference to the following point:
‘The same facts can lead to completely different stories.’
4. Simulation of information flow
- Keep the participants in the same groups.
- Assign or let each group pick a distinct role (Appendix 2):
media / teacher / influencer / institution - Ask them to adapt the pre-prepared narrative to suit the nature of the role they have, e.g. by shortening the message, adding emotion, simplifying the content or adapting the language to the audience.
- Ask for short presentations lasting 30–45 seconds.
- After the presentations, discuss the following question with the group:
‘What happened to the nuances and complexity of the message?’ - Summarise this stage with reference to the following point:
‘Disinformation often begins with systemic abbreviation and simplification.’
Appendix 2 to the lesson How is false history created, roles
5. The red line
- Draw a line with two ends on the floor or in a visible place:
⬅ manipulation — interpretation ➡ - Hand out sticky notes to the participants.
- Ask them to write down specific techniques that emerged during the workshop, e.g.:
- shortening the narrative to a headline,
- adding emotional language,
- selecting only some of the facts,
- using an image instead of text, and
- omitting context.
- Explain that they are recording specific actions and decisions, rather than the historical events themselves.
- Participants then place their cards on one side of the line and briefly explain their choice.
- Sum up this stage with reference to the following point:
‘The boundary does not lie in the facts themselves, but in the context in which they are situated/placed’
6. Long table: ‘mechanisms then and now’
- Prepare three stations / tables with cards bearing the following headings:
a) Images and symbol
b) Emotions
c) Change of context
- Divide the participants into groups.
- Explain that the groups will rotate between the stations every 3–4 minutes.
- At each stage, their task is to add examples, both historical and contemporary, that match the given mechanism.
- Once the rotation is complete, discuss the examples together, highlighting the similarities between past and contemporary media.