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Class 8 · Language and expression

Check a forwarded message before you share

A message arrives: "School closed tomorrow!! Forward to everyone!" Should you forward it?

What you will learn: Check a claim using source, date, evidence and a second source.

Small test at the end: scroll down to the end of this page for five short questions that check what you have learnt. Tap an answer, then press Check answer. Go to the questions ↓

Jump to: Check yourself · For grown-ups · For teachers

Safety first

Check before you share. Never click links or give details from a message.

Keep it safe:

  • Never forward a claim you have not checked.
  • Do not click links or fill in forms in messages you are checking. Ask a grown-up if a message asks for money, passwords or personal details.

You will need

  • The fictional messages on this pageAll names and messages here are made up.
  • Paper and pencilFor your checklist.

Time: About 40 minutes.

The story

Late one evening Tanmay's phone buzzes: "School closed tomorrow!! Forward to everyone!!" His thumb is already on "Forward". Tara grabs his arm. "Who sent it? When?" The message has no name and no date. Should he forward it?

The idea

Before sharing a claim, ask four questions. Who made it? When was it made? What is the evidence? Do other reliable sources agree?

"Forwarded many times", lots of likes or capital letters tell you a message is popular or excited. They do not tell you it is true.

A good second source is the place that would really know: the school's own notice, an official website, or a trusted newspaper.

If you cannot confirm a claim, do not forward it. Messages asking you to "fill in this form" or "click to claim" can also be scams.

A diagram. A forwarded message says "School closed tomorrow!!" with no date and no source. Four checks sit below it: who made it, when, what is the evidence, and is there a second source. At the bottom: the school's own notice was dated last year, so the decision is do not forward.Four checks before you shareFORWARDED MANY TIMES"School closed tomorrow!!"(no date, no source)1. Who made it?2. When?3. What is the evidence?4. A second source?School's own notice: dated last yearDecision: do not forward
A diagram. A forwarded message says "School closed tomorrow!!" with no date and no source. Four checks sit below it: who made it, when, what is the evidence, and is there a second source. At the bottom: the school's own notice was dated last year, so the decision is do not forward.

Worked example

Kabir checks the "school closed" message

  1. Who made it? The message did not say. It just said "forwarded many times".
  2. When? No date at all.
  3. Evidence? None: no notice, no name, no link to the school.
  4. Second source: the school's own notice board online. The closure notice there was from last year.

The message was an old notice passed around again. Kabir did not forward it and told the group what he had found.

Try it

  1. Copy the four questions.

    Who made it? When? What is the evidence? Does a second source agree?

  2. Read the fictional message.

    Write what the message itself tells you for each question.

  3. Find a second source.

    Think: who would really know? Write where you would check.

  4. Decide.

    Share, do not share, or share with a correction. Write one reason.

  5. Write a reply.

    Draft a polite message telling the group what you found.

What you make (paper or offline)

Your message check

The four-question checklist applied to the fictional school-closed message.Four checks before you shareFORWARDED MANY TIMES"School closed tomorrow!!"(no date, no source)1. Who made it?2. When?3. What is the evidence?4. A second source?School's own notice: dated last yearDecision: do not forward
The four-question checklist applied to the fictional school-closed message.

The four questions, each answered for the message.

Where you would check, and what you found.

Your decision with a reason, and a polite reply.

Make it on paper. Keep it with you. Nothing to upload.

Check yourself

Five questions about what this page teaches. Choose an answer and press Check answer, or open "See the answer and why". Nothing is saved or sent: your choices stay on this screen and disappear when you leave or reload the page.

  1. Question 1 of 5In the example, what did the school's own notice show about the "school closed" message?

    See the answer and why
    • A. The school would be closed tomorrow Not this one. The notice showed the closure was last year, not tomorrow.
    • B. The principal had sent the message Not this one. The message had no name. The notice did not link it to anyone.
    • C. The closure notice was from last year Correct. The message was an old notice being passed around again.
    • D. The notice had been deleted Not this one. Kabir found the notice. It was dated last year.
  2. Question 2 of 5Which question checks where a message came from?

    See the answer and why
    • A. Who made it first? Correct. That is the source question.
    • B. How many times was it forwarded? Not this one. Forwarding shows how far it spread, not who made it.
    • C. Is it written in capital letters? Not this one. Capitals show excitement, not where it came from.
    • D. How many exclamation marks does it have? Not this one. Excited punctuation says nothing about the source.
  3. Question 3 of 5A message says "Forwarded many times" and has 40 likes. What does that tell you about whether it is true?

    See the answer and why
    • A. It is true, because messaging apps check every message Not this one. Apps do not check whether forwarded claims are true.
    • B. It is probably true, because many people trust it Not this one. Lots of people sharing it does not check it.
    • C. It is false, because popular messages are false Not this one. Popular messages can be true or false. You have to check.
    • D. Nothing on its own: popularity is not evidence Correct. Many people can share something false.
  4. Question 4 of 5Which is the best second source for a claim about a school holiday?

    See the answer and why
    • A. A video about it with lots of views Not this one. Views measure popularity, not truth.
    • B. A friend who says they heard about it Not this one. Hearing about it is not evidence of where it came from.
    • C. The school's own notice or website Correct. The school is the place that would really know.
    • D. Another group that forwarded the same message Not this one. That is the same claim again, not a separate check.
  5. Question 5 of 5You cannot find any reliable source for a message promising free laptops to all students. What should you do?

    See the answer and why
    • A. Not forward it, and say you could not confirm it Correct. Unconfirmed claims should stop with you. It may also be a scam.
    • B. Forward it, adding "not sure if this is true" Not this one. It still spreads the claim, and others may believe it.
    • C. Fill in the form in the message to see if it is real Not this one. Forms in unchecked messages can steal personal details.
    • D. Forward it to only a few close friends Not this one. Even a few forwards can spread a false claim.

Think back

Which of the four questions was hardest to answer for the message?

Have you ever shared something before checking it?

Investigate further

  • Find a correction published by a newspaper. What did they get wrong at first?
  • Make a poster of the four questions for your class.

For grown-upsTap a heading to open it. The safety notes are at the top of the page.

Before you start
  • Read the fictional message together. No real message or phone is needed.
Questions that help
  • "Who would really know if this is true?"
  • "What would happen if we forwarded it and it was false?"
What's really going on

Checking the source, date, evidence and a second source is the core of what fact-checkers do.

Popularity signals ("forwarded many times", likes) are often mistaken for evidence.

Other ways to do it
  • Use an old newspaper headline instead of a message.

For teachersLearning aims, classroom ideas and what to look for.

Learning aims
  • Apply source, date, evidence and corroboration checks to a claim.
  • Decide whether to share, and explain why.
Subject links
  • Language: reading critically.
  • Social science: media and citizenship.
  • Computing: online safety.

These links are general. They have not been checked against a specific board syllabus.

In the classroom
  • Groups check different fictional messages and present their decisions with evidence.
What to look for
  • Separates popularity from evidence.
  • Chooses a second source that would really know.
ProLearners Assist