The internet is increasingly where people of all ages turn for information, including information about the past. Websites and social media accounts often present information about themselves and their authors, but this information may not provide the full story or be completely truthful. A better way to learn about who is behind a source is to read laterally—to go outside the source to see what other sites say about it.
Use this lesson to introduce students to lateral reading, a strategy for investigating a website or post by going outside the site. Students will watch the teacher model the strategy and then have a chance to practice it in order to determine who is behind a website and, ultimately, whether that site is a trustworthy source of historical information.
Instagram post by the African American Intellectual History Society
