Virginia SOL CE.9

CE.9 is a Standards of Learning history and social science standard. These are the skills expectations under it.

• CE.9.a

  explaining the role and rights of the press in reporting events

• CE.9.b

  describing the effect biased reporting can have on public opinion

• CE.9.c

  explaining the role that individuals play in the political policy-making process by expressing their opinions formally or informally via print media, electronic...

• CE.9.d

  evaluating the effect of social media on political campaigns, politics, and civic discourse

• CE.9.e

  identifying the source of information and considering possible motivations or biases of its creator

• CE.9.f

  evaluating multiple sources describing the same event or idea and reflecting on the reasons for any discrepancies.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students explain how news outlets and online platforms shape what people know and believe about government. They identify sources, motives, evidence, loaded language, and missing context. They compare accounts and choose effective ways to share views with officials or the public.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

Students can compare two reports of one event and explain why their details, tone, or conclusions differ. They can judge a political post's credibility and explain how it might affect voters, campaigns, debate, or policy decisions.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may think freedom of the press means reporters can publish anything without legal limits or consequences. They may treat bias as an outright lie rather than selective wording, evidence, or omission. They may also assume popular posts are reliable or represent most citizens.

04

How to Assess It

Exit ticket: Give students two brief reports on the same school board vote. Ask them to identify each source, mark one biased choice, explain one discrepancy, and predict how each report could shape opinion.

1. 01

   Give groups two printed reports of one school board decision, then have them highlight facts, opinions, loaded words, and missing details in different colors.

2. 02

   Students answer the prompt, "When does a political post inform people, and when does it manipulate them?" using details from two sample posts.

3. 03

   Run a source detective game where teams earn points for identifying an author, audience, purpose, evidence, bias, and missing context.

4. 04

   Follow one current city council issue for a week, compare local coverage and public posts, then draft a respectful message to an official.

• CE.8

  The student will apply history and social science skills to examine the political process at the local, state, and national levels of government by

• USII.9

  The student will apply history and social science skills by

• CE.4

  The student will apply history and social science skills to analyze American constitutional government at the local level by

• CE.3

  The student will apply history and social science skills to analyze how constitutional government functions at the state level by