Virginia SOL CE.9.b
The Standard
describing the effect biased reporting can have on public opinion
Virginia Standards of Learning for History and Social Science · The student will apply history and social science skills to explain the role of the media and social media and the influence on local, state, and national levels of government by
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify bias in headlines, images, word choice, source selection, and omitted details. They explain how biased reporting can shape opinions about public officials, policies, elections, and government actions.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students compare reports about the same event and cite details that reveal different viewpoints. They explain how each report could influence what an audience believes or supports.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may assume bias means a report is completely false or that only opposing viewpoints are biased. They may also confuse a personal opinion with evidence of how reporting shapes public opinion.
How to Assess It
- Give students two contrasting headlines about the same government decision. Ask them to identify one sign of bias and explain how each headline might affect readers.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups headline, image, and quotation cards to arrange into two differently framed reports about the same city council decision.
Ask students to write: How can accurate facts still create a biased report when some facts are emphasized or omitted?
Play Bias Detective by awarding points when teams identify loaded words, missing viewpoints, selective images, or unsupported claims in sample posts.
Compare local news and social media posts about a school board issue, then chart how each version might shape community reactions.
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Related Standards
- 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...
- VS.8.e
describing the effect of the Supreme Court’s decision in Plessy v. Ferguson; and
- CE.9.a
explaining the role and rights of the press in reporting events;
- CE.9.d
evaluating the effect of social media on political campaigns, politics, and civic discourse;
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