Virginia SOL CE.9.e
The Standard
identifying the source of information and considering possible motivations or biases of its creator
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 trace a claim back to the person or organization that first published it. They inspect the creator, audience, evidence, funding, and purpose. They explain how a possible motive or bias may shape the message.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given a news article or social media post, a student names the original creator rather than the person who reposted it. The student cites details from the item to explain a likely purpose or bias. The student avoids claiming bias without evidence.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often treat the account that shared a post as the original source. They may think bias means a source is automatically false, or that only opinion pieces have bias. They may judge credibility by whether they agree with the message.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Give students a screenshot of a post with its linked article. Ask, “Who created the original message, what may the creator want readers to think or do, and which detail supports your answer?”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs printed source-trail cards showing an agency report, a news article, and two reposts, then have them arrange and label the chain.
Ask students to write: “How could the same event look different when described by a candidate, reporter, and voter?”
Play Motive Match with sample headlines, and have teams match each one to inform, persuade, sell, entertain, or gain support.
Compare a city council press release, local news report, and neighborhood post about one decision, then identify each creator’s likely interest.
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Printable CE.9.e Worksheet
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Related Standards
- S.VS.a
analyzing and interpreting information sources, including but not limited to artifacts, primary and secondary sources, charts, graphs, and diagrams
- S.3.a
analyzing and interpreting information sources, including, but not limited to artifacts, primary and secondary sources, charts, graphs, and diagrams
- S.WG.j
contextualizing, corroborating, and evaluating sources for credibility, propaganda, and bias to determine patterns and trends to understand the world.
- CE.9.f
evaluating multiple sources describing the same event or idea and reflecting on the reasons for any discrepancies.
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