This trimester in Division I Humanities, students focused on propaganda, fake news, and Section 230, a piece of legislation that has created the internet as we know it.
Students began the term by reading George Orwell’s 1945 novel Animal Farm. As they read, students recorded instances of propaganda, along with how the leaders of the farm used this propaganda to control other animals. As a final project, students created their own posters using a propaganda strategy from Animal Farm, and they wrote artist statements explaining their creative choices.
Next, students delved into learning about fake news and how it affects our society today. We explored sources from NPR, The New York Times, PBS, and others to answer questions like: “How long has fake news been around?” “Why do we believe so many fake news stories?” and “What proposals have people made to combat fake news?” At the end of this unit, students created projects of their own design to share their learning and their own ideas about how we can navigate fake news today.
Students spent the last few weeks of the term learning about Section 230, a 1996 regulation that allows online platforms to moderate user-generated content without being held liable for that content. Many experts believe that Section 230 has created the internet as we know it, though the law is now criticized for several different reasons, and some believe that it leads to greater disinformation online. Students held a simulated congressional hearing and took on the roles of those who support, oppose, and are undecided about the law.
In addition, all students took part in our school-wide Poetry Out Loud competition! Each student chose a poem to memorize, examined their poem to understand it better, and made dramatic choices to bring out the poem’s meaning. We hope you enjoy exploring their projects!