Overview

These beginning activities are designed to introduce the idea of cues for unreliability through texts that are accessible and familiar to students. It presents the idea that real life and texts offer cues for things like unreliability. They also get practice writing basic statements.

Guiding Questions

  • How do you know when someone is lying?
  • How important is “truth”?

 Texts/Materials

  • Calvin and Hobbes cartoon
  • Public list of cues for unreliability
  • Paragraph template for argument about unreliability/reliability

Activities

1. Ask students if they can determine when someone is lying and how they know. Let them work in groups or pairs for several minutes to generate some ideas. Then ask them to share out to the class. TC_Bubble

2. Pass out the Calvin and Hobbes cartoon. Ask students to do the following task with a partner:

  • Is Calvin telling the truth? How do you know he is or is not telling the truth? Create a list of clues you use to detect unreliability.

When students finish, have each pair share out as a class and keep a list of the criteria they generate on the board or on a large wall chart.

3. In a whole class teacher-led discussion ask students how they would explain to someone who didn’t understand that this character is not reliable. As students develop arguments remind them of the parts of argument structure. TC_Bubble

4. Tell students to use the Calvin and Hobbes cartoon to organize and write a basic argument with thesis, claim, evidence/example, and warrant. They can use the paragraph template as support. TC_Bubble

Assessment

The following are means of assessing students during activities so instruction can be adjusted and differentiated according to students’ needs.

  • Students’ list of cues that Calvin may not be honest about his feelings
  • Students’ writing of basic argument