GUARD Focused Lab · Student Card
Source Verification Trail
Follow a claim back to evidence, not repetition.
GUARD focus: A · 12–15 minutes · Classes 8–10
Situation
A widely forwarded message says: “All schools will close tomorrow because air pollution has reached an emergency level.” An AI summary repeats the statement and lists several links. Students are deciding whether to forward it to classmates.
Learning objective
Identify primary and independent sources, recognise derivative repetition and document an evidence trail with dates and unresolved uncertainty.
1. Choose the strongest sources
Which sources should be checked first to establish the current claim?
- □ A dated notice on the school's official website or verified school channel.
- □ A current pollution-control or education-authority notice for the relevant location.
- □ The original forwarded message, which names no issuing authority.
- □ A blog that says “reports suggest closure” and links back to the viral message.
- □ A government school-closure circular from two years ago.
Reasoning:
2. Detect circular and outdated sourcing
Classify each source relationship.
Categories: Primary/current, Independent corroboration, Circular or derivative, Outdated for this claim
A school notice dated today, signed by the principal and posted on the official domain.It directly states whether this school will open tomorrow.
A local newspaper article that links to today's education-authority order and quotes the order accurately.The article is separate from the viral post and exposes its source.
A blog cites a news aggregator; the aggregator cites the same viral message.No source in the chain reaches an authority or original document.
A genuine school-closure order from a previous pollution episode two years ago.The document is authentic but names a different date.
Reasoning:
3. Build the evidence trail
Select what a reliable verification record should contain.
- □ Write the exact claim being checked.
- □ Record the date, time and location covered by each source.
- □ Link or identify the primary current notice.
- □ Add an independent source that exposes its evidence.
- □ State any unresolved conflict or missing information.
- □ Count how many websites repeat the claim and treat the total as proof.
Reasoning:
4. Decide what to send
No current official closure notice can be found. What should the student do?
- Forward it with “not sure if true” so classmates can decide.
- Do not forward it as fact; point classmates to official channels and alert a responsible adult if it is spreading.
- Announce that school will definitely remain open because no notice was found.
Reasoning:
Final reflection
What evidence or stakeholder consideration most affected your decision?