Joyce with books and characters

Joyce Grant, Author & Speaker

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Joyce presenting at the Vancouver Writers Festival

Critical Thinking & Fake News

  • Grades: 3, 4-6, 7+
  • In-person, Virtual

It’s vital that young people can evaluate what they see online. Joyce uses real-life examples and powerful strategies to help kids spot fake news and understand how credible journalism is created.

I start off the presentation talking about what it’s like to be a journalist and how journalists gather facts to create articles. We also talk about the importance of accuracy and inclusiveness in journalism. And we talk about “fake news” and why it’s a problem.

Then we’ll play “POST or PASS?” a fun, interactive game I developed to help students (and adults!) learn how to spot fake news. SO fun!

post or pass graphic

TESTIMONIAL

“Thank you for your amazing presentation!
The students loved it and were telling me how much they enjoyed it.
Many of them were shocked that they had a hard time deciphering fact from fiction.
It was such a beneficial presentation for all of us.”
-M. F., Teacher-Librarian, YRDSB (2023)

FREE TEACHING RESOURCES

All of Joyce’s presentations are tailored to your students’ needs, to support your teaching. 

CYBI book cover and Yellow Cedar nomination sticker
Can You Believe It is nominated for the Forest of Reading’s Yellow Cedar award for non-fiction, 2023.
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Praise

Toronto Star large screenshot Nov 29 2024

Thank you to everyone who attended the Star’s Media Literacy for Educators event November 29.

I was left with an overwhelming sense of hope about the future of young people and the internet, after a great day chatting with educators and parents. I spoke about how to help young people think more critically about what they see and read online. My TeachingKidsNews.com co-founder, Jon Tilly, gave a teacher’s perspective with a brilliant talk about strategies and best-practices. And I got to interview the Star’s new editor-in-chief, Nicole MacIntyre about what the future holds for journalism and the Star. We capped the day off with a tour of the Star’s newsroom by Star librarian Astrid Lange.

Thank you to everyone who organized this fantastic day at The Well in Toronto!

Here’s a link to the coverage of the event in the Star:

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/misinformation-lives-where-young-people-live-heres-how-to-help-them-identify-it/article_3772a8ae-ae78-11ef-84a2-c3a6805b7e1c.html

Screen caps of the online article covering the event by the Star
decorative: a radio

Thank you to Lynn Pickering and 99.3 County FM for interviewing me about how to help young people spot misinformation! To listen, click below:

Lit sign in The Well at Front and Spadina

Join me on Friday, Nov. 29 for a media literacy event for educators. I’ll be talking about what I’ve learned from the past 8 years talking to young people about journalism and misinformation. My TeachingKidsNews.com co-founder, Jon Tilly, will provide a teacher’s perspective. And we will have an AMA with Toronto Star Editor-in-Chief, Nicole MacIntyre.

Click here to purchase your ticket and reserve your space at this unique event that will help you improve your media literacy teaching!

Graphic showing cover of Can You Believe It? book and illustrations

Media Literacy Week, presented by MediaSmarts, is the perfect time to reflect on how we’re navigating social media–and how our kids and students are as well. I wrote “Can You Believe It?” to help young people think more critically about what they see and read online every day.

It covers how “real” journalism works–and the importance of accuracy to professional journalists. The difference between satire, ads and news. And what “fake news” looks like, why people make it, and what to do when you spot it.

Let’s face it, kids are going to be online for information, education and entertainment. So let’s arm them with the tools they need to be able to think skeptically and critically about what they see there.

There is a curated list of media literacy games and resources on my kids’ news website, TeachingKidsNews.com. And, visit MediaSmarts.ca for awesome media lit resources as well.

Poster HAW Breaking Into Kidlit June 2024

I’m excited to be a Signature Presenter during #HamiltonArtsWeek, June 5 to 14.

I’ll be presenting at 4 branches of Hamilton Public Library to talk to aspiring kidlit creators about how they can get their manuscript from computer screen to bookshelf! “Breaking into Kidlit” is a free event sponsored by the Hamilton Arts Council. All four events are sold out but you can get on the waiting list. Visit HPL.ca to register.

Thank you to the Hamilton Arts Council for sponsoring this presentation series. And Hamilton Public Library as well as Canadian Heritage, the City of Hamilton and Canada Council for the Arts.

Check out the fantastic calendar of events and make sure you attend a great Hamilton arts event to refill your well!

Joyce Grant presenting at a conference

Check out this exciting new reel, put together by the fantastic team at @EpilogueProductions, showcasing some of my recent presentations and keynotes.

To book an energetic and engaging author presentation for your class or conference, or for more information, click here: https://joycegrantauthor.com/request-a-school-visit/.

I’ll respond quickly and I’m always happy to talk about how I can tailor the presentation for your audience. Also, my in-class presentations include awesome book swag like bookmarks, teaching guides and more!

Books

Resources

Teaching Guide: Can You Believe It?

This resource leads you through a series of activities, breaking the book up over several days. You will begin each day’s session by reading one section of the book and then completing one activity based on what you’ve read that day. Activities include: understanding illustrations, conducting an interview, understanding points of view, practicing making news, group discussion and analysis.

Download it – it’s free!

Fake News Resources

Are you looking for resources to teach kids about critical thinking and fake news? TeachingKidsNews.com by Joyce Grant has an extensive list of great resources you can use for free! For instance, BBC iReporter is a fast-paced online game that teaches kids how reporters must decide whether to post information or keep checking it for accuracy. It’s fun and real-world. Another great game you’ll find in our list of fake news resources is Spot the Troll which teaches kids how to know whether it’s a person or a bot following you. You’ll also find a list of scholastic papers, research and more to help teachers and parents prepare their kids for the online world and to help make them better critical thinkers.

TeachingKidsNews.com

Joyce Grant’s free website, TeachingKidsNews.com can help your students broaden their knowledge about journalism and critical thinking.

It is a great, free resource for teachers, parents and kids. Each kid-friendly news article is pulled from the headlines. Great for shared reading, individual study or group work. Every article is written by a professional journalist and has Think & Discuss questions as well as Links for deeper investigations.

There are more than a thousand archived articles on just about any topic you can imagine. And it’s all free! This award-winning website also features One Good Thing, simple articles about fun, uplifting topics. 

Photos

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High-energy, engaging presentations, workshops and keynotes for all ages

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