Subjects: Science, Language Arts, Digital Media Literacy, Social Studies, Study Skills, Critical Thinking, Logic
Grade Levels: Middle School, High School, Undergraduate
Lesson Length: 2-3 class periods
Overview: This lesson explores pseudoscience, which pretends to be scientific but doesn’t adhere to science’s methodology. In this fun and engaging activity, students learn the characteristics of health pseudoscience—and the techniques used to sell it—by creating their own fake advertisements.
Learning Objectives:
- Students will understand key differences between science and pseudoscience.
- Students will identify pseudoscientific claims.
- Students will recognize common techniques used to sell health pseudoscience.
Materials:
- Instructional videos: Intro, Feline Follicle Fix, How to Recognize Pseudoscience, and How to Sell Health Pseudoscience
- Worksheets: Video Worksheet: How to Recognize Pseudoscience & Video Worksheet: How to Sell Pseudoscience
- Laptops or phones
- Design programs such as Canva, Google Slides, PowerPoint, or Keynote
- Optional Readings:
Procedure:
Part 1: What is pseudoscience? (45-60 minutes)
- Get students thinking: Feline Follicle Fix
- Have students watch this satirical “advertisement” for Feline Follicle Fix.
- Guide students in a discussion about the difference between science and pseudoscience. Are the claims in the video scientific? Why or why not? Would they buy the product?
- Exploring pseudoscience
- Recognizing pseudoscience
- Have students watch the How to Recognize Pseudoscience video and complete the worksheet.
- After watching the video, ask students to identify characteristics of pseudoscience in the Feline Follicle Fix ad.
- Shorten: You may choose to assign this video as homework for students to watch before they create their pseudoscience ads (see part 2).
- Expand: Ask students about examples of pseudoscience from everyday life, such as on social media. Have they found it convincing? Why or why not?
- Recognizing pseudoscience
- Selling pseudoscience
- Have students watch the How to Sell Pseudoscience video and complete the worksheet.
- After watching the video, ask students to identify the selling techniques in the Feline Follicle Fix ad. (Note: They’re all in there, and some more than once! Consider having a competition to see which student/group can spot the most.)
- Expand: Have students spot the selling techniques in real examples from social media.
Part 2: Creating pseudoscience ads (60-90 minutes OR Homework)
- Students may work independently, in pairs, or in small groups.
- Tell students that they’ve been hired by the Beautifaux Company to create a social media advertisement for one of their latest products.
- Provide students with the following instructions:
- Choose a product: I recommend either a diet pill or a muscle-building supplement, as they tend to be big sellers. However, if you have another product type in mind, let your imagination run wild, as it seems there’s nothing people won’t buy as long as it’s marketed well. (Important: If you choose something besides the recommended options, get permission from the instructor first.)
- Sell your product: Give your product a catchy name and create an ad for your favorite social media platform, as either an image or video, using the techniques you learned in class.
- One more thing: Have fun!
- Online Option: If using an LMS, have students post their ads on a discussion board, along with a comment on their submission specifying which of the techniques they used and how.
- Optional: Sharing and Analysis (20+ minutes)
- Have the students present their products to the class.
- Ask the students to identify the characteristics and selling techniques each of the groups used.
- Discussion and Debrief (10 minutes)
- Ask students to identify some of the most commonly used techniques.
- Ask about the challenges of identifying pseudoscience and the importance of critical thinking when evaluating health claims.
- Extension: Ask students about examples they’ve seen on social media, etc.
Assessment:
- Teacher discretion can be used to assess student work.
- Consider addressing the following:
- Is the product original?
- Were the students creative?
- Is the ad complete and well done?
- Did the students include at least 5 of the techniques described in the lesson?
Special Thanks: This lesson was produced in collaboration with the Mental Immunity Project.
Visit Generation Skeptics to see their How to Sell Pseudoscience lesson plan.
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