Print to make the pack: File → Print → Save as PDF (Letter). Each section prints on its own page(s). Cut the cards along the dashed lines. Keep the Answer Key for the mentor.
Civics Lab · Junior Activity

Spot the Fakery

A sorting game that teaches kids to notice when something online is trying to trick them — without needing to know the "right answer" to everything.

How to play (10–20 min):
  1. Put the three sorting mats on a table or wall: REAL, FAKE, and CHECK IT.
  2. Deal the claim cards to pairs of kids.
  3. For each card, they decide which mat it goes on — and say which "tell" they spotted.
  4. The honest answer is often CHECK IT (we'd need to look it up). That's a win, not a cop-out!
  5. Reveal answers with the key. Celebrate good reasoning, even when the guess was off.

The 5 Tells

TELL 1

ALL CAPS & !!!

Trying to make you feel big feelings instead of think.

TELL 2

"Everyone says…"

Fake crowd. Lots of noise isn't the same as true.

TELL 3

No source

Who said it? If you can't tell, be careful.

TELL 4

"Share NOW!"

Rushing you to act before you think.

TELL 5

Too wild / too perfect

If it seems unbelievable, check before you believe.

Cut out or project

Sorting Mats

REALwe can check it, and it's true
FAKEthe tells give it away
CHECK ITcould be — let's look it up

Tip: keep the CHECK IT pile big. "I need to look it up" is exactly what good detectives say.

Cut along the dashed lines

Claim Cards (1–8)

#1
Water is made of hydrogen and oxygen.
Which mat? Which tell?
#2
SHARE NOW!!! Scientists say chocolate makes you INVISIBLE!!!
Which mat? Which tell?
#3
A new park is opening downtown next month.
Which mat? Which tell?
#4
EVERYONE KNOWS cats can read minds.
Which mat? Which tell?
#5
Honey can last a very long time without spoiling.
Which mat? Which tell?
#6
Forward this to 10 friends or your phone will break tonight!!!
Which mat? Which tell?
#7
The library near us is open on Saturdays.
Which mat? Which tell?
#8
Doctors HATE this one weird trick!!!
Which mat? Which tell?
Cut along the dashed lines

Claim Cards (9–16)

#9
Plants need sunlight to grow.
Which mat? Which tell?
#10
A photo shows a dog as big as a house.
Which mat? Which tell?
#11
Everybody is switching to this app — don't be the LAST one!
Which mat? Which tell?
#12
It rained in our town yesterday.
Which mat? Which tell?
#13
This video "proves" aliens landed — 2 MILLION likes!
Which mat? Which tell?
#14
The sun rises in the east.
Which mat? Which tell?
#15
Our school won a science fair (posted by an account we don't know).
Which mat? Which tell?
#16
A snack company says its candy is the "healthiest food on Earth."
Which mat? Which tell?
Mentor only

Answer Key

#1RealTrue & checkable. Basic science — easy to confirm in any book. No tells.
#2FakeTells 1, 4 & 5. ALL CAPS, "SHARE NOW," and too-wild. No real scientist says this.
#3Check itCould be true. Reasonable, but we'd verify with the city/park website.
#4FakeTells 2 & 5. "Everyone knows" + too-wild. Fun, but not true.
#5RealTrue & checkable. Honey is very shelf-stable. Confirm in a reliable source.
#6FakeTells 3 & 4. A classic chain message — urgency, a threat, no source. Never true.
#7Check itLook it up. Might be true — check the library's real hours.
#8FakeTells 1 & 3. Classic clickbait: no real source, made to grab a click.
#9RealTrue & checkable. Basic biology. No tells.
#10Check itProbably edited. A photo can be changed — check where it came from before believing.
#11FakeTells 2 & 4. Fake crowd + rush. "Don't be the last" is pressure, not proof.
#12Check itEasy to verify. Ask someone who was there or check a weather record.
#13FakeTell 5 + "likes aren't proof." Millions of likes doesn't make it true.
#14RealTrue & checkable. The sun rises in the east. No tells.
#15Check itUnknown source (Tell 3). Might be true — confirm with the school itself.
#16FakeToo-perfect (Tell 5) + who's selling? A company praising its own candy isn't a neutral source.
Spot the Fakery · Civics Lab junior activity · examples are invented to teach the tells · Born Between 2 Generals, LLC · working draft