Verification

Learning Objectives

• Distinguishing fact from claim, checking sources, comparing evidence, recognizing weak proof, asking better questions, and building disciplined thinking.

Activity 1 (Source Ladder)

Data

Setup

Prepare a set of sources with different levels of trustworthiness.

Use these source examples:

• A direct quote from a witness
• A screenshot with no context
• A social media post with no author
• A news article from a known outlet
• A rumor from a friend of a friend
• A video clip with no date
• An official statement
• A blog post with no evidence

How to Play

1. Divide shabab into teams.
2. Show the source cards.
3. Teams rank them from most reliable to least reliable.
4. Teams explain why they placed each source where they did.
5. Murabbi awards points for good reasoning, not just the final order.

Sample Answers for Murabbi

• Official statements are usually stronger than rumors.
• A screenshot without context can be misleading.
• A source with a name, date, and evidence is usually better than one without.
• A post shared many times is not automatically true.

Murabbi Notes

Keep the lesson practical. Teach shabab to ask: Who said it, how do they know, and what proof is shown?

Activity 2 (True, False, Unknown)

Data

Setup

Prepare statements that are clearly true, clearly false, or not enough information.

Use these examples:

• The sun rises in the east
• Someone posted a picture, so the event happened exactly as shown
• One person said the water was clean, so it must be safe
• The report includes a date, location, and witness name
• We do not know who edited the image
• The claim is repeated in three different places
• The video has no sound, so we cannot know the full context
• An official document confirms the date

How to Play

1. Read one statement at a time.
2. Teams label it true, false, or unknown.
3. Teams must give one reason for the label.
4. Murabbi explains the correct answer and why.

Creative Challenge

Ask teams to rewrite one unknown statement into a better question that would help verify it.

Sample Answers for Murabbi

• The sun rises in the east: true.
• Someone posted a picture, so the event happened exactly as shown: unknown.
• One person said the water was clean, so it must be safe: unknown.
• The report includes a date, location, and witness name: stronger evidence, but still needs checking.
• We do not know who edited the image: unknown.
• The claim is repeated in three different places: still not enough on its own.
• The video has no sound, so we cannot know the full context: unknown.
• An official document confirms the date: usually strong evidence.

Murabbi Notes

Do not turn this into a debate contest. The goal is careful checking, patience, and intellectual honesty.