Teacher field guide
PR / strategic communications
Looks real. What proves it?
A realistic image says the courtyard flooded today. What would it take to post that as true?
Generated and recycled images now move through group chats as fast as real ones, and organizations that repost them lose trust quickly. Students who can write an honest verification note, including “we can’t confirm this yet,” protect their audience and their own credibility.
What students make
Completed card plus 2–3 sentences
The civic idea
Words that do the work.
- ProvenanceProcedencia
Information about where a file came from and how it was handled.
Sami wants to know who first shared the courtyard image, not just how the hand looks.
- CorroborationCorroboración
Independent evidence that supports a claim from another direction.
A campus facilities alert or another person’s dated photo would corroborate a flood. The image alone can’t.
- Verification noteNota de verificación
A short public note saying what was checked, what was found and what remains unknown.
Jordy decides the recap gets a verification note instead of the image.
- Burden of proofCarga de la prueba
The idea that whoever makes a claim should supply the evidence for it.
The caption claims a flood today. It’s on the claim, not on Jordy, to show where and when.
- Detection limitsLímites de la detección
AI detectors and odd details are clues with error rates, not final verdicts.
The strange hand is a reason to look closer. It doesn’t prove the picture was generated.
- Risk statementDeclaración ante riesgos
A planned message for a situation that might go wrong, prepared before you need it.
Jordy drafts what the crew will say if an image they shared turns out to be false.
I wanted a clean yes or no for the recap. “We can’t verify it yet” is less fun. It’s also what’s true.
The evidence
Handle the case file.
Every artifact comes with a question. The captions are the lesson.
POSTShared Wednesday, 2:48 p.m.
Courtyard flood image with caption
NOTICEChecked Wednesday, 3:10 p.m.
Campus facilities alerts page
CHATWednesday, 3:02 p.m.
Sami’s zoom-in of the hand
Use it in your tools
Take it into class.
Share it, schedule it or edit it in the apps your school already uses.
In the real world
This isn’t just a story.
Real reporting, clips and research on the same question. The crew is fictional; these are not. Each link opens the original in a new tab.
The workshop
45 minutes, block by block.
5 min
The image
TeacherDescribe the courtyard image and caption: “Courtyard flooded today, stay away.” No link.
StudentsRate belief 1–5 and write what makes it convincing.
CheckReasons are about appearance, not source.
8 min
Zoom-in trap
TeacherShow the class zooming into a hand. Ask: what does an odd hand prove?
StudentsSort clues into “reason to look closer” and “proof.”
CheckStudents put the hand under “reason to look closer.”
12 min
Trace it
TeacherHand out the earliest post found, the campus facilities page and a weather note.
StudentsBuild a chain: claim, earliest source, date, corroboration.
CheckChains show no independent record of a flood today.
10 min
Read the limits
TeacherSummarize NIST: provenance, labels, watermarks and detection each have gaps.
StudentsWrite what a detector score can and can’t tell you.
CheckAnswer mentions error rates or missing provenance.
7 min
Write the note
TeacherModel: checked / found / still open.
StudentsDraft a 50–80 word verification note for the recap.
CheckNote states uncertainty without calling anyone a liar.
3 min
Exit
TeacherAsk: what would change your confidence?
StudentsName one piece of evidence.
CheckAnswer names independent, dated evidence.
Differentiated routes
One case. Seven ways in.
Each route changes what students read, make and prove, not only how long it takes.
Middle school
Grades 6–8: With a partner, fill an image-check card and write two sentences telling friends whether to trust the courtyard picture.
- Sources
- The image description, caption and campus facilities page only.
- Product
- Completed card plus 2–3 sentences
- Raises the rigor
- Add one other piece of evidence that would change your mind.
Supports
- Image-check card: claim, who posted first, date, other proof
- Frames: “The picture shows __. It doesn’t show __.”
- Vocabulary cards: source, evidence, unverified
- Talk before writing
Success looks like
- Separates what the image shows from what it claims
- Names a better source to check
- Uses “unverified” correctly
- Doesn’t accuse the poster
High school
Grades 9–10: Write the verification note Jordy posts instead of the image, plus a one-paragraph explanation of your choices.
- Sources
- All case materials and the NIST summary.
- Product
- Note (50–80 words) plus 120-word rationale
- Raises the rigor
- Explain why “we can’t confirm” is more accurate than “fake.”
Supports
- Note template: checked / found / open
- Model note from another topic
Success looks like
- States what was checked
- Avoids a verdict the evidence can’t support
- Gives followers a next step
- Rationale explains hedging choices
High school
Grades 11–12: Build a verification and risk plan for the crew’s accounts: steps before posting any image, and a correction plan if one proves false.
- Sources
- NIST synthetic-content overview, Adobe’s labeled Firefly examples and case materials.
- Product
- Plan, 400–500 words
- Raises the rigor
- Explain which checks answer “is it generated?” and which answer “did the event happen?”
Supports
- Plan template: check, decide, post, correct
- Glossary: provenance, watermark, content credentials
Success looks like
- Distinguishes authenticity from event claims
- Represents NIST’s limits accurately
- Includes a correction and risk statement
- Feasible for a small team
High school
Honors: Argue whether platforms should be required to label AI-generated images.
- Sources
- NIST overview plus one teacher-provided article on labeling policies.
- Product
- Argument, 550–650 words
- Raises the rigor
- Address that labels can be stripped and that real photos can be mislabeled.
Supports
- Claim/counterclaim chart
- Examples of labels
Success looks like
- Clear, qualified position
- Uses technical limits accurately
- Addresses counterarguments
- Proposes a realistic policy
Pre-AP
Pre-AP: Closely observe the courtyard image and its caption, record what can and can’t be seen, and write an evidence-based verification paragraph.
- Sources
- The image description, caption and campus alerts page.
- Product
- Observation grid plus paragraph (150–200 words)
- Raises the rigor
- Lead a short academic conversation on how confident to be, then revise the confidence statement.
Supports
- Observation grid: in the image / claimed by the caption
- Question stems: “What would I expect to see if this were today?”
- Paragraph frame
Success looks like
- Observations are separate from claims
- Confidence matches evidence
- Cites the campus alerts page
- Revision reflects discussion
AP English Language
AP Lang: Analyze how the viral caption persuades, then write a verification note that uses the same brevity honestly.
- Sources
- The caption, the image description and two reposts with added comments.
- Product
- Analysis (about 400 words) plus note
- Raises the rigor
- Explain how urgency (“stay away”) short-circuits checking, and how your note keeps urgency without overclaiming.
Supports
- Rhetorical situation grid
- Commentary stems on urgency and imperatives
Success looks like
- Thesis on how the caption persuades
- Analyzes specific word choices
- Note applies the analysis
- Commentary explains effect
AP U.S. Government
AP Gov: Argument essay: should government regulate AI-generated images of public events, or leave it to platforms and users?
- Sources
- Case, NIST overview, and a short explainer on First Amendment limits on regulating speech.
- Product
- Argument essay, 40 minutes
- Raises the rigor
- Address First Amendment concerns and the difference between regulating falsity and requiring labels.
Supports
- Argument outline
- Vocabulary: prior restraint, content regulation, media literacy
Success looks like
- Defensible claim
- Accurate First Amendment reasoning
- Uses case and NIST as evidence
- Responds to opposing view
AP Seminar
AP Seminar: Individual written argument on “Can we still trust what we see?”, using a stimulus packet.
- Sources
- Stimulus: NIST overview, Adobe’s labeled examples, one journalism verification guide and one psychology article on belief.
- Product
- Individual written argument, 1,200–1,500 words
- Raises the rigor
- Propose a verification norm that a student media team could actually follow.
Supports
- Stimulus annotation
- Perspective map
- Argument outline
Success looks like
- Clear research question
- Evaluates technical, journalistic and psychological perspectives
- Original synthesis
- Feasible norm proposed
School pathway
Pre-IB: Trace the courtyard image as far as the case allows and write a verification analysis: what each source can establish, what it cannot and how confident the crew should be. Then write a 300-word reflection on the question: when is seeing still believing?
- Sources
- The image description and caption, Sami’s zoom-in, the detector result, the facilities alerts page, the secondhand report and the NIST overview.
- Product
- Verification analysis (400–500 words) plus a 300-word reflection
- Raises the rigor
- Name the single piece of evidence that would change your confidence most, and explain how you would try to get it.
Supports
- Source chain template: claim, earliest source, date, corroboration
- Confidence scale with wording for each level
- Reflection stems: “I can know by looking when…, but not when…”
Success looks like
- States what each source can and cannot establish
- Keeps the authenticity question apart from the event question
- Uses calibrated language for confidence
- Reflection develops a claim and a counterclaim about visual evidence
Middle Years
IB MYP: Investigate “Can we still believe our eyes?” and make a short guide for younger students.
- Sources
- Case materials and Adobe’s labeled examples; global context: Scientific and technical innovation.
- Product
- Guide plus 150-word reflection
- Raises the rigor
- Include a practice example that is clearly labeled as generated.
Supports
- Statement of inquiry frame
- Guide template
- Source checklist
Success looks like
- Statement of inquiry links concepts
- Accurate verification steps
- Practice example is labeled
- Reflection connects to the global context
IB Diploma
DP Lang & Lit: Write a guided textual analysis of a teacher-selected, clearly labeled AI-generated image post and its caption, answering the guiding question, then test your analysis against the case’s courtyard post and its reposts.
- Sources
- One teacher-selected image post that is clearly labeled as generated, plus the case’s courtyard caption and two reposts with added comments.
- Product
- Guided analysis, 600–800 words, written in 75 minutes
- Raises the rigor
- Analyze how each repost’s added comment shifts the meaning of the same image for its readers.
Supports
- Guiding question printed above the text
- Annotation layers: composition, realism cues, caption syntax, imperatives
- Glossary of visual terms: framing, foreground, focal point
Success looks like
- Responds directly to the guiding question
- Analyzes image and caption together with precise references
- Explains how the text positions its reader to act
- Sustains an organized line of analysis in clear academic language
Access for every learner
- Use a printed image-check card with icons
- Describe the image aloud for students with low vision
- Spanish vocabulary: imagen, fuente, verificado, sin confirmar
- Offer an oral verification note
- Reduce to two checks: who posted first, is there another record
Extension
- Compare how two news organizations describe their image-verification process
- Research what content credentials record and what they cannot show
Annotated student work
What a draft shows us.
Write what the crew should post about the courtyard image.
First draft
Heads up everyone!! 1The courtyard flooded today so don’t go over there. Some people are saying the picture is AI because 3the hand looks weird but I ran it through a detector and 2it said 12% AI so it’s basically real. My roommate also said her friend saw water near the library earlier, so that pretty much confirms it. Stay safe and 4tell your friends, we don’t want anyone getting hurt or ruining their shoes lol. 5We’ll post more if we hear anything else about it.
- 1Gap States the event as fact. Nothing independent confirms it yet.
- 2Evidence A detector score isn’t proof of the event, and detectors make errors.
- 3Strength Good that you noticed, but a detail is a clue, not a verdict either way.
- 4Audience Asking people to spread an unverified claim multiplies the problem.
- 5Strength Good: promises a follow-up. Say what you’re checking.
Revised
About the courtyard flood image going around: we can’t confirm it yet. We couldn’t find who posted it first, and the campus alerts page shows no active alerts, though its last update was Monday. A detector gave a low score, but detectors make mistakes and can’t tell us whether the event happened. So we’re not sharing the image as news. If you’re on campus now, check the official alert page before changing plans. We’ll update here by 6 p.m. Thanks for checking before sharing. If you have a dated photo or an original post, send it to Jordy.
Assessment
One-page rubric.
Mark the evidence you see. Leave room for a comment and a next step.
| Criterion | Beginning | Developing | Proficient | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evidence | Treats the image as proof. | Cites a detector or a detail as a verdict. | Checks the earliest source and an independent record. | Checks several sources and names what each can’t show. |
| Reasoning | Declares real or fake with no basis. | Hedges without explaining why. | Matches confidence to evidence. | Separates authenticity of the file from truth of the event. |
| Audience & purpose | Urges spreading. | Warns without guidance. | Gives followers a safe next step. | Gives a next step, a follow-up time and a way to contribute evidence. |
| Revision | No change. | Softens words only. | Replaces the verdict with a verification note. | Explains how each change protects followers and credibility. |
Evidence I saw
Next step
Standards
What this case teaches, by the book.
CCSS 6–8 4
RI.7.8Students judge whether a realistic image is sufficient evidence for “flooded today.”SL.8.2Students evaluate why the image spread and what the caption wants viewers to believe.RH.6-8.7Students integrate visual information with written claims and campus notices.W.8.2Students write a verification note explaining what was checked.
CCSS 9–10 3
SL.9-10.2Students weigh an image, a caption and campus information for credibility and accuracy.RI.9-10.8Students identify the unsupported leap from a realistic picture to a real event.W.9-10.8Students gather information from multiple sources and assess each one’s usefulness.
CCSS 11–12 3
RI.11-12.7Students integrate the image, provenance clues and NIST’s discussion of detection limits.W.11-12.8Students assess the strengths and limits of each source against the claim.SL.11-12.3Students evaluate the caption’s reasoning and use of evidence.
C3 Framework 4
D3.1.6-8Students choose sources by origin and authority, like the campus facilities page.D3.2.9-12Students evaluate how credible a detector result is and what it measures.D3.3.9-12Students look for inconsistencies across the image, caption and independent records.D4.3.9-12Students adapt a verification note for the crew’s followers.
AP English Language 3
Claims and Evidence (CLE)Students match the confidence of a claim to the evidence behind it.Rhetorical Situation (RHS)Students write for followers who want a quick answer.Style (STL)Students choose precise hedging (“we can’t confirm”) without sounding evasive.
IB MYP 3
Individuals and Societies B: InvestigatingStudents plan a verification process and record findings.Individuals and Societies D: Thinking criticallyStudents evaluate the limits of visual evidence and detectors.Language and Literature C: Producing textStudents write a verification note with deliberate choices for an audience.
IB DP 2
Theory of Knowledge — Knowledge and technology (optional theme)Students ask how generated images change what counts as seeing for yourself.Language A: language and literature — Readers, writers and textsStudents examine how captions direct what readers see in an image.
Take it off the page
Pause before you share an image as news.
- Find where the image first appeared before reposting
- Check an official or independent source for the event
- If you can’t confirm it, say so or don’t share it
- Suggest a “check before posting” rule for a club account you help run