Civics Students Study 2024 Election
![Teacher in front of class]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1729091054/avonworthk12paus/bk2optvzjh1vva4w14cc/IMG_8829.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1729091054/avonworthk12paus/bk2optvzjh1vva4w14cc/IMG_8829.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1729091054/avonworthk12paus/bk2optvzjh1vva4w14cc/IMG_8829.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1729091054/avonworthk12paus/bk2optvzjh1vva4w14cc/IMG_8829.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1729091054/avonworthk12paus/bk2optvzjh1vva4w14cc/IMG_8829.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1729091054/avonworthk12paus/bk2optvzjh1vva4w14cc/IMG_8829.jpg","width":2200}])
Avonworth Research Media Specialist Emily Hickman joined 8th Grade Civics classes during Digital Citizenship Week for a timely discussion about "Deep Fakes and Our Democracy". 8th Grade Civics students are currently studying the 2024 Election and how candidates get their message out to potential voters.
Mrs. Hickman guided students through a history of synthetic media and showed examples of how "deep fake" videos have evolved in the social media age. Students were first challenged to identify deep fake videos of celebrities and elected officials. Then, they tried to predict how these types of false media could negatively impact our democracy.
Throughout this unit, 8th Grade Civics students also analyzed both presidential candidates' campaign commercials and their use of propaganda techniques. Students also developed good citizenship skills by evaluating candidates' official websites, exploring their social media accounts, and assessing their debate performance to determine which candidate will earn the 270 electoral votes needed to Win the White House.