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Lesson kit · 45 minutes

Checking what AI tells you

A ready-to-run 45-minute lesson: students learn why chatbots can be confidently wrong and practise a four-step routine for checking facts, photos and sources.

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Lesson kit · 45 minutes · Teacher notes

Checking what AI tells you

Grades 6 to 9, or adult learners

By the end, learners can

  • explain in their own words why a chatbot can state something false with confidence
  • use the 4 S check (Spot, Source, Second, Sure) on a short AI answer
  • tell a reliable source from a weak one, and say what to check about a photo or video
  • use AI to find sources, then open and read those sources themselves

Prepare

  • A projector or a large screen for the slides (or copy the slide points onto the board)
  • One worksheet per student, or one per pair in a large class
  • One school textbook, an atlas or an encyclopedia per group, if you have them
  • Optional: one internet-connected computer on the projector for the teacher demo and the True or fake game
  • Write "Spot, Source, Second, Sure" in large letters at the side of the board

Why chatbots sound sure when they are wrong

A chatbot writes by predicting which words are likely to come next, based on the huge amount of text it learned from. It has no built-in step that checks each sentence against the real world.

So it can produce text that reads well and is false: an invented fact, a book or article that does not exist, a quote nobody said, a wrong date or a miscalculated number.

Its knowledge also stops at the date its training data ends. Prices, rules, schedules and records may have changed since then. Some chatbots can search the web, which helps, but they can still misread or mix up what they find.

The tone stays the same whether the answer is right or wrong. Students often read a calm, fluent answer as a true one. Breaking that link is the main goal of this lesson.

The 4 S check

Spot: pick out the exact claim you need to check. One answer may hold several claims; check the one that matters, such as a date, a number, a name or a quote.

Source: find where the claim first came from, such as the official page, the original report or the textbook. A repost or a summary is not the source.

Second: look for a second reliable source that was written independently. Asking the same chatbot again, or a different chatbot, does not count.

Sure: decide how sure you are and write it down: confirmed, probably true, not sure yet, or false. "Not sure yet" is an honest and useful answer.

Checking photos and videos

Many false posts reuse a real photo or video from a different time or place. A flood photo from years ago is shared as "this morning".

Reverse image search tools (Google Lens, Bing Visual Search, TinEye) let you search with a picture instead of words. They show where else the image has appeared and when. For a video, search a clear still frame.

Look for the earliest upload, then check the date and place against reliable news. Clues inside the picture help too: street signs, shop names, weather, the season, vehicles.

Pictures can also be fully made by AI. Odd hands, garbled text and strange shadows are clues, but newer tools hide them well, so finding the original source matters more than spotting flaws.

Reliable sources in Vietnam, and using AI to check

Usually reliable: official government and ministry websites (addresses ending in .gov.vn), established national newspapers, encyclopedias, school textbooks and atlases. Even these can make mistakes, which is why the Second step exists.

Check carefully: personal blogs, fan pages, video channels and group chats. They may be right, but they are rarely the original source.

AI can help with checking. Ask it where a claim comes from and which sources say so, then open every link and find the claim on the page yourself. Chatbots sometimes give links that do not exist or pages that say something different.

A simple rule for students: never trust or share a link you have not opened.

Running it with few devices

The whole lesson works with paper, the board and the slides. Every worksheet task can be done without a device.

Many chatbots set a minimum age, often 13. Do any live chatbot or search demo yourself on one projected screen, and do not ask students to sign up for anything.

The True or fake game on ManuAI needs no account. Play it on the projector as a class, with students voting by hand.

Lesson plan

Warm-up7 min

Which one is wrong?

  • Show slide 1. Read out three statements in the same calm voice: "Hà Nội is the capital of Vietnam. A spider has eight legs. The Moon is bigger than the Earth."
  • Students vote by hand on which one is wrong, then you reveal it: the Moon is much smaller.
  • Ask: "Did my voice change on the wrong one?" Point out that a chatbot's tone does not change either.
  • Show slides 2 and 3 and explain, briefly, how a chatbot writes and the ways it goes wrong.
Activity18 min

Learn the 4 S check

  • Show slides 4 and 5. Walk through Spot, Source, Second, Sure, and point to the words on the board.
  • Model it once out loud on answer A from worksheet task 2: spot the claim, say where you would look, name a second source, and say how sure you are.
  • Pairs complete task 2 for answers B and C, using textbooks or an atlas if you have them.
  • Take answers from three pairs. Ask each pair which step helped most.
  • Do task 1 together as a class: one sentence on why a chatbot can sound sure and be wrong.
Practice13 min

Sources, photos and links

  • Show slide 6. Students do task 4 (sorting sources) alone, then compare with a neighbour.
  • Show slide 7. Read out task 5 and give students three minutes to write two checks for the flood photo.
  • Show slide 8. Students tick an answer for task 3, then take a quick hand vote and explain why opening the link comes first.
  • If you have a projector and internet, play a few rounds of True or fake as a class, voting by hand.
Wrap-up7 min

Remember the routine

  • Show slide 9. Students write the 4 S check from memory in task 6.
  • Ask five quiz questions out loud and take hand votes; keep the other five for homework or the next lesson.
  • Ask two or three students: "What will you do next time a chatbot gives you a fact for homework?"

Go further on ManuAI

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Slides

Checking what AI tells you

Project these from the screen, or print them one per page.

  1. Slide 1 of 9

    Can you trust what AI tells you?

    • Chatbots answer almost any question in seconds
    • Most answers sound sure and polite
    • Some of them are wrong
    • Today: how to check

    Say: Who here has seen an answer from a chatbot? It sounds clever and calm. Today we will learn why it can still be wrong, and a short routine you can use to check it.

  2. Slide 2 of 9

    How a chatbot writes an answer

    • It learned patterns from a huge amount of text
    • It writes by guessing the next likely word, again and again
    • It has no built-in step that checks facts
    • The result sounds right, whether it is or not

    Say: A chatbot is a very good guesser of words. It picks words that usually go together. Most of the time that gives a good answer. Sometimes it gives a sentence that sounds perfect and is false, and the chatbot cannot tell the difference.

  3. Slide 3 of 9

    Ways AI gets things wrong

    • Invented facts that sound real
    • Fake sources, books, links and quotes
    • Out-of-date information
    • Wrong numbers, dates and sums

    Say: These are the four mistakes to watch for. A chatbot can invent a fact, make up a book or a quote, give old information because its training stopped at some date, or get a number wrong. It says all of these in the same confident voice.

  4. Slide 4 of 9

    The 4 S check

    • Spot: pick out the exact claim
    • Source: find where it first came from
    • Second: check one more reliable source
    • Sure: decide how sure you are, and note it

    Say: Here is our routine. Four words that start with S. Spot the claim, find the Source, check a Second source, and decide how Sure you are. Say it with me: Spot, Source, Second, Sure.

  5. Slide 5 of 9

    Source and Second, up close

    • The source is the original: the official page, report or book
    • A repost or a summary is not the source
    • The second source must be separate from the first
    • Asking the chatbot again does not count

    Say: If a chatbot says something, the chatbot is not the source. We want the place the fact really comes from. Then we want a second place, written by different people. Asking the same chatbot twice is like asking the same person twice.

  6. Slide 6 of 9

    Reliable sources in Vietnam

    • Official government and ministry sites ending in .gov.vn
    • Established national newspapers
    • Encyclopedias, textbooks and atlases
    • Be careful with fan pages, group chats and reposts

    Say: These sources are usually reliable because people check them before they publish, and someone is responsible for them. They can still make mistakes, so we still use two. A fan page or a forwarded message may be right, but it is almost never the original.

  7. Slide 7 of 9

    Checking photos and videos

    • Old photos are often shared as new
    • Reverse image search: search with the picture itself
    • Find the earliest upload
    • Check the date and the place against reliable news

    Say: A real photo can still tell a false story if it is from another year or another country. Reverse image search tools show you where a picture appeared before. If the same photo was online five years ago, it was not taken this morning.

  8. Slide 8 of 9

    Using AI to help you check

    • Ask: "Where does this come from? Which sources say so?"
    • Open every link yourself
    • Find the claim on the page with your own eyes
    • Never trust a link you have not opened

    Say: AI can help you check, if you use it to find sources. Ask it where a fact comes from. Then open each link and look for the fact on the page. Sometimes the link does not work, or the page says something else. Only what you read yourself counts.

  9. Slide 9 of 9

    Remember

    • A confident answer can still be wrong
    • Spot, Source, Second, Sure
    • "Not sure yet" is an honest answer
    • Open the link before you trust it

    Say: Next time a chatbot gives you a fact for homework, run the 4 S check. If you cannot find two good sources, write that you are not sure yet. That is what careful people do.

Worksheet · Lesson kit · 45 minutes

Check what AI tells you

NameClassDate

Work alone or with a partner. Use your textbook, an atlas or what your teacher shows on the board. You do not need a phone or a computer.

  1. 1In your own words: why can a chatbot sound very sure and still be wrong?

  2. 2Each "AI answer" below hides one wrong fact. Find it and write the correct fact. A: "Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth, about 8,849 metres high, on the border of Nepal and China. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first reached the top in 1963." B: "At sea level, water boils at 100 °C and freezes at 0 °C. Sound travels faster than light, which is why we hear thunder before we see lightning." C: "Hà Nội is the capital of Vietnam. Hạ Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The largest city in Vietnam by population is Đà Nẵng."

    AnswerThe wrong partThe correct factWhere I could check it
    A
    B
    C

  3. 3A chatbot gives you a link to a news article as its source. What should you do first?

    • Copy the link into my homework
    • Open the link and find the claim on the page myself
    • Ask the chatbot if the link is real
    • Share it with friends so they can check

  4. 4How much would you trust each source to check a fact? Tick one box in each row.

    SourceUsually reliableCheck carefullyNot enough on its own
    A ministry website ending in .gov.vn
    Your school textbook
    A comment under a video
    An established national newspaper
    A screenshot forwarded in a group chat
    An encyclopedia

  5. 5A photo of a flooded street is shared with the words "Đà Nẵng, this morning". Write two things you would check before you believe it or share it.

  6. 6Write the 4 S check from memory, with a few words on what each step means.

Quiz

Ten questions. Circle one answer for each.

  1. 1Why can a chatbot state something false in a confident voice?

    • AIt wants to trick you
    • BIt predicts likely words and has no built-in fact check
    • CIt copies one website word for word
    • DIt only makes mistakes on purpose

  2. 2A chatbot gives you a quote from a famous scientist for your project. What should you do?

    • AUse it, since famous quotes are easy for AI
    • BAsk the chatbot if it is sure, and use it if it says yes
    • CFind the quote in a reliable source before you use it

  3. 3What is the first step of the 4 S check?

    • ASpot: pick out the exact claim you need to check
    • BShare: send it to a friend
    • CSearch: look for pictures of it
    • DSure: decide how sure you are

  4. 4Which is the best second source to check a chatbot's answer?

    • AThe same chatbot, asked again
    • BA different chatbot
    • CA friend who saw the same post
    • DAn encyclopedia or textbook written separately

  5. 5A chatbot lists a link as its source. When can you trust that the link supports the claim?

    • AWhen the link looks real
    • BOnly after you open it and find the claim on the page yourself
    • CWhen the chatbot says it has checked the link

  6. 6Why might a chatbot's answer about this year's school rules or prices be wrong?

    • AIts training data stops at a certain date, so it may miss recent changes
    • BChatbots cannot read numbers
    • CSchool rules and prices are secret

  7. 7Which website address belongs to an official Vietnamese government site?

    • AA page ending in .com.vn full of adverts
    • BA social media fan page with a ministry logo
    • CA site whose address ends in .gov.vn
    • DA blog that quotes a ministry

  8. 8A dramatic photo is shared with "taken yesterday in Hà Nội". What can a reverse image search help you find?

    • AWho liked the photo
    • BOlder or original copies of the image, with their dates and places
    • CThe phone number of the person who took it
    • DWhether the photo is in colour

  9. 9You checked two reliable sources and they disagree. What is the best thing to do?

    • APick the one you like better
    • BAsk the chatbot to choose
    • CNote that you are not sure yet, then look for a third source or ask a teacher

  10. 10A chatbot names a book and its author, but no such book exists. What kind of mistake is this?

    • AOut-of-date information
    • BA spelling mistake
    • CA wrong sum
    • DA made-up source
Free to print and share in classrooms and at home.ManuAI · free AI lessons for everyone · ai.manusignal.com

Quiz answers · Lesson kit · 45 minutes

Checking what AI tells you

  1. 1Why can a chatbot state something false in a confident voice? B. It predicts likely words and has no built-in fact checkA chatbot writes by guessing which words usually come next. Nothing in that process checks the facts, so a wrong sentence can sound just as sure as a right one.
  2. 2A chatbot gives you a quote from a famous scientist for your project. What should you do? C. Find the quote in a reliable source before you use itChatbots sometimes invent quotes or give them to the wrong person. A chatbot saying "yes, I am sure" is still the chatbot, so you need a real source.
  3. 3What is the first step of the 4 S check? A. Spot: pick out the exact claim you need to checkYou first need to know exactly what you are checking, such as a date, a name or a number. Sure is the last step, after Source and Second.
  4. 4Which is the best second source to check a chatbot's answer? D. An encyclopedia or textbook written separatelyA second source should be independent and reliable. Chatbots can repeat the same mistakes, and a friend who saw the same post only repeats it.
  5. 5A chatbot lists a link as its source. When can you trust that the link supports the claim? B. Only after you open it and find the claim on the page yourselfChatbots sometimes give links that do not work or pages that say something else. Only what you read on the page yourself counts.
  6. 6Why might a chatbot's answer about this year's school rules or prices be wrong? A. Its training data stops at a certain date, so it may miss recent changesA chatbot learned from text collected up to some date. Anything that changed after that may be missing or out of date in its answers.
  7. 7Which website address belongs to an official Vietnamese government site? C. A site whose address ends in .gov.vnOfficial government and ministry websites in Vietnam use addresses ending in .gov.vn. Anyone can copy a logo onto a fan page or a blog.
  8. 8A dramatic photo is shared with "taken yesterday in Hà Nội". What can a reverse image search help you find? B. Older or original copies of the image, with their dates and placesReverse image search shows where else a picture has appeared. If it was online years ago or in another country, the caption is false.
  9. 9You checked two reliable sources and they disagree. What is the best thing to do? C. Note that you are not sure yet, then look for a third source or ask a teacherWhen good sources disagree, the honest answer is "not sure yet". Another reliable source or an expert can help settle it.
  10. 10A chatbot names a book and its author, but no such book exists. What kind of mistake is this? D. A made-up sourceChatbots can produce titles and authors that look real because they fit the usual pattern. Searching a library or bookshop catalogue for the title shows whether the book exists.
Free to print and share in classrooms and at home.ManuAI · free AI lessons for everyone · ai.manusignal.com