📋 Robot's Lesson Units · Unit 5

Seeing Isn't Believing

AI can fake photos, voices, and whole videos — so seeing something is no longer proof. Before you believe it, ask who made it, why, and where else you can check.

👧 Ages 9–13 ⏱️ ~45 minutes 🗺️ Builds Level 3 (Notice Risk) & Level 4 (Choose Safely).
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🎯 Objective Kids can explain what a deepfake is, spot clues in an AI-made image, and use three questions (Who made this? Why? Where else can I check?) before believing or sharing.

🧠 Robot's 3 Questions

The heart of this unit — pause and ask before you click, allow, share, or install:

1. What is happening? 2. Who gets access? 3. What happens next?

What you'll need

  • A screen or projector so the class can see together
  • Optional: print the media-literacy cards to sort on a table
  • Exit-ticket slips or scrap paper (optional)

The lesson

  1. Hook 4 min

    Could you tell?

    Ask the class: “If you saw a video of someone famous saying something wild, would you believe it?” Let a few kids answer. Then drop the big idea: AI can now make photos, voices, and whole videos that look completely real. For a long time, seeing was believing. Not anymore — and that's okay, because there's a simple way to stay smart about it.

  2. Learn 7 min

    What AI can fake now

    Read these two together. A deepfake copies a real person; AI-generated video invents whole scenes from a sentence. Ask: what do they have in common? (Nothing was really filmed — a computer made it.) The point isn't fear; it's knowing what's possible so a fake can't fool you.

    Poster: What Is a Deepfake? → Poster: AI-Generated Video →
  3. Spot 8 min

    Spot the fake picture

    AI images are good, but they slip up. Look at the clues together: weird hands and fingers, melty or made-up text, and details that don't add up. In the lab, kids hunt for the tells. Naming the clues makes them easy to catch.

    Poster: Is This Photo Real? →
  4. Sort 12 min

    Green, yellow, red: believe it, check it, or don't

    Read each card aloud. Have the class vote 🟢 trust it, 🟡 slow down and check, or 🔴 don't believe or share — then reveal the color. Rule of thumb: the more something makes you feel (shocked, angry, amazed) and the harder it is to find anywhere trusted, the more it needs checking.

    A photo on a news site you and your family trust A video your teacher shared in class A picture a friend clearly labeled “made with AI” An amazing photo that looks a little too perfect A surprising claim you can't find anywhere else An AI answer said as a sure fact, with no source A shocking video from an account you don't know A photo with weird hands and melty text A clip that pushes you to share it RIGHT NOW A “news” image posted in only one random place A post made to make you angry fast, saying “share this!”
  5. Choose 8 min

    Confident isn't correct

    AI doesn't only fake pictures — it can state made-up facts with total confidence. Read the poster, then run the Mission: kids meet a very sure-sounding chatbot and practice the smart step of checking a second source. Everyone earns the “Trust but Check” habit.

    Poster: Can I Trust What AI Made? → Mission: The Confident Chatbot →
  6. Do 6 min

    The three questions

    Bring it all together with the one habit that works on any photo, video, or post. Before you believe it or share it, ask: “Who made this? Why? Where else can I check?” If you can't answer, that's your signal to slow down. “I'm not sure yet” is a smart thing to say.

    Poster: Seeing Isn't Believing →
🎟️ Exit ticket

What are the three questions to ask before you believe something online?

Answer: Who made this? Why? Where else can I check?

🏠 Take it home Challenge: this week, find one surprising photo or video online and run the three questions before you believe or share it. Then teach a grown-up the idea that “seeing isn't believing” anymore.

Part of the Cyber Ready Roadmap · More for parents & teachers