CONSPIRACY THEORY
PROJECT
SUBJECT:
GRADES
Social Studies, English, History, Homeroom, Current Events, Technology
9-12
OVERARCHING OBJECTIVE
SECONDAY OBJECTIVES
Students will create a
presentation about a
Conspiracy Theory
students will develop a research topic
students will conduct research using the internet
students will identify creditable sources
students will create a presentation using words and
pictures to explain their topic
students will present in front of the class
students will prepare for a presentation using notes/note
cards
students will give and receive peer feedback
STEPS
1. Introduce the topic. This video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYQCIphJhAk) does a good job of
introducing the idea of a conspiracy theory and giving some examples. Ask students to quietly think of other
theories they have heard of. You may opt to ask them to share their ideas or go straight to selecting their
own.
2. Students must select a theory to investigate. Check each theory before the student starts to ensure (1) no
one else is using that theory in the class period and (2) you find it acceptable for your class
3. Provide students with the directions either right before or right after they select their topic.
4. Students can work on this project alone but find it useful to bounce ideas off of peers or get help making
their slideshow
5. Provide students with notecards or paper if they wish to make presenter notes to use
RESOURCES
REQUIRED
6. When ready, students present their
slideshows to the class.
As their classmates present, all other students
complete the peer feedback form
MATERIALS
The teacher will need a way to show the introduction video with sound. Each student will need access to the internet
for research, a program to create a presentation (Slides, PowerPoint, etc. ), and a computer/tablet to create the
presentation. The teacher will need a way to project the slideshow. The teacher will also need the theory selection
form, student feedback form, and self-reflection form. Teachers may find it useful to provide a list of theories to
students if they struggle to find their own
Created by Beth Usher
Conspiracy Project Directions
Essential question: what role do conspiracy theories play in how we remember
history?
Investigate a conspiracy theory of your choice and create a presentation about what
you have learned
Expectations
2-4 minutes
uses 4-10 slides (including title and works cited)
The presentation needs to look nice (interesting background/theme, easy to read
font and colors, pictures, slides not too cluttered)
The presentation needs to be free of spelling and grammar errors
The presentation needs to avoid paragraphs of text (use bullet points or tables)
The presentation should include more than reading the slides to us. Elaborate on
what you have written. You are welcome to use notes
The presenter should be prepared for questions from the class. The questions do
not count towards your time
Ideas of what to include* in the presentation
The overall idea of the theory
short (< 30 second) video clip
Pictures/diagrams/maps related to the theory
Origin of the theory, including person/group/date if you are able to find that information
What was going on to encourage the formation of the theory? AND/OR How does this theory fit into the
historical narrative of the time? AND/OR How has this theory
Has this theory had a lasting impact on society? What?
Are there competing theories? What are they?
How is this theory present in the media? How was the message spread at the time? Is the theory
represented in modern culture?
Cite your sources in MLA format on the last slide(s). Include at least 3 sources -they may or may not be
credible depending on the theory. For this project, you may need to depend on sources that are usually
not seen as credible. Still cite the videos/articles/blog posts/social media posts/etc. you found to help you
You are welcome, but not required, to include your own opinion about the theory
*depending on the theory selected, some elements may be difficult to research. Put forth your best effort but
if you are unable to find information, you may note that in your presentation in place of having an answer
Created by Beth Usher
Theory Ideas
There are many more! But these are some you can look at to get started
Lizard people/Reptilian Elite
Birds aren't real
Fluoride in the water is a Communist plot
Earth is flat
Yeti/Abominable Snowman
The moon landing is fake
5G in Covid vaccine
Nazis and Antarctica
Area 51
Hollow Earth/Agartha
Bigfoot
Chemtrails
The U.S. helped Hitler escape
Missing flight 914
Queen Elizabeth was a man
The Titanic didn't sink
9/11
"Frozen" movie is a distraction for freezing Walt Disney
Satanic Subliminal messages
Lochness Monster
Holocaust denial
Dyalov Pass incident
J.P Morgan and the Titanic
Roswell crash
Mysterious deaths
Princess Diana
Juice WRLD
Paul McCartney
Elvis
Jeffery Epstein
Gary Webb
Marilyn Monroe
JKF
Tupac
Created by Beth Usher
Forms to make on Google Forms
Conspiracy theory sign up
Goal: ensure each student within the class period selects a different theory. Ensure students choose a
theory you find appropriate
Questions to include:
Class period, name
theory
Student self reflection
Goal: provide feedback about the project and help students reflect on their project
Questions to include
Class period, name
Did they have enough time (yes, finished early; yes but needed all the time; no almost finished; no, did
not get much done)
What was the easiest part of the project?
What was the most challenging part of the project?
If you were to do this project again, what would you change?
What grade do you deserve on this project based on EFFORT? (A;B;C;D;F;)
What grade do you deserve based on the final result? (A;B;C;D;F;)
What did you learn from this project? This could be something about the content, a skill or something
about yourself.
Peer feedback
Goal: keep students engaged in presentations and provide valuable peer feedback
Questions to include
class period >jump to section based on response, create a section for each period (you can then copy
questions into each section. This will make it easier to sort feedback to share with students)
for each class, create a drop-down menu of student names. This is very helpful and makes it easy for
students to give feedback to each student
checkboxes for "Two things they did well"
include feedback such as "prepared", "interesting topic", "cool pictures", "easy to read slides", "easy
to hear presentation", "learned something new", "did not stumble over words" etc.
checkboxes for "One thing to improve"
include feedback such as "too short", "too long", "hard to hear", "pictures would help", "need to
prepare more"
Space for additional comments
Created by Beth Usher