Year 9 Science · Unit 4 · Lesson 7

Pseudoscientific Claims in Popular Media

Foundation Worksheet

Name

Date

Class

Learning Goals

Recognise where pseudoscientific claims appear in everyday media.
Identify common red flags such as testimonials, miracle results and fear words.
Use key vocabulary: pseudoscience, red flag, testimonial, anecdote, peer review, fact-check.

Warm Up

Sort it!

Write each phrase from the pool into the correct box. Decide whether each one is a pseudoscience red flag, or a sign of genuine evidence.

"Melt fat in 14 days!" Tested in a trial of 600 people "Clinically proven" with no named study Reviewed by independent scientists "Flushes out toxins" A clear list of ingredients and amounts "Doctors hate this one trick" Published in a peer-reviewed journal A single before-and-after photo "It's 100% natural, so it's safe"

Red Flag

Genuine Evidence

Your Turn

Fill the gap

Choose the correct word from the word bank to complete each sentence. Two words will not be used.

pseudoscience testimonial red flag peer review fact-check natural toxins evidence funded

A claim that looks scientific but is not backed by proper evidence is called . A personal story used as "proof" instead of data from a fair test is a . A warning sign that a claim might be misleading is a . Before a real study is published, it is checked by independent experts through . To trace a claim back to its source and test it against trusted sites is to it. The false idea that something is safe just because it is "" is a common trick. When checking a study, you should always ask who it, because the seller paying for it is not independent.

Show What You Know

1. Give one example of a pseudoscience red flag you might see in an advert, and explain why it is not real evidence.

Recall 2 marks

2. Name two trusted Australian sources you could use to fact-check a health claim you saw online.

Recall 2 marks

Wrap Up

In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?