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C2 Conspiracy Theories
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In the past, conspiracy theories were consigned to those still living in their parents’
basement. These days, conspiracy theories have entered the mainstream and are even
pushed by those in the highest offices of power. A rapidly changing world is a scary thing,
and conspiracy theories give comfort to those who believe in them as they to provide an
explanation for why the bad things in the world happen. But conspiracy theories exist for a
reason, and they know exactly who to target. Conspiracy theories, in addition to fake news,
science denial and disinformation serve a purpose. Trace them back to their origins, and
you’ll find someone getting rich off the back of vulnerable people. In this ESL lesson plan on
conspiracy theories, students will have the opportunity to discuss and express their opinions
on issues such as why people believe in conspiracies, and what effect these have on society.

Vocabulary
to fake something
to make something that isn't true appear to be real

gullible créduto

a gullible person is easily persuaded to believe something

conspiracy theory
a belief that a particular group or organization is responsible for a situation or event
through secret planning

susceptible
likely to be influenced by

cover-up encubrir
attempt to prevent the public from discovering information about something important

trait rasgo característica

quality

paranoia
strong and unreasonable feeling that other people don't like you or want to harm you

off the beaten track

unusual; not done by many other people

paranormal
strange things that can't be explained by science, for example, ghosts

unsubstantiated
not supported by evidence

Vocabulary Exercise
 No creen o están en desacuerdo

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Below is a summary of the video we watched:

Find synonyms or paraphrase the words in bold.

skeptical (también es correcto)
Human beings are (1) sceptical of coincidence and think in terms of (2) cause-and-
effect, which is why many people are attracted to conspiracy theories to explain
seemingly inexplicable events, like the assassination of a U.S. President. Susan
Spencer talks with spy novelist Gayle Lynds and psychologist Rob Brotherton

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about humans' (3) propensity to seek out (4) clandestine, (5) nefarious plots, and
with Professor Joseph Uscinski, who has studied hundreds of bizarre theories, and
who thinks a little dose of conspiracy-thinking actually may be good for democracy.

Buscar

The Titanic never sank. Instead, the ship that lies at the bottom of the Atlantic is another ship called the Olympic,
which was damage before sailing so it was not difficult for it to sink.

Nowadays have become conventional to invent fake news and usually they go viral rapidly due to the
impact that social network have on the disclosure of information.

I believe that the people that generally invent conspiracy theories or even fake news are people with a
lot of free time, who have nothing to do, and that aren’t aware about the impact that these false
information can have on society.