Investigating a Question

Reading: Scams through Time

Duration: Approximately 25 minutes

In this passage, “Are scams new?” students will read about the history of scams, such as the Power Balance bracelet, and the origin of the term “snake oil salesman.” They will consider who is ultimately responsible for protecting people from such scams.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

Students consider scams from a historical perspective.

Conduct a class discussion using the questions in the last paragraph.

Encourage students to ask each other to rephrase or repeat important or interesting points.

• Can someone rephrase or repeat that?
• Can anybody put that in their own words?
• Who thinks they could repeat that?