Students will analyze research on the internet and explore how they can determine what is not true and what is factual online. No, this does not involve tracking authors down and grilling them on their credentials. For this activity, you are researching some information about the first naval battle that took place during world war i to use in your research paper for your composition class. Using credible sources will enhance your credibility and the overall quality of your essay, while using sources that are not credible will have the opposite effect and will detract from the essay. Teach your students to distinguish real news from fake news with this evaluating sources mini unit. The credibility of some web sources may be hard to determine, but the questions posed in this activity will help. Credible source is a source that is unbiased, is supported with some evidence, and is. Identifying reliable sources and citing them scholastic. Its a threat to education, and it is a threat to nurturing a knowledgeable society. Before distributing it, show and read the top paragraph only on a document camera or overhead. This activity which is part of a larger unit on source evaluation has students closely examine three different sources. Jan 19, 2017 evaluating sources in a posttruth world. Use the above questions subjectively to determine credibility. They rarely attend to source features such as author, venue, or publication.
Thinking critically about sources evaluating sources often involves piecing together clues. This unit includes lessons on types of sources, credibility of sources, bias, and primary vs secondary sources. Make a class set of copies of the handout evaluating internet sources. In this class, students will identify guidelines for evaluating the credibility of content. By that point, i had witnessed students inability to discern reliable sources from unreliable sources in a minicrash course designed by the librarian and me. Build a lesson using the lesson ideas and resources provided, design an activity that combines a subject area standard with a lesson in evaluating sources. Identifying reliable sources and citing them by angela bunyi.
Has the modern womens movement forced the roman catholic church to consider allowing women to take leadership positions within the church. Finding good sources and using them effectively helps you to create a message and a persona that your readers are more likely to accept, believe, and be interested in than if unsuitable and unreliable sources are used. When writing a research paper, always use and cite credible sources. Can factual information be verified through footnotes or bibliographies to other credible sources. Online writing lab evaluating sources once a variety of information is found, it is important to make sure that the sources are credible, accurate, and current before incorporating them into an essay. Evaluating sources university of maryland libraries. That may become possible, unless we commit to using teaching strategies to help students block out the trash and tune into information that comes from a credible source. Evaluating information evaluate information research. Evaluating your sources for reliability and credibility. Evaluating perspectives on westward expansion docsteach. Teaching adolescents how to evaluate the quality of online. Feb 17, 2015 no, this does not involve tracking authors down and grilling them on their credentials. The first thing students need to do is open the site.
Evaluating other energy sources national geographic society. Focus on a specific criteria for your lesson such as the importance of currency or point of view. While writing an assignment, research project or any other thing, it is important to cite credible sources. Use this checklist to determine if an article is credible or not. It is not a checklist, but rather a set of ideas to get them. Mar 19, 2020 evaluating news sources if youre like most people, you have no shortage of news articles reaching you each day. Youre writing a paper with the following research question. Using academic databases such as the ones offered through kiefer library is a good start, but it is still up to you, as the writer, to make sure. In this class, students will identify guidelines for evaluating the credibility of content online. The ultimate guide to teaching source credibility the context. Apr 07, 2014 teaching adolescents how to evaluate the quality of online information use these strategies to help middle and high school students identify relevance, accuracy, bias, and reliability in the content they read.
Evaluating sources mann instruction toolkit libguides at cornell. How can learners evaluate research sources for authority, accuracy, and credibility. This quiz and corresponding worksheet gauge your understanding of evaluating research to ensure the sources are reliable and credible. Students will identify and classify sources of information for validity according to the. They neither select the best pages nor filter out questionable ones, so you need to evaluate the choices carefully. Activity summary students will work in groups of two. Librarians may also choose to use the attached pdf slides to briefly cover the concepts. Worried about your students not being able to decipher fake news from opinion pieces or credible sources.
Evaluating online sources essay writing the nature of. One is fake news, one is an opinion column from sports illustrated, and. Evaluating legitimate sources teachercreated lesson. Given this fact, here are a few questions to ask when evaluating any source. Each student will receive one of the three articles listed below, then complete the information on the table for their article. They will also need a computer with internet access and a projector to display the websites they are evaluating, or printed out screen shots for students to view. Before using any source, make sure that it is credible. Involve students in evaluating websites or comparing the content found in two or more websites. Hollywood movie about the american revolution made in 2001. Despite the large amount of information available, both in print and online, not all of it is valid, useful, or accurate. I use this evaluating websites slide show and i explain the activity.
Primary and secondary sources when choosing credible research sources, you will find primary and secondary sources. This is an example i show students of a more credible source. How to know if a source is reliable by shmoop youtube. Using outside sources evaluating sources aims community. For example, if you are researching the era of the civil war, you might use. Use the printable evaluating a web site guide in pdf format to jot down your answers and comments. Middle school students are more concerned with content relevance than with credibility. The definition of a credible source can change depending on the discipline, but in general, for academic writing, a credible source is one that is unbiased and is backed up with evidence. In this activity, students address the overarching unit guiding question how do i identify credible sources. Nov 20, 2018 how to evaluate a website 1 open the site. Evaluating legitimate sources teachercreated lesson plan. The ultimate guide to teaching source credibility education world. Apply what youve just learned about the 5ws of evaluating a web site. Lewis library based on the craap test created by meriam library at.
Practical activities and questions to help students navigate a media. Book written by a famous historian who is an expert on the american revolution, published in 1999. Many schools are stressing the importance of addressing the 21st century skill of digital citizenship to ensure that students are conducting research online in a way that is safe, responsible, and collaborative. A new adversary in the world of factsdriven logic and decisionmaking has been rearing its ugly head across our social media pages these days. Check out the source evaluation rubric for a stepbystep evaluation tool.
Evaluating sources first year writing instructor guide. Below are some basic guidelines to help you select reliable resources and use those to learn accurate information about a given subject. After completing our unit which took a week, i believe that even 1st grade is not too early to require students to begin citing sources. Inaccurate, questionable, or outofdate sources can undermine your ideas and cause the reader to question your authority on your topic. This activity can be used during a unit on westward expansion, or to explore how primary sources can provide varying perspectives on a topic. Look at the two resources assigned to your group, and decide together which source would be most appropriate to use in. They will look at factors like currency, reliability, accuracy, and purpose. I can apply guiding principles to evaluate the reliability of a websites information and determine reliable and unreliable information sources. Which of the following sources would you initially evaluate as useful to you. Additionally, pupils research marketing and consumerism and write a. By completing readings, discussions, and graphic organizers, scholars learn how to properly evaluate sources to find credible information. The rubric is a modified version of the web page rubric developed by the ron e. Would i use this website in an academic paper or project. Learn how to determine authority on and off the web.
Evaluate a websites content and identity to determine appropriate internet sources for research. This post includes four lesson plans, photos of anchor charts, and reliable internet sources geared for students. Evaluating sources for reliability, credibility, and worth. Determining credibility of online sources can be a challenge since it is not always clear who created or published what we are looking at. You have found two different sites that discuss the first naval battle, and now you need to choose which is the more credible source. Jul 18, 20 learn how to evaluate sources by using the crap test. Finding and evaluating research sources american literature i. What could you do differently to get the most credible sources in a search. Students will compare two websites one obviously more credible than the other and evaluate them using the crap checklist. Evaluating sources online writing center suny empire. Relevant and informed sources can help you to support and prove your thesis and persuade your audience, so evaluating and selecting sources carefully is an important part of writing a strong, convincing paper. I have also included sources that help students create gradeappropriate citations.
The ultimate guide to teaching source credibility education. Explain that this handout will be a resource for them as they consider credible sources to use for their tasks. This activity has students practice strategies for identifying credible websites. I hand out three copies of the evaluate website rubric to each group and allow them to work for the rest of the session. Evaluating sources of information that you might include in your writing is an important step in any research. Students arent born knowing how to evaluate the credibility of sources.
Evaluating news sources if youre like most people, you have no shortage of news articles reaching you each day. Evaluating online sources lesson plan brainpop educators. Youre sleuthing methods will need to be a bit more covert. Use a seed source to identify other relevant sources. Credible source is a source that is unbiased, is supported with some evidence, and is reputed enough to be believed by the readers. In this online sources lesson plan, which is adaptable for grades k8, students use brainpop resources to learn how to conduct effective internet research. Students will compare two websites one obviously more credible than. Pick a web site of your choice or select one from the list below. Evaluating sources means recognizing whether the information you read and include in your research is credible. Each lesson has an engaging activity such as a scavenger hunt, a dont eat pete activity.
While there are many sources of information online, not all sites are publishers of credible and authentic content. A 20 minute activity on evaluating sources using tabloids. I know this information is applicable to grades 112. Whether retrieved via traditional channels such as newsprint, radio or television or shared via social media outlets, how confident are you in your ability to distinguish objective, reputable articles from those that are biased or more questionable. Evaluate the following websites using the criteria from the evaluating sources using c. Evaluating sources whether youre searching in a library database or out on the wild, wild web, its crucial that you critically evaluate the sources you find. Nasa climate change site this is an example i show students of a more credible source. Assessing sources evaluating the credibility and validity of a resource can be very difficult, particularly when doing research using the internet. In this lesson, students learn how to use these comprehension strategies.
Many students still learn research skills based on the idea that theyll be getting their information from books, journal articles and other highly vetted sources of information. This worksheet will help you determine if a source is credible, and if its a good fit for your assignments. Students will evaluate and compare online information sources for accuracy. Evaluating your sources for reliability and credibility spi 3002. Asking questions like the ones below can help you to decide whether a source is credible or not. Learning targets evaluate research sources for authority, accuracy, credibility, timeliness, and purposeaudience. On the other hand, when writers work with research sources, first finding and then evaluating them, they do rhetorical work. This lesson has students use credible sources to support or debunk a claim. Know whats credible on the web by winston sieck 1 comment updated nov 20, 2019 search results can turn up lots of interestinglooking pages, but efficient web learning means spending most of your time looking at the highquality sites.
571 56 720 686 1341 1116 476 322 1066 1169 1004 690 244 1162 621 1509 782 1401 851 64 906 65 296 1009 76 1277 918 411 190 693 251 141 195 267 736 676 615 663 834