Fact or Fiction? Evaluating Websites for Accuracy and Relevance

Subject Area(s):

• K-12: Language Arts
• K-12: Technology
• Higher Ed: Information Technology

Grade Level(s):

• 9th Grade
• 10th Grade
• 11th Grade
• 12th Grade
• First Year

Description:

Students in grade 9 and up will research and evaluate the accuracy, relevance, and bias of electronic information sources in groups of 3-4. They will explore what constitutes a reliable information source on the web. Internet terminology will be introduced and defined. Each group will decide on a method of presentation for the information they found about their web source and will present it to the instructor and the class.

Goals & Objectives:

Instructional Goals:

• To evaluate the accuracy, relevance, appropriateness, and bias of electronic information sources.
• To explore what constitutes a reliable web page for accurate information.

Learning Objectives:

• Students will be able to define four vocabulary words related to the World Wide Web and use them properly in their presentation.
• Students will be able to apply evaluation criteria to specific web sites.
• Students will be able to explain the importance of authenticating online resources.
• Students will be able to authenticate web sources based on site authorship or ownership, content, and currency.

Motivational Goals:

• Build students’ confidence in the information contained in websites.
• Build interest in using the internet for reliable research results.
• Promote satisfaction in research accomplishments.
  
• Students’ will understand the importance of evaluating websites and their content.

Materials:

See supporting files for complete lesson plan.

Teaching Zack to Think - http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/handouts/internet/teaching_zack.cfm

Procedures:

See supporting files for complete lesson plan.

Assessment:

See supporting files for complete lesson plan.

Supporting Files:

• Fact_or_Fiction.doc
  Complete lesson plan

Standards:

National Information Literacy Standards (K-12)

Evaluates information critically and competently.

• Determines accuracy, relevance and comprehensiveness.
• Identifies inaccurate and misleading information.

Uses information accurately and creatively

• Applies information in critical thinking and problem solving.

Strives for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation.

• Assesses the quality of the process and products of personal information seeking.

Participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information.

• Shares knowledge and information with others.
• Collaborates with others, both in person and through technologies, to identify information problems and to seek their solutions.

Information Skills and Subskills (K-16)

Definition

• Identifies requirements of research task
• Determines amount/type of information needed to complete research task

Selection

• Specifies subtopics or related keywords

Planning

• Creates a general framework for organizing information found
• Identifies potential formats for presenting results

Collection

• Locates relevant information within selected sources
• Identifies and extracts relevant information from selected sources
• Evaluates quality of information and information source
• Stores information for potential future use

Organization

• Summarizes/synthesizes/classifies final information
• Sequences final information
• Organizes final information for presentation

Presentation

• Selects most appropriate format for communicating results
• Presents results

Evaluation

• Evaluates end product
• Determines future usefulness/applicability of research process
• Subject: K-12: Language Arts

National Content Standards (K-12)

Writing

• Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process
• Gathers and uses information for research purposes

Reading

• Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process
• Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts

Listening and Speaking

• Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes
• Subject: K-12: Technology
• Understands the nature of technological design