Lesson Background and Standards
Audience: 11-12 grade
This lesson may span over multiple class periods and is meant to move at a pace that allows students to fully explore the issues.
CCSS:
ELA-LITERACY.RST.11.12.9
Synthesize information from a range of sources (e.g., texts, experiments, simulations) into a coherent understanding of a process, phenomenon, or concept, resolving conflicting information when possible.
ISTE Standards:
3. Research and Information Fluency
b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.
c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
Audience: 11-12 grade
This lesson may span over multiple class periods and is meant to move at a pace that allows students to fully explore the issues.
CCSS:
ELA-LITERACY.RST.11.12.9
Synthesize information from a range of sources (e.g., texts, experiments, simulations) into a coherent understanding of a process, phenomenon, or concept, resolving conflicting information when possible.
ISTE Standards:
3. Research and Information Fluency
b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.
c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
Engagement
Have students get into groups of two or three and begin by asking two questions:
Once all the information is posted on the Padlet, the teacher should then discuss responses with students and discuss why they chose certain criteria. At this point, it would also be good for the teacher to find patterns in the responses.
Have students get into groups of two or three and begin by asking two questions:
- Do you believe that everything on the internet is real?
- How do you decide if information on the web is accurate? List your criteria.
Once all the information is posted on the Padlet, the teacher should then discuss responses with students and discuss why they chose certain criteria. At this point, it would also be good for the teacher to find patterns in the responses.
Exploration
After the students have reviewed and discussed the Padlet activity, have them get back into their groups and have them reevaluate their criteria based on the other class responses and discussion. Student groups should decide on a set of criteria.
Once students have their criteria, direct them to the website, Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus or the DHMO website. Have them evaluate this site based on the criteria that they have developed.
Have students go to another Padlet site, and answer the following questions:
It is important to have students take away from this that when evaluating websites, students must have an awareness that the website may contain false information or information that is biased.
After the students have reviewed and discussed the Padlet activity, have them get back into their groups and have them reevaluate their criteria based on the other class responses and discussion. Student groups should decide on a set of criteria.
Once students have their criteria, direct them to the website, Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus or the DHMO website. Have them evaluate this site based on the criteria that they have developed.
Have students go to another Padlet site, and answer the following questions:
- Was your criteria sufficient to evaluate the website? Why?
- If not, what would you add or omit from your criteria to make it better?
It is important to have students take away from this that when evaluating websites, students must have an awareness that the website may contain false information or information that is biased.
Explanation and Elaboration
At this point the students could get back in their groups. Have students look at other criteria for evaluating websites such as this article from George Mason University. Students should also evaluate Kathy Schrock's 5 W's, the CRAPP tool, Critically Evaluating Web Resources, or the Evaluating Resources tool. Have them compare their criteria with these online evaluation tools. At this point they can add to their evaluation tool again.
Once the students have made adjustments to their evaluation tool, have them move out of groups and back to their individual work space. Students should then be given the website about the topic of cell phone use in school "Do Cell Phones Belong in the Classroom." They should use their web evaluation tool that they have developed to evaluate the website. This portion of the assignment should be done individually and can be used by the teacher as a formative assessment.
Students should then post their answers the following question on the Google Doc:
At this point, the teacher should engage the students in a discussion of how the information on that one cell phone website is only a part of the bigger picture of what is on the web. While the information may be accurate or not accurate or bias or unbiased, the information on that site is one piece of a giant puzzle that students must complete to get closer to fully understanding the issue. It is important for students to go beyond just the evaluation tools and look at the information in terms of gaining meaning and also where that issue fits in in the historical, social and political contexts.
With this in mind split students into different groups and send them back to the original cell phone website. Explain that they will look at the site again through a more critical eye. Going beyond the evaluation tools that they created and examined, they are going to critically evaluate the information on the site and complete the following activities and answer the following questions on a Google Doc:
Once students have posted to the Google Doc, have the class examine the responses. The teacher should lead a discussion about the usefulness of the evaluation tool and what its purpose is as well as why it is important to go beyond the tool itself and examine the content with a more critical approach. Students should view information not as absolute fact but as one piece to a puzzle that must continually be explored and evaluated if they are to truly understand the issue.
At this point the students could get back in their groups. Have students look at other criteria for evaluating websites such as this article from George Mason University. Students should also evaluate Kathy Schrock's 5 W's, the CRAPP tool, Critically Evaluating Web Resources, or the Evaluating Resources tool. Have them compare their criteria with these online evaluation tools. At this point they can add to their evaluation tool again.
Once the students have made adjustments to their evaluation tool, have them move out of groups and back to their individual work space. Students should then be given the website about the topic of cell phone use in school "Do Cell Phones Belong in the Classroom." They should use their web evaluation tool that they have developed to evaluate the website. This portion of the assignment should be done individually and can be used by the teacher as a formative assessment.
Students should then post their answers the following question on the Google Doc:
- Was the tool sufficient to evaluate the site and get a good understanding whether or not the site was sufficient to fully and accurately address the issue of cell phone usage in school? If yes, explain. If no, then what else would be needed?
At this point, the teacher should engage the students in a discussion of how the information on that one cell phone website is only a part of the bigger picture of what is on the web. While the information may be accurate or not accurate or bias or unbiased, the information on that site is one piece of a giant puzzle that students must complete to get closer to fully understanding the issue. It is important for students to go beyond just the evaluation tools and look at the information in terms of gaining meaning and also where that issue fits in in the historical, social and political contexts.
With this in mind split students into different groups and send them back to the original cell phone website. Explain that they will look at the site again through a more critical eye. Going beyond the evaluation tools that they created and examined, they are going to critically evaluate the information on the site and complete the following activities and answer the following questions on a Google Doc:
- On the original cell phone website, does the information show bias? How can you tell? Why would the author of the website choose to present the information this way?
- Is there any information or points of view that are not expressed? What are they and why would the author leave these things out.
- "Should Cell Phones be Allowed in School?"
- "Why Cell Phones Should not be Allowed in a School Setting"
- How does the information in your original site fit into the big issue of cell phone use in schools in terms of social, political, or historical contexts? What new understandings of the issue do you have now that you didn’t have before your search?
- How are these sites similar to yours? How are they different?
Once students have posted to the Google Doc, have the class examine the responses. The teacher should lead a discussion about the usefulness of the evaluation tool and what its purpose is as well as why it is important to go beyond the tool itself and examine the content with a more critical approach. Students should view information not as absolute fact but as one piece to a puzzle that must continually be explored and evaluated if they are to truly understand the issue.
Evaluation
Now that the students have debriefed and discussed their findings, they should go back to their own evaluation tools. Students should already have a set of criteria to evaluate a website for things like “Is there an author?” “What was the date it was written?” etc. Students should create a Powerpoint, Prezi, tellagami, or poster discussing the process of critically evaluating a website. This should include how to evaluate information for its usefulness and how to evaluate the information in the context of the broad issue. Students must explain or direct others on how to go beyond the text to gain a higher understanding of meaning. Students can then present their project to the class.
Now that the students have debriefed and discussed their findings, they should go back to their own evaluation tools. Students should already have a set of criteria to evaluate a website for things like “Is there an author?” “What was the date it was written?” etc. Students should create a Powerpoint, Prezi, tellagami, or poster discussing the process of critically evaluating a website. This should include how to evaluate information for its usefulness and how to evaluate the information in the context of the broad issue. Students must explain or direct others on how to go beyond the text to gain a higher understanding of meaning. Students can then present their project to the class.