Coiro MassHandout Part2

8/14/2019 Coiro MassHandout Part2

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Julie Coiro (2009) Page 1

Supporting Students Critical Evaluation

Of Online Information

Teachers Activity Guide

The Challenges of Reading and Learning with the Internet

#1 Evaluating Relevancy: Reading Search Results ................................................... 2

#2 Evaluating Relevancy: Previewing a Website ...................................................3-4

#3 Evaluating Accuracy: Verifying/Refuting Author Claims...................................5

#4 Evaluating Reliability: Investigating Author Credibility ....................................6

#5 Critically Evaluating Online Information (Level 2) .............................................7

#6 Evaluating Bias: Separating Fact from Opinion (Level A and B) ....................... 8

#7 Developing an Overall Healthy Skepticism (Level 3)...........................................9

You are encouraged to use the resources available for your own schoolstudy groups or to adapt these activity sheets for your own classroom needs.

Available online at: http://www.lite.iwarp.com/CoiroCritEval.html

Julie Coiro, University of Rhode IslandMarch 11, [email protected]

http://www.uri.edu/hss/education/faculty/coiro.html


#1 Reading and Evaluating Search Results

Question/Answer How do you know? Why is it important to

know?Which site features information

about hieroglyphics?

How many websites were found

using this search?

Which site is sponsored by a

California school district?

Which site is most apt to not be

available in three months?

How can you tell in the Googleresults what search terms wereused?

Whats the biggest disadvantageto visiting only these six

websites for information aboutAncient Egypt for 6

thgraders

(Hint: Whats missing?)

1

2

3

4

5

6


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#2 Evaluating Relevancy: Reading Within A Website

Strategies for previewing a website:

STOP and THINK! Read the title of the page and the title of the website in the margin at the top of

the window.

Scan menu choices. Hold your mouse over the navigational menus on the leftframe or across the top of the window, but dont click yet. Get a big picture of the

information available within the site.

Make predictions about where each of the major links may lead and anticipate alinks path through multiple levels of a website.

Explore interactive mouseover features that may reveal additional levels ofinformation contained within the site.

Identify the author/webmaster/sponsor and consider what this informationindicates about the site.

Notice and try out any internal search features like an organizational site map oran internal search engine.

Make a judgment about whether to explore the site further. If the site looksworthwhile, decide which areas of the site to explore first. If the site does not

look worthwhile, return to a search engine to refocus, revisit your reading goals,

and refine your search.

Demonstrate NASA http://www.nasa.gov/


#2 Evaluating Relevancy: Reading Within A Website

Activity: Imagine... you want your students to get more involved with

volunteering efforts and to network with other youth volunteers around thecountry. You will have one minute to preview each of the websites using the

strategies above and circle the rank of each website according to its relevancy to

your needs (0=lowest, 3=highest).

Site 1: (Rank) 0 1 2 3 Site 2: (Rank) 0 1 2 3

Site 3: (Rank) 0 1 2 3 Site 4: (Rank) 0 1 2 3

Then, identify two parts of the best website that you believe would be most

relevant for your students.

1.

2.


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#3 Evaluating Accuracy: Reading To Verify Online Information

Strategies for previewing a website: STOP and THINK! Ask probing questions:

What claims is the author making? What evidence do I find elsewhere to support these claims? What evidence do I find elsewhere to refute these claims?

Cross-check factual data with at least three other reliable sources Consider the context of where find the evidence (primary/secondary source;

variety of online genres) and how that context might influence the information

Try revising your keywords, visiting http://www.snopes.com, or using link:URLto see who else is linking to that website

DemonstratePacific Northwest Tree Octopushttp://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/

Author claims: The number of tree octopus is at a critically low level

for its breeding needs and the species is in danger of becoming extinct.

Evidence** to support claims: (consider the context and the

source) (a) Cafpress.com (b) The Other 95%

Evidence to refute claims: (a) Snopes.com / Museum of Hoaxes

(b) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services

Activity #3: Evaluating Accuracy: Reading To Verify Online Information

Imagine you are selecting websites for your students to use as part of their online

research for their reports on strange animals. Apply the above questioning

strategies to the websites below to verify or refute the accuracy of each author's

claims. Be prepared to provide evidence for your decisions.

Website & Author Claims Evidence to Verify Claims Evidence to Refute Claims

Decision Verify Refute


#4 Evaluating Reliability: Investigating the Authors Credentials

Who created this website and what is his/her level of expertise?

Locate the About Us link on each website below. It may have a different label at each site. Thenanswer the following questions and rank each authors level of credibility (1-5).

Pathways to Freedom:

Underground Railroad

Hyperlink label:

Relevant info about the author:

Search off website and find another piece ofrelevant author information:

Anything that enhances or detracts from

potential reliability of the information:

Biographies for Kids:

Famous Leaders

Hyperlink label:


Search off website and find another piecerelevant author information:



The Healthy Refridgerator

Hyperlink label:


Search off website and find another piece ofrelevant author information:



The First Male Pregnancy Site

Hyperlink label:


Search off website and find another piecerelevant author information:




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#5 Evaluating Reliability and Accuracy of Online Information

1. Briefly scan the websites for this activity and brainstorm together the strategies you coulduse to determine if your sites are reliable and accurate. Leave space to add more strategiesshared by others during our post-activity discussion.

Select two of the websites and work with your partner to see if you can determine if each site

has information that is real or not real.

If you determined that it is real, what evidence do you have to prove it?

If you think it's not real, how do you know for sure?

Be prepared to share the strategies you used.

Site: _____________________________ Site: _____________________________


#6A. Detecting Bias: Separating Fact from Opinion

A. Ray Redingtons Dog CareB. Racing from the Grave

C. Scholastics Is the Iditarod for the Dogs?

Take a few minutes to explore each of the above websites. Then answer the questions

below.

LEVEL 1 - Detecting Fact vs. Opinion:

Tell which website you think has the STRONGEST opinions about the use of sled dogs in

the Iditarod.

Tell whether you think the author of the website you chose is for or against racing sled

dogs for competition.

Select a quote from the website you chose and explain why you think it is an example of

the author sharing strong opinions.

LEVEL 2 - Detecting Bias and Considering the Authors Affiliation:

Tell which website (Site A, B, or C) gives opinions from more than one side of the issue.

Who are the two people whose opinions are given in the website you chose?

What factors might make these two people feel the way they do about the treatment of

sled dogs?

#6B.Detecting Bias: Detecting and Determining Authors Purpose

LEVEL 3 - Detecting and Determining Authors Purpose:

Answer each question about each website with yes, no, or dont know. Be prepared to

provide evidence from the website to support each yes answer.

Does the website provide factual information?

try to persuade you to think or feel a certain way?

try to sell you something?

try to raise money or collect donations?

In your opinion, what is the specific purpose (stated or unstated) of the site?


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#7 Developing an Overall Healthy Skepticism When Reading Online

THINGS TO CONSIDER AS A HEALTHY SKEPTIC

Investigate each website while considering the answers to the following questions:

Be prepared to share what you learned with the group.

Who created the information at this site?What is the purpose of this site?When was the information at this site updated?Where can I go to check the accuracy of this information?Why did this person, or group, put this information on the Internet?Is there anyone that might be offended by the information at this site?Does the website present only one side of the issue, or are multiple perspectives

provided?

How is the information at this site shaped by the stance taken by the creator ofthe site?

Atheletes.com http://www.athletes.com

Martin Luther King http://www.martinlutherking.org

Kids Web Japan http://web-japan.org/k idsweb/

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