Examples of credible and non credible sources- these can literally be on any topic and can be found all over the web. Here are some that you could use.
Given a set of sources, students will be able to decide if it is a legitimate source or not, without error
Time:
Forty-five to sixty minutes
Pre-Instructional Activities:
Pre-test Kahoot quiz for students to take in class. Kahoot (“Kahoot”, n.d.) is a highly engaging quiz game that allows student to answer questions in real time while playing against each other. The game is launched from the teacher’s computer and projected on the screen. Students can then join the game, without a need for an account, on their own electronic device. After each question there is a leader board so students can get competitive and get the highest score. Sometimes I even offer a small prize for the winner.
Quiz should cover legitimate sources, primary sources, secondary sources and how to cite a source.
After the pre-test, I then show a YouTube video and picture to show how easy it is to get miss information, especially online. I am a football fan, so I show a one minute video of a football play often called “The Hit” (“Jadeveon Clowney”, 2013). After the play was made, some edited the Wikipedia page for Jadaveon Clowney to say that he personally destroyed the state of Michigan. Wikipedia quickly deleted the changes, but it was live for several hours.
Discuss with your students why is Wikipedia not a good source? There is a time and a place for Wikipedia in everyday life, but when you are writing or looking for sources for school, be careful using Wikipedia. “Information on Wikipedia is contributed by anyone who wants to post material, and the expertise of the editors is not taken into consideration. Users may be reading information that is outdated or that has been posted by someone who is not an expert in the field or by someone who wishes to provide misinformation.” (“Harvard Guide to Using Sources”, n.d.)
Content Presentation:
Read as a class the introduction to the BBC article “Was the American Revolutions Inevitable?” by Francis D. Cogliano. Ask the class the following questions: What do we know about this author?
BBC- could he be English? Would that change your opinion on what he wrote?
“Dr Cogliano is senior lecturer in American History at the University of Edinburgh. He is the author of Revolutionary America, 1763-1815: A Political History and American Maritime Prisoners In The Revolutionary War.” Found on the BBC website that posted the article.
A quick internet search takes you to the staff profiles of the University of Edinburgh, which explains that Cogliano is actually American, is the Dean International of North American and has published many books and articles about the American Revolution. (Displayed on the SMART Board in the classroom)
When was the source written?
Last updated on Feb. 17, 2011- listed on the article
Why do you think it was written?
Class discussion about this question
Learner Participation:
After going over the example as a class, students will have three examples to practice on (two bad examples and one legitimate source). Students will have to answer the three questions we discussed with the example and they are listed on the worksheet. Students will work with a partner to read the sources and discuss if they think the source is legitimate or not. After about twenty minutes, we will go over the sources and discuss whether or not they are legitimate.
When you print off the articles and make copies make sure that just the article is visible, not web address or anything like that for students to get clues from.
Assessment:
Worksheet: Students will take the three sources you have just read in class and explain in detail why they think each particular source is legitimate or not, based on the information they were given on for each source.
Follow-Through Activities:
Homework: Why does the source matter? Students will have to explain why the source matters in a well thought out paragraph. Hopefully students will be able to explain that if the source is not credible, then they should not use any information from that source in their paper.
Students will pick one person in World History they find interesting that they will write a five paragraph essay on as we progress through the unit.