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Shmoop Day 5

Create a Google Doc in your Digital Literacy Folder – 

Step 1 (15 mins):  "Website Evaluation True or False Quiz."  Take the quiz on their own and then “correct” your own quiz, as we discuss the answers as a whole class.

Everybody feeling good about collecting info from the Internet now? It’s something that we all get better and faster at with practice, so you’ll get a lot more comfortable with it the more often you do it. Kind of like updating your Facebook status, pretty soon you’ll be able to do it with one hand tied behind your back.

But let me ask you something. Do you guys hear any rumors going around school? Do you believe them all? How do you know whether to believe something that somebody tells you? [Possible answers: hear it from multiple trustworthy friends, see it first-hand, get evidence that it’s true, etc.]You have to approach the information you find on the Internet the same way that you should treat rumors in real life: don’t believe everything you read or hear.

Step 2 (2 mins): Ask students to watch the "Detecting Lies and Staying True" video.

·         Take notes on the video in your SHMOOP Day 5 Doc

Step 3 (10 mins): After watching the video, review with students the guidelines outlined for detecting lies online. Hopefully they will have gathered all of the following tips:

·         Copy & paste the following 6 items into your SHMOOP Day 5 Doc

1. Be a skeptic.
2. Don’t be fooled by cool or professional websites. 
3. Ask yourself what’s the point of view of the site. What are they trying to get me to believe? What opinions or ideas are missing? 
4. Investigate the source. Find out who published the information. 
5. Follow the "Rule of 3": compare three sources of information. 
6. Be careful about using facts that you find without checking them out first.

After reviewing all of the tips, rewrite the guidelines in language that young people would easily understand.  (Optional – Write these "translations" on butcher block paper and hangs up on wall in classroom for the rest of the semester, so that students can look up and remember these any time they need a refresher.)

Step 4 (20 mins): Give students the "Shady or Legit? Web Evaluation Form" handout and ask them to evaluate whether the listed websites seem to deserve an L (for legit) or S (for shady).

Now that we know a little bit about what to look for, let’s use this worksheet to evaluate whether some websites are valid and true or probably not.

Step 5 (15 mins): As a class, discuss the websites and how the students determined whether they were shady or legitimate.

Ask students to vote on which sites earn the following rewards:

1. Sketchiest 
2. Most Legit
3. Sassiest
4. Pics Had It Goin’ On
5. Smells Fishy

Standards Met

• Common Core Standards: ELA 6-8th Grade Standards: Reading 1, 2; Reading for Informational Text 1, 2; Writing 2d; Speaking and Listening 1bcd, 2.

• 21st Century Skills: Information, Media, and Technology Skills: Access and Evaluate Information, Use and Manage Information, Analyze Media; Life and Career Skills: Interact Effectively with Others, Work Effectively in Diverse Teams.