Stanford University
Hurricane Katrina
The adage says that journalism is the first draft of history. How should people evaluate these sources of information? Taking into account various sources, including those from various perspectives and different creators, learners...
Curated OER
Using Primary Sources
Students examine primary source documents about slavery in the United States. They evaluate the documents for the evidence they provide, reliability and bias. They present their evaluation to the class.
Stanford University
The Gold Rush and San Francisco
The California Gold Rush rewrote the history of the American West, but especially that of San Francisco. After analyzing images of the city and primary sources, such as a diary entry, scholars discuss these changes. Scaffolded questions...
University of Washington
Connecting Youth to Quality Health Information
Many teenagers don't have adequate access to health and nutrition information beyond a quick Internet search. Guide them into health advocacy and proficiency with a lesson focused on MedlinePlus as a reliable source for health...
Google
Beginner & Intermediate 5: Evaluating Credibility of Sources
Convey how to determine appropriate and credible online sources with a series of three lessons. After completing the lessons, class members will know what kinds of sources to use, how to identify credible sources, and how tone and style...
Curated OER
Online Information: Fact or Fiction
Discuss ways to determine if the information middle and high schoolers gather online is accurate. Using the Internet, they cite two sources that show conflicting points of view on a subtopic of conservation. They summarize and analyze...
Curated OER
White Star Line and the Titanic
Was the Titanic advertised as an unsinkable ship, or was it just what the public believed? For this analysis activity, historians examine both primary and secondary sources to determine the answer to this question and the reliability of...
Newseum
Can I Trust the Creators?
It's easy to find information at the click of a mouse, but is it trustworthy? Pupils learn about the E.S.C.A.P.E. acronym for evaluating sources. Next, learners read a news story and evaluate its sources to determine credibility. Last,...
Teaching Tolerance
Evaluating Online Sources
Newspapers, television, social media ... how do people get their news? Using the informative resource, scholars locate and verify credible sources of information. Working in small groups, they discuss strategies for evaluating the...
Curated OER
Scholarly v. Popular (Journals)
How do you determine whether a resource is credible or not? Contrary to what your class probably believes, just because it's published doesn't mean it provides accurate information! So how does one determine if it's credible? Use this...
Humanities Texas
Primary Source Worksheet: Theodore Roosevelt, Excerpt from Eighth Annual Message to Congress
As Theodore Roosevelt reminded Congress in 1908, corporation one is not corporation two. Readers of this excerpt from Roosevelt's Message to Congress have an opportunity to sharpen their comprehension skills as they study this primary...
Curated OER
Primary Source? What is That?
Students examine the use of primary sources. They read and discuss excerpts from the "Diary of Anne Frank," write journal entries, identify examples of altruism from the book, write an essay, and complete a worksheet.
Curated OER
Analyzing Sources on Imperialism
Ninth graders explore the concept of imperialism. In this imperialism lesson, 9th graders analyze primary sources regarding British imperialism in Africa. Students analyze the sources for credibility as they gain an understanding of the...
Curated OER
The Real World Revisited
Class members participate in a series of hands on, online, and multimedia activities to identify the difference between primary and secondary sources. They watch a related video and visit a variety of sites to locate primary and...
Curated OER
CCC: Credible sources, Creative Commons Images, and Citing Your Sources
As part of a unit devoted to the study of autobiographies, this one-day library session focuses on developing research skills. Class members locate and properly cite a sketch of a Creative Commons image, as well as record the call...
Annenberg Foundation
America's History in the Making: Using Digital Technologies
How can digital technology of today link us to the events of the past? Scholars use technology to uncover the vast number of historical resources available in lesson 12 of a 22-part America's History in the Making series. Using databases...
Stanford University
Captain Cook
Known as the first European to see places like Australia and New Zealand, Captain Cook led the way for the English into the world of exploration. A primary source image of Cook's firsthand account of his voyages and discussion questions...
K20 LEARN
Something's Rotten In The City Of Verona: Information Literacy
Data is a powerful tool that your class can use for both good and evil! Help your classes become knowledgeable consumers of information through a game-based exploration. Learners examine a method of determining the reliability of a...
EngageNY
Using Search Terms for Further Research: Industrial Organic Food Chain
Class members conduct independent research to continue examining the consequences of the industrial organic food chain from Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. Pupils learn about source credibility and effective search terms, then...
Stanford University
Lunchroom Fight II
To determine who should be suspended for a lunchroom fight, groups must source, contextualize, and corroborate the testimonies of various participants and witnesses.
Curated OER
Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice: The Novel as Historical Source
Young scholars examine historical fiction as historical sources. In this historical fiction lesson plan, students analyze excerpts from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as well as Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of...
Curated OER
How to Locate and Evaluate Information, Part I - Online Catalog
Using the online catalog, researchers locate and record on a citation template specific sources for their research paper. A library specialist models searching strategies while the teacher introduces the research paper process. Daily...
Curated OER
Digital Curation: Life and Times of Mark Twain
By digitally organizing research, your class leaves a legacy for future students on the life and times of Mark Twain. Before reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, scholars conduct group research projects on one of six (listed) topics....
Curated OER
How are People Portrayed by Different Media?
Your 9th - 12th graders can hone their analysis and critical thinking skills by studying the way a subject is portrayed across media types. They examine how various print, visual, and online sources have portrayed key players in the 9/11...