1 - Start ~4 mins
You already know how to turn a vague question into better search terms and read a results page carefully. Today you go one step further: when two sources both appear in your results, how do you decide which one to trust?
You will practise four questions on a set of sources about the same topic, commit to a trust verdict on each, then try the same four questions on two sources of your own.
2 - Examine and Discuss ~5 mins
Today you judge every source with the same four questions, then pick one of three verdicts.
Four questions:
- Who made it, and why? Named author, organisation, and purpose (inform, persuade, sell, entertain).
- Is it accurate? Evidence you can follow, numbers that make sense, claims that are not wildly overstated.
- Is it still current? A clear date, and information that has not been overtaken by newer work.
- Can it be verified elsewhere? Other independent sources that support the main claim, or a clear trail to the original study or data.
Trust it, Check it further, or Do not rely on it.
You will apply these to four invented sources on one topic: whether short outdoor breaks during study help secondary-school students concentrate.
3 - Hands-on: Source Showdown ~4 mins
Work through the interactive activity as a class. For each source you take in depth, read the content, weigh the four questions, and commit to a verdict before the reasoning is revealed.
- Listen to or read Source A. Decide: Trust it, Check it further, or Do not rely on it. Be ready to say which of the four questions decided it for you.
- Reveal the reasoning and compare it with the class call. Note anything you missed.
- Repeat in depth for Source B and one more (C or D). Do not rush the "check it further" case; those are often the hardest and the most realistic.
- Your teacher will give the remaining source a quick read-aloud of content and verdict only.
- At the end, name which single question did the most work across the set.
Remember: a polished page is not the same as a reliable one, and a cautious "check it further" is often the best call.
Reliable or not?
4 - Class Play: Everyone Answers ~10 mins
Now the whole class plays the rest, on your own devices.
Join with the code on the board. Everyone answers every round, not one person per table, and you can change your answer until the time is up. You also say how sure you are: just checking, fairly sure, or certain. The class's split appears on the board once the round closes, then the reasoning.
- Read the item, make your call, and lock it in.
- Your table scores when you get it right together, so talk it through quietly first if you want to.
- When the reasoning comes up, check it against the one you gave.
Getting it right matters less than being able to say why. A right answer earns what you staked and a wrong one loses it, so being unsure and saying so costs you very little - being certain and wrong is what costs. Every round has a defensible answer, and the reasoning behind it is what you are here for.
Class Play
5 - Your Turn ~12 mins
Apply the same four questions to two sources on a topic you can research today.
- Pick any topic you can research in a few minutes (an earlier search topic is fine if you still have it; otherwise choose something fresh). If you do not have a topic yet, use: do short outdoor breaks help secondary students concentrate?
- 3 minutes: find two different kinds of online source that both claim to answer the same question (for example a news page and an organisation page). Aim for two different kinds. If you have no sources after 3 minutes, take the two the teacher puts on the board.
- 6 minutes: fully annotate one source with short notes on all four questions (who/why, accuracy, currency, verifiable elsewhere) and give it a verdict. For the second source, note who made it and the date, then give a verdict only.
- 3 minutes: write one sentence on which of the two you trust more and why, using at least one of the four questions.
Example note (Source C style): Who/why: company marketing team, wants schools to buy furniture. Accuracy: 40% claim, no study linked. Current: dated last month. Verifiable: cannot check without the original studies. Verdict: Check it further.
If you have not found two sources when the timer ends, use the two the teacher puts on the board.
Two sources named (titles or links), full four-question notes and a verdict on one, a short who/date note and verdict on the other, and one clear sentence on which you trust more and why. Save your notes the class way so you can reuse them when you build the shared checklist.
Unlock the full learning experience
You're previewing this lesson. Get full access to this lesson and hundreds more — each one ready to teach, with interactive activities, printable resources and pupil progress tracking built in.
This lesson is copyright of DigitalSkills.org 2017 - 2025. Unauthorised use, copying or distribution is not allowed.