You already know how to turn an unclear question into better search words and read a results page carefully. Today you will learn how to decide which source to trust when two of them come up in your results.
You will use four questions on some sources about one topic and give each a trust verdict, which is your decision on how far to trust it. Then you will try them on two sources of your own.
In the next steps you will use these four questions to judge four made-up sources about outdoor study breaks.
- Who made it, and why? Look for a named author or organisation. Is it there to inform, persuade (change your mind), sell or entertain?
- Is it accurate? Look for evidence you can follow and numbers that make sense.
- Is it still current? Current means up to date, so look for a clear date.
- Can it be verified elsewhere? Verified means shown to be true, so ask whether other sources back up the main claim.
Choose Trust it, Check it further, or Do not rely on it.
Your class will work through Source A together first. Read it, think about the four questions, and decide on your verdict before the reasoning is shown. You can choose Trust it, Check it further, or Do not rely on it. Be ready to say which of the four questions made up your mind.
In the next step, everyone will vote on all four sources in the class poll, on their own device, and the reasoning comes up after each vote. When the poll is over, say which question helped you most across all four sources.
A page that looks neat and professional is not always reliable, and a careful "Check it further" is often the best answer.
Reliable or not?
Now everyone votes on their own device. Round 1 is the source you just worked through together.
Everyone votes on every source, and there is no score or time limit. When the class has voted, the board shows how everyone voted, and then the reasoning. After the discussion, your teacher can open the vote again to see who changed their mind.
- Read the source and make your choice.
- When the reasoning comes up, compare it with the reason you gave.
Each source has a best verdict, but being able to give a clear reason for your choice matters more than matching it.
Class Poll
Now use the same four questions on two sources you find yourself.
First, pick a topic you can research in a few minutes, such as one from an earlier search or something new.
Do short outdoor breaks help secondary students concentrate?
- 3 minutes: Find two different kinds of online source, for example a news page and an organisation's page, that both answer the same question. If you have none after 3 minutes, use the backup sources below.
- 6 minutes: For one source, write short notes on all four questions and give it a verdict. For the other source, write down who made it and the date, then give it a verdict.
- 3 minutes: Write one sentence saying which source you trust more and why, using at least one of the four questions.
Who made it and why: a company's marketing team, which wants schools to buy furniture. Accuracy: it claims 40%, but no study is linked. Current: dated last month. Verified elsewhere: you cannot check the 40% claim, because the page does not show the studies it came from. Verdict: Check it further.
- Backup 1: A blog post on the Parkside Secondary website, dated two weeks ago, with no author named. It is called ‘Why our yard walks work’. It claims every student concentrates better after 10 minutes outside, but it gives no links or data.
- Backup 2: A summary on a national teachers’ association website, written by Máire Dunne and dated this year. It describes three small tests of short outdoor breaks in schools and links to each school’s write-up.
Check that you have the titles or links of both sources, your notes and verdicts, and your sentence on which you trust more. Save your notes the class way, in the place your class keeps its work, not only in this browser, because work on a shared device's browser can disappear. You will need them next time, when the class builds a shared checklist.
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