Professional Development: Using Critical Thinking to Find Trustworthy Sites

A video of students learning how to evaluate informational websites in the classroom

Website: The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus (Grades 3 – 8)

Example of a hoax website

Lesson: Of Course It’s True… I Found It on the Internet! (Grades 7-11)

This lesson provides strategies for the in-depth evaluation of online information

Online Tools: Slideshare (Grades 7 – 12)

User created slide shows on various topics. A great resource fo searching for information and presenting

Lesson: Choosing a Search Site (Grades 3 – 5)

Students compare sites and learn how to choose the ones that suit their needs

Sites I Like (K-2)

In this lesson students explore and evaluate an informational website for children.

Authentication Beyond the Classroom

Lesson: Students discuss “viral” photos, videos and news stories that spread via social media. They are shown how challenging it is to authenticate these using only their content and are introduced to tools and techniques for gauging their accuracy based on context.

Handout: C.R.A.P. Test – Evaluating Resources (Grades 11 – 12)

This is an evaluation tool that is being used in Secondary and post-Secondary schools

Website: Evaluating Sources (Grades 7 – 12)

A checklist for evaluating the reliability and credibility of websites

Website: Evaluating Web sources (Grades 9 – 12)

Guide to website evaluation based on accuracy, authority, currency, purpose and relevance