Evaluating Websites
Susan Milovich
– Not all websites are created
equal, or will this site help me find what I need, is it a reliable site, and
is the information up-to-date?
Writing Across the Curriculum
Research Project
– The children will be asked to choose “the pet of your dreams” that they
would like to own. They must research that pet to determine what the
animal needs are in terms of type and quantity of food, shelter, water, and
other habitat criteria (cleanliness, mates, etc). Finally, each child needs to write a persuasive letter to his/her
parents, convincing them that he/she can care for the pet of choice in the
environment that would be built at their home.
Money is no object and the pet can be one that is currently
extinct. The letter must contain all the
important information and be written in proper letter format.
This
scaffolding activity that will help Special Education Students evaluate
websites, should take two or three Writing
Across the Curriculum periods and will take place before each child begins
his/her research. After a discussion
about website evaluation criteria, the class will be split into groups of four with
access to a computer. Members of each
group will be assigned a research role as follows and have these questions to
look up:
1.
Author and Date Authenticator – What is the Title and URL of
the site? Can I find out who wrote the
site and is that person or group credible?
Can I find a date and is it up-to-date?
2.
English Expert – Can I read this page? Are the captions helpful? Does it look like the spelling is all
correct? List six or seven animals you
find on the site that kids might like.
3.
Website Critic – Is it easy to find information
on the site? Do the links work? Are there too many things on the page? Can we use any of the links?
4.
Research Expert – Does this site have some of the
information that I need for my report?
Are there tables that might be helpful?
Can more that one animal be researched on the site?
The
groups will fill out forms provided by the teacher for four of the seven or
eight websites that the teacher has chosen in advance to collate the
information they found. An additional
class period will be spent creating a Master Chart that combines each group’s
research. The teacher will make this
chart available to each child so he/she can use the sites that are most helpful
to them.
This
activity can be done several times throughout the year on different topics so
that the students get to play different roles and become familiar with the
criteria for and the evaluation of websites.