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DURING READING
Reading Online
OBJECTIVES
Evaluate online sources.
Compare and contrast across texts.
PREVIEW/USE TEXT FEATURES
Have students preview "Women Explorers," paying careful attention to the Web site descriptions and boxed text on p. 579. Ask:
  • What do the following sources in a Web site address mean: .edu, .com, .org? (An address with .edu is probably from a school. An address with .org is from an organization. Addresses with .com are commercial sites that may include ads or try to sell something.)
  • What does the description of a Web site tell you? Why is this information important? (The description tells the kind of information the Web site has. You can use it to decide if the Web site is likely to have useful, reliable information for your research.)
If students have difficulty evaluating online sources, use the Technology Tools Box below.
Link to Social Studies
Before students begin researching, you may want to print and distribute search results that show actual URL addresses. Discuss the addresses and descriptions listed to provide practice evaluating online sources.
Partner Reading, 581a
Writing
Grammar
Fluency
Adverbs, 581f
Review Word List, 581j
Draft and Revise, 581h
Spelling
DAY 4
Fluency and Language Arts
NEW LITERACIES: Evaluating Sources
Use the sidebar on p. 578 to guide discussion.
  • Tell students that anyone can
    buy space on the Internet and
    post information. Some of the
    information on Web sites is
    factual and reliable; some
    is not.
  • Remind students of strategies
    they have used to evaluate
    the validity of statements
    of fact and opinion and
    generalizations. Point out
    that they can apply similar
    strategies to decide if Web
    sites have information that
    can be trusted. On p. 579, the
    third Web site is an online
    encyclopedia, so it is likely
    to have reliable information.
  • Discuss good questions students can ask themselves to evaluate online sources, such as: Who owns or publishes the Web site? What is the focus of the site? Are statements of fact and opinion well supported? Does the site use loaded words or persuasive language?
Audio CDAudioText
Text Structure
Check that students understand the layering of information and sequence of events in this selection. Point out the connections on p. 579 between the Web site descriptions on the computer screen and related text in boxes.
ELL
Access Content Preview the selection with students, naming and discussing important online features. Make sure students understand that reliable information includes statements of fact you can trust to be accurate.
Reading Online
Women Explorers
Search Engine
Search
american women explorers
Glenview University Athletics
Athletics. Go Glenview Explorers.
Glenview University Athletics.
When you place your cursor
on this link, you see that it is
a .edu Web site. The letters
edu are short for education.
A .edu site is usually a
school and is often reliable.
After you read the
description, though,
you realize that the
site is not useful. Explorers
must be the nickname of a
sports team.
Take It to the NET ONLINE
Research the achievements
of a woman explorer.
Share your findings.
Link to Social Studies
Text Features
The source of the Web site
(the end of the address)
and the description of the
Web site can help you
decide whether or not the
site is useful and reliable.
The addresses of useful
and reliable Web sites
often end in .gov, .edu,
or .org. Web sites that
end in .com may also be
useful and reliable.
When evaluating a
Web site, think carefully,
and remember what you
know about statements
of fact and opinion.
You can find
information fast on the
Internet. Only some of it
will be useful and reliable
(information that you
can trust).
Genre
Evaluating
Online Sources
     Suppose you are searching
the Internet for information to use
in a report on American women
explorers. Which of the following
Web sites might be useful for your
report? As you study the Web
sites, note both the source of the
information and the description.
An Online Encyclopedia —First Ladies in
the Field
First Ladies in the Field: American
Women Explorers. Columbus, Magellan,
Lewis and Clark, Hiram Bingham.
Their stories are well known. But what
about the ladies?
Resources—A Regional Museum’s Women
in Science
Women Explorers in Africa: Christina
Dodwell, Delia Akeley, Mary Kingsley.
This is a .org Web site.
The letters org are short for
organization. A .org site
may or may not be reliable.
After you read the
description, you decide that
it is not useful because you
are looking for information
on American explorers.
Women in
Explorers
Sacagawe
This is a .com Web site.
The letters com are short
for commercial. A .com
site usually sells something
or contains ads. It may or
may not be reliable. Both the
source and the description
tell you that this site
should be useful.
For text like this, you decide what part to read first.
Text Structure
 
   
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TECHNOLOGY TOOLS
Evaluating Sources
Sources The letters gov is short for government. Sites with .gov
should be reliable. Some .edu sites are published by students
and may be less reliable than .edu sites published by universities.
In general, most information published by museums, universities,
government offices, or newspapers has likely been checked for
accuracy. Web pages written by individuals or that include loaded
words such as fan clubs or commercial sites selling products
may not be reliable. It is always good to confirm statements of
fact using at least two sources of information.
Copyright Information about who owns or publishes the Web site and a date when the site was created or last updated can usually be found at the bottom of a Web page.
Titles Like book titles, the title of a Web site gives clues about the focus or kind of information a site has. Use Web site titles to help you decide if the sites will likely contain useful information.
WEB-IQUETTE
Evaluating Sources
Tell students that while online sources are a quick and efficient way to find information, there are rules of etiquette they should follow:
  • Follow classroom rules for using the Internet, bookmarking Web sites, saving files, and printing.
  • Use Web site addresses, titles, descriptions, and copyright information to help you decide if Web sites are useful and reliable.
  • Remember what you know about evaluating statements of fact and opinion and generalizations. Read all Web sites critically.
  • Focus your research on useful, reliable Web sites. Avoid sites that may contain inappropriate or unreliable information.
  • Record information about sources you use, such as the author of the content, the title of the Web site, the owner or publisher of the site, the address of the site, and the date you accessed it. Restate information in your own words to avoid plagiarism.