Scott Foresman Reading Street

Reading
Online

Evaluate online sources.
Compare and contrast across texts.

PREVIEW/USE TEXT FEATURES

As students preview "Hiking Safety
Tips," have them describe what they
see on p. 379. Ask:

What is shown on the first
computer screen on p. 379?
(Results of a search for hiking.)
How can you tell if one of the sites has useful information? (Read the description.)

If students have trouble identifying Internet features, use the Technology Tools.

Link to Social Studies

Discuss with students the use of relevant key words. Brainstorm a list of key words to use.

Evaluating Sources

Use the sidebar on p. 378 to guide discussion. Discuss with students the importance of using a reliable source, such as a .gov site, when obtaining information.

AudioText

Whole Group Discuss the Question of the Day.

Group Time
Differentiated Instruction

"Hiking Safety Tips." See pp. 354f–354g for the small group lesson plan.

Reading

Language Arts
Use pp. 379e–379h and
379k–379m.

Whole Group Use pp. 379a and 379j.

Grouping Options

PRACTICE Think about the ways you evaluate sources at home and at school.

Think of several companies, organizations, government
agencies, or schools that
might have informative Web
sites.
The next time you need to
conduct research on the
Internet, try searching for
the Web sites of specific organizations that might
be able to help you.

Use the Strategy

Read the page, skimming
headings.
Read the descriptions after
a few of the headings. Ask
yourself, "Does this sound
like a useful Web site? Will it contain the answer to my question?"
When you find a description that looks helpful, click on the link to visit that Web site.

USE HEADINGS Explain to students that they should evaluate the results of their Internet searches. They can skim the headings to find the names of the Web sites they can visit. If they find a promising heading, they can read the description that follows to predict if the Web site will be useful.

Strategies for Navigation

  After students read "Staying Safe"
  ask them to use what they have
  learned about the visualize strategy
  to engage senses as they
  describe the dangers orally.

CONNECT TEXT TO TEXT

Reading Across Texts

Have students explain their answer.

Writing Across Texts Encourage students to include tips from the selection as well as their own tips for hiking.

You type the keyword “hiking” into an Internet search engine.
The first two sites probably won’t help. But the third site looks
promising, so you click on Staying Safe on the Trail.

The Internet has a lot
of information, but not
all sources can be
trusted.

Genre

Evaluating
Sources

Staying Safe on the Trail. Hiking is fun but beware of plants that . . .

Footwear. We have 100% leather hiking boots, just what you’re looking for . . .

Hiking Clothes. Outfit your family with these cute hiking shirts . . .

The list goes on. You print it out. Now you
can enjoy the freedom of hiking in safety.

You are going on
a camping trip. With
camping comes freedom,
but also dangers. You must
prepare a list of hiking
safety tips. You decide to
use the Internet to help you.

You need to learn how to
tell which information is
good and which is not.

Information following a
link can help you decide
whether a Web site
might be useful.

Text Features

Poison Plants Beware of poison ivy and poison oak. Oil
from the leaves can make you break out in a rash and blisters.

Snacks Bring them to eat when you take breaks. Good
hiking snacks include granola bars, trail mix, and crackers.

Drinking Water Don’t hike anywhere without it, especially on
hot days. Even the clearest stream water may not be safe.

A few tips will help you enjoy the freedom of a family hike in safety.

STAYING SAFE

Writing Across Texts Write a letter to the ants giving
them these tips.

Which of these hiking tips could have helped the two
bad ants?

Reading Across Texts

Search through
newspapers and
magazines for travel
articles. Share what you
learn with the class.

Link to Social
Studies

Web addresses ending
in .gov or .org are usually
good. Ask for help if you
are not sure about a site.

Try to visualize some of these dangers on the trail.

Visualize



	Close
	Evaluating Internet Resources Domain name: The suffix after a URL. Some common domain names are .com (for a business), .edu (for a school), .gov (for government Web sites), and .org (for organizations). Keyword: A word or set of words used to find information about a larger subject. Link A connection from one Web page to another. If you click on a link, the Internet browser will connect to another page. Guided Practice If there is time, have students log on to the Internet. Show them how to evaluate sources. Help students make connections between the steps they are doing and related vocabulary terms. Safety One way to stay safe is to read signs and warning labels. Some products have warning labels. Provide examples of warnings for students to read.