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Claim Testing: Evaluating Authority

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CLIMATE PROJECT / LESSON 1.2ACTIVITY CLAIM TESTING: EVALUATING AUTHORITY1Unless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Claim Testing: Evaluating Authority”, OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/PurposeExplore different strategies for evaluating authority and testing claims.Key Information Questions to help you evaluate authority:•Expertise: What is the author’s (or organization’s) recognized knowledge or professional and educational background in a field?•Source citation:Does the author reference the sources they used to gather, analyze, or interpret information?•Perspective:What is the claim-maker’s point of view and their motivation for sharing the information?Process1.Rank the expertise of each individual to make the following claim:Renewable energy is the most effective solution to climate change.IndividualsExpertise rankExplain your answerHighMediumLowCity council member supporting community energy projectsScientist with a PhD in environmental engineeringOwner of a solar-panel manufacturing companyHigh-school environmental science teacher
CLIMATE PROJECT / LESSON 1.2ACTIVITY CLAIM TESTING: EVALUATING AUTHORITY22.Look at the four sources below and rate the source citation of the information. Source Citation Rank (circle one)Source Citation Rank (circle one)High Medium LowHigh Medium LowExplain your answer:Explain your answer:
CLIMATE PROJECT / LESSON 1.2ACTIVITY CLAIM TESTING: EVALUATING AUTHORITY3Source Citation Rank (circle one)Source Citation Rank (circle one)High Medium LowHigh Medium LowExplain your answer:Explain your answer:
CLIMATE PROJECT / LESSON 1.2ACTIVITY CLAIM TESTING: EVALUATING AUTHORITY43.Evaluate how the perspective of each individual might influence your confidence in the claim:Renewable energy is the most effective solution to climate change.IndividualHow might each person’s perspective influence the information they are sharing and how they do it?City council member supporting community energy projectsScientist with a PhD in environmental engineeringOwner of a solar-panel manufacturing companyHigh-school environmental science teacher4.Write one or two sentences explaining why it’s important to evaluate the authority of a source.