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Claim Testing: Evaluating Online Sources

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CLIMATE PROJECT / UNIT 1STUDENTMATERIALSCLAIM TESTING—EVALUATING ONLINE SOURCESUnless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Claim Testing—Evaluating Online Sources”, OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/Preparation§Watch Check Yourself with Lateral Reading: Crash Course Navigating Digital Information #3(or read the video transcript)PurposeClaim testing is an important skill for youto master, especially in an age of misinformation and disinformation. In this activity, you’ll learn about lateral reading,and you’ll hone yourskills by evaluating a selection of articles. Thiswill prepare youto assess online information and misinformation about climate change.ProcessPart 1Read the transcript or watch Check Yourself with Lateral Reading: Crash Course Navigating Digital Information. As you watchor read,answer the questions for Part 1 of the Claim Testing—Evaluating Online Sources worksheet.Part 21.Once everyone has finished answering the video questions, your teacher will assign you one of the following articles or videos that focus on climate change goals. 1.“Biden Administration Has New Greenhouse Gas Goals for Federal Buildings,”The Heartland Institute, December 12, 20222.“Summit Shows Biden’s Big Vision on Fighting Climate Change,”Matthew Daly and Christina Larson, AP News, April 23, 20213.What’s the Deal with the Green New Deal?Alex Epstein, PragerU, July 29, 20194.2030 Status, Mother Nature, Apple,Apple Inc., September 12, 20235.“California Just Banned Gas-Powered Cars. Here’s Everything You Need to Know,”Dan Gearino, Inside Climate News, September 1, 20222.Once you’ve finished reading or watching your assigned article/video, answer the questions on Part 2 of the worksheet.3.After you’ve answered the questions for Part 2, your teacher will break the class into groups of fiveso that each group has someone who read each of the five sources. Discuss the articles/videos you evaluated to determine their trustworthiness by ranking the sources from one to five, with one being the most trustworthy and five the least.4.Finally, have a class discussion about the sources that each group chose as the most and least trustworthy.
CLIMATE PROJECT / UNIT 1STUDENTMATERIALSCLAIM TESTING—EVALUATING ONLINE SOURCES Name:Date:Directions: Use the questions below to help you understand lateral reading and your assigned source. Part 1: Read the transcript or transcript or watch Check Yourself with Lateral Reading: Crash Course Navigating Digital Information. Then, answer the following questions.§Why is it important to know where digital information comes from?§What is the first question we should ask when evaluating online information?§How do we normally read websites and why is this problematic?§How do you read laterally?§According to John Green, what do we lose when we fail to read laterally?
CLIMATE PROJECT / UNIT 1STUDENTMATERIALSCLAIM TESTING—EVALUATING ONLINE SOURCES Name:Date:Part 2: Answer the following questions after evaluating your assigned source.1.Who is the author? Is the author an authority on this topic, why or why not?2.Who produced or published the article/video?3.What’s the motivation for the article/video?4.What claim or claims does the author make? Are these claims corroborated by other sources?5.Is the source trustworthy? Why or why not?
CLIMATE PROJECT / UNIT 1STUDENTMATERIALSCLAIM TESTING—EVALUATING ONLINE SOURCES Name:Date:Rank the sources from most trustworthy (1) to least trustworthy (5). Explain your reasoning.RankingSourceReasoningThe Heartland InstituteAP NewsPragerUApple Inc.Inside Climate News