Deconstructing Web Pages - Lesson Lesson Plan

Authenticating Information
Digital Citizenship
Internet & Mobile

Level: Grades 7 to 10

Author: MediaSmarts

This lesson is part of USE, UNDERSTAND & CREATE: A Digital Literacy Framework for Canadian Schools.

Overview

In this lesson, students apply the "5Ws of Cyberspace" to sources of information they find online. Assuming the role of a student researching a science project, students must authenticate the information in an online article about the artificial sweetener, aspartame.

Learning Outcomes

Students will:

  • understand the importance of authenticating online resources
  • recognize the signs of bias and omission in information
  • use a template to authenticate Web sources based on site authorship or ownership, content and currency
  • use meta-information search techniques to validate online information
  • understand the structure of uniform resource locators (URLs) and how URLs can be used to determine authorship and credibility

Home and School Connection

This lesson and all associated documents (handouts, overheads, backgrounders) are available in an easy-print, pdf kit version.

Lesson Kit