Incorporating Information Literacy into the Classroom

• What is authority? accuracy? currency? relevance?

• Discuss the WHY Method of evaluating source authority

• Discuss use of the “About Us” section of a website

• Discuss different types of websites and their value for academic research (.edu, .com, .org, .gov, etc.)

• Ask students to search for acceptable sources and unacceptable sources and discuss the differences. For example, a Google search for NASA and Mars includes these two results which are great to compare: 

• https://www.nasa.gov/perseverance
• https://www.space.com/mars-2020-rover-high-bay-bob-bunny-suit.html

• Ask students to search for two news sources and compare them based on how the website is funded (advertisements, sponsors, non-profit, government, unidentified).

• Ask students to write a brief description of an article, or create their own template for evaluating a source, using key points from your discussions.

• Ask students to find the original source for citations from an article or webpage. Here are some ideas:

• "Predicting future uncertainty constraints on global warming projections", Nature.com
• "Nathaniel Woods' execution cast scrutiny on Alabama's death penalty", ABC News
• "These Students Are Learning About Fake News and How to Stop It", New York Times