Every day, kids use the internet at school to find information. But do they really know how to find good, reliable sources? The internet is full of information, but not all of it is true. However, it can be a great tool to help us figure out what’s real and what’s not. Here’s a simple way to help students become smart web researchers.
When students search online, remind them: Don’t just read down the page, read around the page. What does this mean? Usually, when we read something like a book or a magazine, we read from top to bottom. But professional fact-checkers do it differently. They read around the page to see if the source is trustworthy.
When fact-checkers read online, they often open a new tab to find out more. They might even open several new tabs! It’s all about asking important questions, like: Who owns the website? How do they make money? What other things do they publish? They also compare the information with trusted fact-checking websites.
There’s no reason why students shouldn’t do the same thing every time they search the web. By investigating and asking questions, they can become better at finding true and reliable information.
If you want more tips on how to help kids become great web researchers, check out our teaching strategies page to learn more. It’s full of ideas to make learning fun and effective!
Explore a webpage and practice the “read around the page” technique. Look at the headers, sidebars, and footers. Discuss with your classmates what these sections tell you about the reliability of the source.
Choose a topic and open multiple tabs to gather information. Compare the details from different sources. Identify which sources seem the most trustworthy and explain why.
Pick a website and research who owns it. Use online tools to find out more about the organization or person behind the site. Share your findings with the class.
In groups, take turns fact-checking a piece of information. Use different fact-checking websites and compare your results. Discuss any discrepancies and decide on the most reliable conclusion.
Work in pairs to create a simple guide for fact-checking online information. Include tips and strategies you’ve learned. Present your guide to the class and explain how it can help others become smart web researchers.
**Sanitized Transcript:**
Kids search the web almost every day in school. But do they really know how to find quality sources? The web is full of questionable information, but it can also be a valuable tool in the fight against misinformation. Here’s one simple way to help students become effective web researchers.
Whenever students search the web, remind them: Don’t just read down the page, read around the page. What does that mean? Students often read the web from top to bottom, just like printed material. However, professional fact-checkers approach it differently. They read around the page to evaluate the source.
When fact-checkers read online, they often open a new tab to investigate further. In fact, they might open several new tabs. It’s all about asking critical questions, such as: Who owns the website? How do they generate revenue? What other content do they publish? Additionally, they typically cross-check the article on a trusted fact-checking site.
There’s no reason our students shouldn’t do the same every time they search the web. Want more tips on how to help your kids become effective web researchers? Check out our teaching strategies page to learn more.
Fact-check – To verify the accuracy of information by checking it against reliable sources. – Before sharing the news article, it’s important to fact-check the details to ensure they are correct.
Reliable – Something or someone you can depend on to provide accurate and trustworthy information. – The library is a reliable place to find information for your school project.
Information – Facts or details that tell you something about a person, place, or thing. – Gathering information from different books helped me write a better report.
Investigate – To look into something carefully to learn the facts about it. – The students decided to investigate how plants grow by conducting an experiment.
Questions – Sentences or phrases used to find out information. – Asking questions in class helps you understand the topic better.
Trustworthy – Deserving of trust or confidence; reliable. – It’s important to use trustworthy websites when doing research online.
Students – People who are studying at a school or college. – The students worked together to solve the math problem.
Research – The careful study of a subject to discover new facts or information. – We did research on the solar system for our science project.
Sources – Places, people, or things from which information is obtained. – When writing a report, it’s important to cite your sources to show where you got your information.
Internet – A global network that connects millions of computers, allowing people to access and share information. – The internet can be a useful tool for finding information, but you must check that the sources are reliable.
