Digging for Gold Subject: Technology Grade: 6-8

Brief Description

Students complete a tutorial on Web literacy and use what they learn to successfully find information in an online scavenger hunt.

Objectives

Students learn to evaluate Web site content.

Keywords

technology, Internet, literacy, content evaluation, critical thinking, media literacy

Materials Needed

• computer with Internet access
• The ABCs of Web Literacy
• The Quality Information Checklist
• Critical Evaluation of a Web Site: Middle School Level, ten copies for each group
• printed copies of five to ten questions from the Internet Scavenger Hunt, one copy for each group

Lesson Plan

Depending on the number of computers available, students can do this activity in a group or independently.

• Explore with students, or ask students to independently explore, the tutorials The ABCs of Web Literacy and/or The Quality Information Checklist.
• Organize students in groups of five.
• Choose five to ten questions from the Internet Scavenger Hunt and provide a copy of the questions to each group.
• Distribute five to ten copies of the form for Critical Evaluation of a Web Site: Middle School Level to each group. Provide one evaluation form for each question used from the scavenger hunt.
• Ask groups to search online for the answers to the scavenger hunt questions. Have students complete a Web evaluation form for each site at which they obtain answers.
• Encourage students to compare their answers and the sites they use. Discuss any discrepancies in the answers and review the evaluation forms for the sites. Ask students to predict which answer is correct, based on the site evaluation forms.
• Have students find additional sites that verify the correct answers.

Assessment

Evaluate students on their answers to the scavenger hunt questions and the information they provide on the Web site evaluation forms.

Lesson Plan Source

Education World

Submitted By

Linda Starr

National Standards

Technology:
  NT.K-12.5