Evaluating Web Sites - Fact or Opinion Activity

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"Fact or Opinion Activity"

Thinking about the Five W's of Web Site Evaluation: (click for more info)

Who wrote the pages and are they an expert in the field?
What is the purpose of the site?
When was the site created, updated, or last worked on?
Where does the information come from?
Why is the information valuable?

Visit the Web sites below and answer the questions on a separate sheet of paper.

1. Is the Holocause a Hoax? (http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/holohoax.htm)

A) Skim and scan; then rate this site.

Evaluation Rubric
1 = Disagree; 5 = Agree

Who?---Author/Editor/Sponsor seems to be reputable.	1	2	3	4	5
What?---Purpose is to inform, not sell or persuade.	1	2	3	4	5
Where?---This is reliable information; reputable sources cited.	1	2	3	4	5
When?---Information is current, up-to-date.	1	2	3	4	5
Why?---Information is valuable and significant.	1	2	3	4	5

B) Would this be a good site to use for a class project or research paper? Explain. (Please write a few sentences.)

2. Auschwitz Myths and Facts (http://www.ihr.org/leaflets/auschwitz.shtml)

A) Skim and scan; then rate this site.

Evaluation Rubric
1 = poor; 5 = exceptional

Who?---Author/Editor/Sponsor seems to be reputable.	1	2	3	4	5
What?---Purpose is to inform, not sell or persuade.	1	2	3	4	5
Where?---This is reliable information; reputable sources cited.	1	2	3	4	5
When?---Information is current, up-to-date.	1	2	3	4	5
Why?---Information is valuable and significant.	1	2	3	4	5

B) Would this be a good site to use for a class project or research paper? Explain. (Please write a few sentences.)

3. Holocaust Denial (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocaust_denial)

A) Skim and scan; then rate this site.

Evaluation Rubric
1 = poor; 5 = exceptional

Who?---Author/Editor/Sponsor seems to be reputable.	1	2	3	4	5
What?---Purpose is to inform, not sell or persuade.	1	2	3	4	5
Where?---This is reliable information; reputable sources cited.	1	2	3	4	5
When?---Information is current, up-to-date.	1	2	3	4	5
Why?---Information is valuable and significant.	1	2	3	4	5

B) Would this be a good site to use for a class project or research paper? Explain. (Please write a few sentences.)

4. Holocaust Denial (http://remember.org/History.root.rev.html)

A) Sklm and scan; then rate this site.

Evaluation Rubric
1 = poor; 5 = exceptional

Who?---Author/Editor/Sponsor seems to be reputable.	1	2	3	4	5
What?---Purpose is to inform, not sell or persuade.	1	2	3	4	5
Where?---This is reliable information; reputable sources cited.	1	2	3	4	5
When?---Information is current, up-to-date.	1	2	3	4	5
Why?---Information is valuable and significant.	1	2	3	4	5

B) Would this be a good site to use for a class project or research paper? Explain. (Please write a few sentences.)

5. Reflection: What has this activity made you think about? Why is it important to evaluate Web sites? (Please write several sentences.)

This site was designed for use in the middle grades 6-8 by Diane Lauer, Conrad Ball Middle School. It was created on 11/2/99 and last updated on 11/8/99. Sources used to create this site:

---McConnell, Tammy. Fact or Fiction Activity. Online. http://www.construxsoftware.com/tammym/eval3.htm Accessed 2 November 1999

---Beck, Susan. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly or, Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources. Online. http://lib.nmsu.edu/staff/susabeck/eval.html Accessed 2 November 1999.

If you have any questions or comments about this page please email me.