We’re focusing a lot of attention these days of helping students determine credibility. For many of us, this is not a hot new topic.
I dug around a bit and dusted off a couple of tools that, I think, stand the test of time. You are welcome to make copies and retool them for you own needs.
This Current Events Analysis Scaffold forces thinking beyond the Ws. It became our go-to tool for presenting current events across the disciplines. Using it seriously encouraged students to take a deeper dive into searching, reading and thinking about news to share with their classes.
And then there’s my magic bullet. The annotation. By simply asking students to critically annotate the sources they use you immediately upgrade the level of thought they invest in scrutiny and selectivity. You also avoid the habit of source packing some students use to impress us with their scholarship.
Evaluative, annotated works cited sections require and inspire the development of critical research and evaluation skills.
Here’s the document we used to guide students through their annotations:
Evaluative, Annotated Works Cited (High School)
Annotations frequently include brief, two-sentence summaries. The following guidelines apply to materials in all formats–books, magazine and journal articles, Web sites, media, slideshows, images, infographics, audio, reference materials, etc.
Check with your teacher to see which of the following elements you should include in your annotations:
Katz, Jon. “The Rights of Kids in the Digital Age.” Wired, July 1996, p. 120+.
Katz, contributing editor of Wired and the author of Geeks, presents a compelling argument for safeguarding the rights of children online. The article is aimed at a general, but computer-savvy, audience. Katz offers a far more liberal perspective than recent pieces in such major news journals as Newsweek, which warned the public of the dangers children face in electronic environments. Katz advocates the idea of preparing the “responsible child” and outlines the rights of such a child. He claims that our new “digital nation” requires a social contract similar to the one proposed by philosopher John Locke and adopted by the founders of our own country to protect the rights of all citizens. This comprehensive, distinctive, liberal view added needed balance to my project.
Annotations for elementary and middle school students:
And in case you missed it, Shannon Miller recently crowd-sourced a fabulous Padlet on Media Literacy Research, Resources, Lessons and Project Ideas.
Save
Save
We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing
Add Comment :-
Be the first reader to comment.
Comment Policy:
Comment should not be empty !!!