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FTS: This Land: Evaluating Sources Activity

Evaluating Sources Activity

Activity Background: For college level research, you'll need to be able to distinguish between and evaluate different types of information and sources. For your K-12 Curriculum Essay, you'll need the skills to find and evaluate a scholarly source that provides evidence that will help support your claims.

Activity Instructions: The four sources below are about issues related to your FTS course topic.

  • Read the shorter sources (sources #1 & 2)
  • Skim the longer sources (sources #3 & 4) Hint: Use targeted skimming, for instance, read the abstract, table of contents, section headings, conclusion
  • Discuss the questions below with your partner. Work through as many of the sources as time allows.
  • Be prepared to share!

Questions to discuss about each source:

  1. Who is the intended audience?
  2. What is the intended purpose?
  3. Who (person, organization, etc.) created this source? What authority do they have to write about this issue?
  4. Do you think this is a reliable source? Why or why not?
  5. Do you think this is a scholarly source? Why or why not?

Tips for Evaluating Sources

Things to consider when evaluating sources:

Authority: Is the author an expert in this topic, either through study or experience?

Currency: When was the source written? Is the information up to date?

Evidence: Are claims in the source backed up with evidence? Is the evidence clearly cited? Are claims corroborated in other sources?

Purpose: Is the source meant to inform? Persuade? Does it have external funding? If so, who funded it? What might their purpose be? Who is the intended audience?

Relevance: Does the source help me accomplish my task?

Scope: Do your sources provide various perspectives that help you get the big picture?

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