Proyecto realizado en el año 2012 con alumnos de 6° año del Liceo N°1 Florida en la asignatura inglés como lengua extranjera sobre la Unidad Temática: Media, en particular sobre internet y cómo evaluar páginas webs.

1. CRITICAL THINKING
IN ENGLISH: HOW TO
EVALUATE
WEBPAGES
Mariángel Carreño- Profesora de inglés
2012

2. Thematic
Unit: The
media
Material:
 Topics Communication (Macmillan): Computer
chat pp. 4-5
 Topics Communication (Macmillan): Safe surfing p
6
 Worksheet: Hoax, scholarly research, personal
opinion? You decide! (adapted from Media Smarts
http://mediasmarts.ca)
 Cyber security and surfing (Media Smarts)
 Web pages, google docs.
Aims:
 To reflect about the pros and cons of internet.
 To assess web pages.
 To give advice about safe surfing.
 To learn specific vocabulary about internet.

3. Activities: „Computer chat‟ (Book: Topics.
Communication)
 Brainstorming: Which internet tool do you
often use? Why? Which are its
advantages? Does it have any
disadvantages?
 Skim the text ‘Computer chat’. Create a different title
for it.
 Homework:
o Work in groups. Take a post-it from the envelope. Search for the meaning
of the word/phrase (read the text again to help you and use a dictionary)
o Next class, explain your classmates the meaning of the word/phrase
without using Spanish. (Tips: give the definition, draw a picture, give
examples of its use, act the word out)

4.  Read the text again. Complete with the correct type
of internet website. (taken from Topics teacher’s book).
 A place where you can chat with other people.______
 A quick and free way of sending messages. ________
 A place where you can find website addresses for topics. _______
 An interactive diary. _______
 Visiting the internet. ______
 Buying and selling things from your computer.______

5. Read the text again.
(Language focus: 2nd conditional (imaginary situations, giving
advice)
 What means of communication would you recommend to these people in
these situations? Give evidence for your suggestion
1- A sociable person interested in several topics.
2- A scientist searching for information for his/own research.
3- A retired teacher interested in science in general.
4- A high school student who needs to record his/her progress in a school
project.
5- A family who wants to buy clothes from a foreign country.
6- A boy who wants to get in touch with an old friend who lives in another
country.
7- A teacher who wants to share his/her experience with other teachers.
8- A university students who wants to enroll in a course.
9- A student who needs further information about a scholarship.
10- A scientist who wants to buy a book published in another country.

6. Activities: „Safe surfing‟(Book: Topics.
Communication)
 Skim the text and choose the best title for the text:
 Dangers of internet
 Tips for using internet.
 Pros and cons of internet.
 Read the text again. Answer these questions.
a) What is the purpose of the text?
b) Where can you find a text like this ?
c) Who do you think wrote it?
d) What is the audience of it?

7.  Identify the pros and cons of using the internet. Then
add your own ideas.
PROS (advantages) CONS (disadvantages)

8.  Identify sentences where a piece of advice is given.
 Suggest more tips.
(Language focus: 0 Conditional- Commands- 2nd Conditional- Should)
 Homework: Write some tips about safe surfing to a 8-year-
old child (take the age of the audience into account: which
language form is the most appropiate?)
 Open the google doc https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GuPs6w-
mrglEpvfJ7g97yaIsLuT_l1kOjvlQL3d_QY0/edit
Read the text in groups of 4. Add 3 tips to avoid the technological risks of
internet and 3 tips to avoid the behavioural risks .

9. Activities: „Hoax, scholarly
research, personal opinion? You decide!
(Adapted from Media Smarts. http://mediasmarts.ca)
Handout
1

10. Handout 1
Hoax? Scholarly Research? Personal Opinion? You Decide!
These five traditional print evaluation criteria can be
adapted to suit Web resources.
Criterion 1: _______________________________________
Many Web resources are not verified by editors and/or fact checkers
Web Standards to ensure accuracy yet to be fully developed
Criterion 2: _______________________________________
Often difficult to determine authorship of Web Sources
If author's name is listed, his/her qualifications frequently absent
Publisher responsibility is often not indicated
Criterion 3: _______________________________________
Goals/aims of persons or groups presenting material are often not clearly
stated
Web often functions as a “virtual soapbox”
Criterion 4: ________________________________________
Dates are not always included on Web pages
If included, a date may have various meanings:
1. Date information first written
2. Date information placed on Web
3. Date information last revised
Criterion 5: __________________________________________
Web coverage may differ from print coverage
Often hard to determine extent of Web coverage

11. A) WRITE EACH CRITERION IN THE CORRECT PLACE IN THE TEXT
ABOVE.
Adapted from Hoax? Scholarly Research? Personal Opinion? You Decide! /
Student Handout #1
© 2002 Media Smarts http://mediasmarts.ca/

12. CHALLENGES COPING STRATEGIES
 Search Engines can
retrieve Web Pages out of
context.
 On the Web, the
distinction between
advertising and
information can easily
become blurred.
 Web pages are
susceptible to both
accidental and deliberate
 Attempt to verify
information using other
sources.
 Determine if advertising
and informational content
are being supplied by the
same person or
organization.
 Always try to return to the
“home page” to determine
source of information.
Additional Challenges Presented by Web Resources
and How To Cope with Them.
B) MATCH THE ‘CHALLENGES’ WITH THE RIGHT ‘COPING STRATEGIES’

13. C) LOOK AT THE STRUCTURES IN BOLD IN THE TEXT ABOVE (9).
CAN YOU GUESS WHICH GRAMMAR STRUCTURE ARE THEY
IN?
 “Web resources are not verified by editors…”
Which is the subject of the sentence? Does this subject
perform the action of „verification‟?
 “If author's name is listed,…”
Which is the subject of the sentence? Does this subject
perform the action of „listing‟?
 “Publisher responsibility is not indicated.”
Which is the subject of the sentence? Does this subject
perform the action of „indicating‟?
GRAMMAR RULE:

14. D) WRITE THE VERBS IN BRACKETS IN THE CORRECT PASSIVE FORM.
 1) Goals/aims of persons or groups presenting material ……………….( not
state).
 2) Dates ………………(not include) on Web pages.
 3) In your article you said that every year hundreds of cyclists
……………….(kill) by drivers.
 4) Glamour couple Chrissie Butros and Spike Dare ...........................
(photograph) everywhere they go.
 5) Jimmy Dell stars in this comedy. Dell ………………..(ask) to play serious
roles very often, but he‟s really funny.
 6) The exact number of websites …………………(not know).
 7) Today the internet ……………….(use) by over a billion people.
 8) The newspaper „The Sun‟ ……………….(read) by 3.7 million people
every year.

15. E) NOW LOOK AT THIS EXAMPLE. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE
WITH THE ABOVE SENTENCES?
 “Determine if advertising and informational content are being
supplied by the same person or organization.”
GRAMMAR RULE:
F) WRITE THE VERBS IN BRACKETS IN THE CORRECT FORM.
 1) Hundreds of websites …………………..(create) every minute.
 2) Thousands of technological devices for
communication…………………..(buy) at this moment, however more
people …………….(diagnose) from depression and stress.
 3) Despite being a globalised and technological society, in many
countries people ………………..(kill) while you‟re reading this
sentence.
 4) And what measures ………………( take) at this very moment to use
technology as an instrument to bridge the gap among people?

16. G) YOUR TEACHER WILL GIVE YOU A WORKSHEET TO WORK IN GROUPS
OF 4 USING YOUR COMPUTERS.
THE GROUPS WILL BE DIVIDED IN GROUPS A, B AND C.
FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS.
This exercise is based on an instructional web site created by J.
Alexander and M. Tate, Wolfgram Memorial Library, Widener
University, July 1996 and modified with the authors' permission.
The original Web site, Evaluating Web Pages, is copyrighted by
Widener University, 1996.
Created by Esther Grassian and Diane Zwemer. Copyright © 1997
UCLA College Library.
Permission is granted for unlimited non-commercial use of this
exercise.
Hoax? Scholarly Research? Personal Opinion? You Decide! /
Classroom Activity: Advocacy and Objectivity
© 2002 Media Awareness Network
Taken with permission from Media Smarts

17. Classroom Activity: groups A
Authority and Accuracy
How critical an observer are you? Learn how to evaluate information
sources by doing the following exercise. You only have ten minutes, so be
sure to stay on task!
Pick any two sites from the list below. What evidence can you find to determine
the basis for claims made on these pages? How could you tell whether or not the
information provided is accurate?
 Feline Reactions to Bearded Men (http://www.improb.com/airchives/cat.html)
 Virtual Medical Clinic (http://www.virtualmedicalclinic.com/)
 OncoLink (http://oncolink.upenn.edu/)
 Tobacco Control Archives (http://www.library.ucsf.edu/tobacco/index.html)
Questions to consider when reviewing web pages for authority and accuracy.
 1. Can you determine who put this page together?
 2. What is the background, credentials, or authority of the author of this web
page?
 3. How would you verify the information presented on this web page?

18. Classroom Activity: groups B
Advocacy and Objectivity
How critical an observer are you? Learn how to evaluate information sources
by doing the following exercise. You only have ten minutes, so be sure to
stay on task!
Pick any two sites from the list below. What evidence can you find to determine
whether or not these sites are favouring a particular point of view or are taking an
objective approach?
 Consumer Reports Online (http://www.consumerreports.com/)
 Families Against Internet Censorship (http://www.netfamilies.org/)
 EarthSave International (http://www.earthsave.org/)
 Human Cloning (http://www.humancloning.org/)
Questions to consider when viewing these web pages for advocacy and objectivity.
 1. Do the author(s) present the information as fact or opinion or conjecture?
 2. Does this page present more than one viewpoint or opinion?
 3. Can you determine who or what group sponsors this web page? Do they hold a
particular view or opinion?

19. Classroom Activity: groups C
Currency and Coverage
How critical an observer are you? Learn how to evaluate information sources by
doing the following exercise. You only have ten minutes, so be sure to stay on
task!
Pick any two sites from the list below. What evidence can you find to determine how up
to date these pages are and whether or not they cover their topics as completely as
they claim?
 Drudge Report (http://www.drudgereport.com/)
 CNN (http://www.cnn.com)
 Auto-by-Tel (http://www.autobytel.com/ )
Questions to consider when reviewing web pages for currency and coverage.
 1. What does "up to date" or "current" mean for this site? (Hint: What is the
latest date you can find on this site?)
 2. Does the site really provide information on all the aspects or areas it claims
to cover?
 3. Is the information provided uniformly complete for all the aspects and areas
the site claims to cover?

20. Round up: class discussion
 Decide how you‟ll present your conclusions to the class.
 Decide who will speak on behalf of your group.
 Be prepare to give evidence for your arguments.
 Compare your findings with those groups with the same letter as
yours.
 Individually, write a brief report (about100 words) with your own
conclusions about the experience to share with the class.