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English lesson plan · 6th grade (Year 7 in England) · 45 minutes

Which source is most reliable?

Reading Comprehension

CCSS RI.6.7CCSS W.6.8England: KS3 Reading (evaluating texts)England: KS3 English (spoken language and research)

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Which source is most reliable?.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Fact and opinion

Leads to: News, opinion, advert or satire?

Materials: A short text or extract (one copy each), Highlighters, Question cards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 5 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Fact and opinion). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. A: Spiders have eight legs. B: Spiders are the creepiest animals. Which sentence is a fact? (A / B) → APrompt: What is the writer's main claim?
  2. A: Our school should have a longer lunch break. B: Our school lunch break lasts 45 minutes. Which sentence is an opinion? (A / B) → APrompt: What is the writer's main claim?
  3. A: Chocolate ice cream is the best flavour. B: Ice cream is made with milk or cream. Which sentence is a fact? (A / B) → BPrompt: What is the writer's main claim?

Hook · 5 min

  • Read the first lines of a short text aloud and ask what students predict will happen and why.
  • Share the objective: Which source is most reliable?. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 10 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: You find two articles about a new skate park. One was published yesterday; the other is from four years ago. Which should you trust for the park's current rules?
  • Step 1: Reliable sources are expert, up to date, based on evidence and not just trying to sell or entertain.
  • Step 2: For things that change, the most recent reliable source is best.
  • Step 3: So the answer is: the one published yesterday
  • Answer: the one published yesterday
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 10 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. A website about a medicine is run by the company that sells it. What should a careful reader think? (it is fine because it looks professional / it must be the most accurate source / it is useless and completely false / it may be biased, so compare it with independent sources) → it may be biased, so compare it with independent sourcesPrompt: Ask: Who made this? Do they know the topic? Is it up to date?
  2. Read the question and choose. A video claims a new phone 'can't break'. The video is made by the phone company. What is the main problem? (the source has a reason to exaggerate / phones are not a real topic / videos can never be trusted / the video is too short) → the source has a reason to exaggeratePrompt: Think about expertise, evidence, purpose and date.

You do: independent practice · 10 min

  • Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
  • Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 5 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. You are checking how tall Mount Everest is. Which source is most reliable? (a guess from a classmate / a respected atlas or geography organisation / a meme with a mountain picture / an anonymous comment) → a respected atlas or geography organisationPrompt: Ask: Who made this? Do they know the topic? Is it up to date?
  2. Read the question and choose. Why does the date of a source matter? (newer sources are always longer / old sources are always wrong / it doesn't matter / information can change, so old facts may be out of date) → information can change, so old facts may be out of datePrompt: Think about expertise, evidence, purpose and date.

Watch out for

  • Answering from memory or opinion instead of evidence in the text.
  • Copying a long quote without explaining what it shows.

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Fact and opinion.
  • Use concrete materials: a short text or extract (one copy each).
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Move on to: News, opinion, advert or satire?.
  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-6.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Which source is most reliable?

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    Read the question and choose. Which is a warning sign that a post may be misleading?

    • A. it tries to make you angry and share it quickly
    • B. it quotes a named expert
    • C. it gives the date it was written
    • D. it links to an official report

  2. Question 2

    You want to know whether a storm will reach your town tomorrow. Which source is most reliable?

    • A. a weather post from two years ago
    • B. the national weather service's latest forecast
    • C. a rumour in your class group chat
    • D. a video from someone who says they can 'feel' storms coming

The Phone-Free Lunch Experiment

For one month, students at Brookfield School tried something unusual: no phones at lunch. Phones stayed in lockers from twelve until one, and the dining hall filled with board games, sketchbooks and a lot more noise. The idea came from the student council. In a survey, 61 per cent of students said they spent most of lunch looking at a screen, and many said they wanted a break but found it hard to stop on their own. At first, not everyone was happy. "I thought it was a punishment," admitted Jaden, 12. "But after a week I'd learned to play chess, and now I actually look forward to lunch." Teachers noticed changes too. Ms Ortega, who supervises the hall, said there were fewer arguments and more students sitting in mixed groups. However, some students said they missed messaging family members during the day. The council will now vote on whether to keep the rule. One suggestion is a compromise: phone-free Mondays to Thursdays, with Fridays left free.

  1. Question 3

    Read "The Phone-Free Lunch Experiment". What is the main purpose of this article?

    • A. to persuade readers to ban phones everywhere
    • B. to inform readers about the trial and different views on it
    • C. to entertain with a made-up story
    • D. to sell board games

  1. Question 4

    Read the question and choose. Which question is MOST useful when checking a website?

    • A. Is the font easy to read?
    • B. Who wrote it, and what do they know about the topic?
    • C. Does it have bright colours?
    • D. Does it have lots of pictures?

  2. Question 5

    You need the opening times of the swimming pool this weekend. Which source is most reliable?

    • A. a map app photo
    • B. a review written last year
    • C. the pool's official website or phone line
    • D. a friend who went once

  3. Question 6

    Read the question and choose. Why does the date of a source matter?

    • A. information can change, so old facts may be out of date
    • B. it doesn't matter
    • C. old sources are always wrong
    • D. newer sources are always longer

  4. Question 7

    You want to find out if a new trainer really makes you run faster. Which source is most reliable?

    • A. the shoe box
    • B. a celebrity who is paid to wear them
    • C. an independent test that compares several trainers
    • D. the advert from the company selling the trainer

  5. Question 8

    Read the question and choose. A photo shared online shows a shark swimming down a flooded motorway. What is the smartest first step?

    • A. trust it because it looks real
    • B. count the comments
    • C. search for the image to see where it first appeared
    • D. share it so others can check it

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Answer key: Which source is most reliable?

  1. 1. A. it tries to make you angry and share it quickly

  2. 2. B. the national weather service's latest forecast

  3. 3. B. to inform readers about the trial and different views on it

  4. 4. B. Who wrote it, and what do they know about the topic?

  5. 5. C. the pool's official website or phone line

  6. 6. A. information can change, so old facts may be out of date

  7. 7. C. an independent test that compares several trainers

  8. 8. C. search for the image to see where it first appeared