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English lesson plan · 6th grade (Year 7 in England) · 60 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 · 6 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: 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?
  3. A: Paris is the capital of France. B: Paris is the most beautiful city in the world. Which sentence is an opinion? (A / B) → BPrompt: What is the writer's main claim?

Hook · 6 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 · 12 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 · 12 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 must be the most accurate source / it is useless and completely false / it is fine because it looks professional / 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. Why does the date of a source matter? (old sources are always wrong / information can change, so old facts may be out of date / it doesn't matter / newer sources are always longer) → information can change, so old facts may be out of datePrompt: Think about expertise, evidence, purpose and date.

You do: independent practice · 17 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 · 7 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. 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? (either, because dates don't matter / the one published yesterday / the one from four years ago / neither, because articles are always wrong) → the one published yesterdayPrompt: 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? (information can change, so old facts may be out of date / newer sources are always longer / it doesn't matter / old sources are always wrong) → 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. A video claims a new phone 'can't break'. The video is made by the phone company. What is the main problem?

    • A. videos can never be trusted
    • B. phones are not a real topic
    • C. the video is too short
    • D. the source has a reason to exaggerate

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 2

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

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

  1. Question 3

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

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

  2. Question 4

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

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

  3. Question 5

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

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

  4. Question 6

    Read the question and choose. Which detail makes an article MORE trustworthy?

    • A. it uses lots of capital letters and exclamation marks
    • B. it says 'everyone knows this'
    • C. it names its sources and links to the original study
    • D. it has no author

  5. Question 7

    You are researching how many moons Jupiter has. Which source is most reliable?

    • A. an old encyclopedia from 1985
    • B. a space agency's website, checked for its latest update date
    • C. a quiz app with no sources
    • D. a science-fiction film about Jupiter

  6. Question 8

    You are checking how tall Mount Everest is. Which source is most reliable?

    • A. a respected atlas or geography organisation
    • B. a meme with a mountain picture
    • C. an anonymous comment
    • D. a guess from a classmate

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Answer key: Which source is most reliable?

  1. 1. D. the source has a reason to exaggerate

  2. 2. C. to inform readers about the trial and different views on it

  3. 3. A. an independent test that compares several trainers

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

  5. 5. A. the national weather service's latest forecast

  6. 6. C. it names its sources and links to the original study

  7. 7. B. a space agency's website, checked for its latest update date

  8. 8. A. a respected atlas or geography organisation