• 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: Water freezes at 0 °C. B: Winter is the worst season. Which sentence is an opinion? (A / B) → BPrompt: What is the writer's main claim?
3. 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?

• 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.

• 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.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. You are writing about the history of your local castle. Which source is most reliable? (the local museum's guide, written by historians / a ghost-story website / a comment under a holiday photo / a fantasy novel set in a castle) → the local museum's guide, written by historiansPrompt: 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 (old sources are always wrong / it doesn't matter / information can change, so old facts may be out of date / newer sources are always longer) → information can change, so old facts may be out of datePrompt: Think about expertise, evidence, purpose and date.

• 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.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

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? (phones are not a real topic / videos can never be trusted / the source has a reason to exaggerate / the video is too short) → the source has a reason to exaggeratePrompt: Think about expertise, evidence, purpose and date.
2. You are researching how many moons Jupiter has. Which source is most reliable? (an old encyclopedia from 1985 / a science-fiction film about Jupiter / a quiz app with no sources / a space agency's website, checked for its latest update date) → a space agency's website, checked for its latest update datePrompt: Ask: Who made this? Do they know the topic? Is it up to date?

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