In this learning block, you will consider different sources of scientific information. Which sources are the most trustworthy? Where does the information presented in articles and news stories come from in the first place? Sources of information are an important part of scientific discovery. The readings and activities in this learning block will help you learn how to recognize the differences in sources of information. After participating in this learning block, you will be able to:
Recognize the differences among a variety of sources of scientific information
In this activity, you will evaluate the results of your library research and some websites for credibility using the techniques and tools covered in the Shapiro Library tutorial.
First, review the Website Evaluation Template document. Follow the instructions in that document and complete the table using two of the six sites in the Shapiro Library tutorial. Note that your completed table will not need to be submitted, but you will need to fill it out to complete this activity.
Then use the information from your completed table to address the following:
Report your scores for your two chosen sites from the Shapiro Library website tutorial. Be sure to include hyperlinks to the specific articles and sub-pages you examined in your work.
Which of your two chosen resources would you consider to be more valid? Explain your choice.
Next, use the news story you selected and the results of your Shapiro Library research and respond to the following:
Briefly summarize (in 1 to 2 sentences) the natural science topic featured in your chosen news story.
How would you go about finding more information on the topic that you chose? List at least two different sources that you would consider reliable.
Briefly explain why you think these are reliable sources of information to help you find out more about your topic.
As you complete this assignment, keep in mind that your answers to these questions or closely related questions will be part of your Project 1: Topic Exploration Graphic Organizer submission at the end of this theme. It is recommended that, in addition to entering the answers to the questions below, you save your answers in a Word document that you can refer to later when completing Project 1.
To complete this assignment, review the 1-4-1 Short Answer Rubric document.
Sample Solution
