CyberSmart! : Lesson Plans : Finding Good Sites

Finding Good Sites

Download Student Activity Sheet(s) for printout in PDF Format

Overview
Students explore, evaluate, and compare children's informational Web sites, and conclude that people's opinions about the quality and usefulness of sites will vary.

Objectives

		Use a set of criteria to evaluate and compare informational sites
		Conclude that people's opinions about sites will vary

ISTE^® National Technology Standards

		Grade 2, Performance Indicator # 10
		Grade 3, Performance Indicator # 10

Site Preview

		Fascinating Horse
		The DinoDictionary
		Flying Animals
		The Kid's Ag Page
		Kids Go Wild, Wild Animal Facts

Online Resources

Visit sites providing background information on Evaluating Web Sites.

Materials

		Activity sheet (2, two copies per student)
		Markers or crayons
		Online computer access

Introduce (offline)

		Have students identify a picture book with which they are all familiar.
		Ask: Do you like the pictures in this book? Have students who wish to answer "yes" raise their hands. Then have students answering "no" raise their hands.
		Point out that people can have different ideas about what books, television shows, movies - or even Web sites - they like.

Teach 1 (online)

		Distribute one copy of the activity sheets.
		Take students to www.becybersmart.org, and click on the square. Find the title of this lesson, and open its links. Choose a site to explore with the class.
		Have students complete the activity sheet and share their totals. Point out that totals will vary because students may have different ideas about the Web site.

Teach 2 (online)

		Distribute the second copy of the activity sheets.
		Have students link to another site selected for this lesson, explore the site, and complete the activity sheet.

Teach 3 (offline)

		Invite students to report the number of "thumbs up" they awarded the second site. Point out that a site could be awarded from 0-11 points. Ask: How many "thumbs up" should a site get to be called a good site? Answers should be expressed as a number out of a maximum of 11.
		Ask: What does it mean if you gave two points to one site and ten points to another? (It means that the site with ten points is a better site to use than the one with two points.)
		Discuss how rating sites can help decide whether a site is worth revisiting when similar information is needed.

Close (offline)

		Ask: How do you use a list of questions to rate a Web site? (Go to the site, answer each question, and total the number of "thumbs up.")
		Ask: How can a site get three "thumbs up" from one student and ten from another? Students should acknowledge that, due to the nature of the questions, opinions will vary from person to person.

Extend (online)
The following activity can be added for students who completed this lesson in a previous grade.

Allow students to use a children's search site to find additional informational sites, use the activity sheet to rate the sites, and share their results.