Whole Earth Curriculum WEC

Lesson 04 — Can I Trust This Source?

Learners learn five questions that make a source trustworthy — who made it, why, what evidence, when, and whether another source agrees — and use them to compare two sources on the same topic for reliability.

D10 P4: Contextual & Ecological Awareness D10.S2 50 minutes Draft

Objectives

Essential question

What makes a source trustworthy, and how do I compare two sources on the same topic for reliability?

sourcetrustworthyauthorpurposeevidencereliabilitycorroborate

Materials

Standard materials

Low-tech / no-cost

Enriched / lab & device

Works in different contexts

A five-question checklist for checking a source — who made it, why, what evidence, when, and does another source agree — each row with a check mark
A five-question checklist for checking a source — who made it, why, what evidence, when, and does another source agree — each row with a check mark

Lesson 4 — Can I Trust This Source?

Summary

Learners learn five questions that make a source trustworthy and use them to compare two sources on the same topic for reliability. They work one pair of sources as a modeled example, then compare a second pair with a partner.

Objectives

  • Explain what makes a source trustworthy, and compare two sources on the same topic for reliability. (D10.S2.07.01)

Connection

Every day you meet claims — a headline, a post, a label, a friend’s message. Some of them are solid; some are not. The difference is not how loudly a claim is repeated or how confident it sounds, but where it comes from. A trustworthy source has a name behind it, a reason for existing you can see, and evidence you can check. Today you learn five questions that separate a source you can lean on from one you should hold lightly.

Materials

  • Five-questions checklist
  • Source pairs

Preparation

  • Copy the five-questions checklist and source pairs.
  • Retrieval: from Grade 6, recall what a persuasive technique is (D10.S2.06.02). Today we move from “what is this trying to do to me?” to “can I trust what it says?”

Facilitator note

This lesson is written to the learner (“you”). The ideas to land: (1) trustworthiness is checked, not felt — five questions do the checking: who made it, why, what evidence, when, and whether a second source agrees; (2) comparing two sources means asking all five questions of each and then placing them side by side; (3) reliability is about the source, not whether we like its answer. Model the first pair once (worked example, S-011). The critical-thinking lens: this is the unit’s core “question the answer” habit, made into a checklist. The egalitarian lens: the ability to check a source is power — people who are lied to cannot act fairly; teaching everyone to check is a leveling act. The global lens: the five questions work on any source in any language and any place. The technology lens: digital tools make it easier than ever to publish — which makes checking more necessary, not less. Use a low-stakes, non-scary example pair (e.g., a claim about whether a plant is safe, or whether recycling works) so the skill is practiced without fear. The checklist is an age-appropriate version of source analysis (S-217; S-063).

Procedure

  1. Recall (5 min). What is a persuasive technique? Today we ask a harder question: is this source telling me something I can trust?
  2. Meet the five questions (8 min). To check a source, ask: Who made it? Why was it made? What evidence does it give? When was it made? Does another source agree? Look at your checklist — you ask all five, not one.
  3. Watch it modeled (15 min). Here is a claim: “Drinking water with a little salt cures all illness.” Source A is a signed page from a health organization, with the author named, the purpose (to inform) stated, evidence cited, a recent date, and agreement from other health bodies. Source B is an anonymous post with no author, no evidence, no date, and the clear purpose of selling a salt product. Run all five questions on both. Source A is far more reliable — not because it is polite, but because it survives the questions.
  4. Compare a second pair (15 min). With a partner, take a source pair on one topic. Run the five questions on each, then say which is more reliable and why.
  5. Close (7 min). Share one difference you found. Remember: trust is earned by evidence, not by confidence.

Differentiation

  • Support: Provide the five questions with two possible answers each (“author named / no author named”) and ask learners to circle the more reliable one.
  • Extension: Find a third source on the same topic and rank all three for reliability, with reasons.

Assessment

  • Formative (observation): Can the learner name the five questions and apply them to two sources to say which is more reliable, with a reason?
  • Portfolio artifact: The completed comparison of one source pair, kept in the portfolio.

Home connection

Pick one claim you see this week — on a screen, a package, or a sign — and ask the five questions about where it came from. Tell someone what you found.

Resources