Now that you are familiar with various tools and resources for Web site evaluation as well as various Web site and e-mail hoaxes, the next step is to take it to your classroom to teach your students. Web site evaluation is for anyone who uses the Internet. Students of all ages can learn how to judge a site based on a group of criteria. Younger students should have less criteria than older students although they should still understand the necessity of evaluation.

Relate Evaluation to Something Familiar

Begin by asking your students about what criteria they use when they are deciding to buy something. Or try to relate evaluation to their lives in another way to see the big picture. Also, have students think about the library and how they choose what books to read as well as what they use books for.

Brainstorm Together

Next have the students begin brainstorming how they decide what books to use for research. What do they look at? What criteria do they use? Then have them think about the Internet and how evaluating books may be different from evaluating Web sites. Review the resources and articles in Lesson #1 for a ready-made list of criteria. As a class, have the students decide upon the five to ten criteria that they will use to evaluate Web sites. Besides a list of criteria, have the students think of questions to ask that support each criteria.

Create an Evaluation Tool

Using the criteria and questions, create a rubric, survey, or checklist. This tool will be filled out by each student when doing an assignment that uses the Internet for information. You may also want to use the rubrics, surveys, and checklists provided in Lesson #3 and decide as a class which tool is most effective for evaluating Web sites. Getting the students involved will provide them with ownership as well as make them more aware of the importance of Web site evaluation.

Practice Evaluating Web Sites

After creating the evaluation criteria and tool, introduce students to some hoax Web sites. There are several Web sites for Tree Octopus. Have students work in groups to evaluate the sites. Evaluating hoax sites can be good practice for using the criteria and evaluation tool. In addition, some of the hoax sites are quite fun as long as the students really understand that the topic is fake. Kathy Schrock provides several examples of Web sites that may be appropriate for students. She also provides an abundance of Critical Evaluation Information.

Another way to help students evaluate resources is by having them create their own fictional resource. Students can create a fictional Web site or report that they can share with other classes explaining how they tried to make it seem real. This is a great opportunity for students to use their imaginations and to realize that what they create even fake information can be available on the Internet.