Teacher background

Essential Skills to Support Evaluating
This section of the 21st Century Literacies Web site features several lessons on evaluating for 3rd-12th grade students.

Questioning the Author
This site from ReadingQuest.org: Making Sense in Social Studies describes a strategy designed to encourage students to think beyond the words on the page and to consider the author's intent for the selection and his or her success at communicating it. Semantic Feature Analysis is another evaluating tool.

Evaluating Web sites
Here you'll find a list of several sites with resources to help teach your students how to evaluate Web sites.

Media Literacy in an Interactive Age
This article from Reading Online explores ways to work with students on evaluating interactive media.

Information Literacy Competencies and Criteria
Evaluating is an important information literacy skill, as described by the Wisconsin Association for Academic Librarians.

Media Literacy
If you'd like to try evaluating advertisements and other media messages with your students, several resources are listed at this Web site from ECB. Here is a short list of Critical Questions for Analyzing Media Messages.

Student Activity Sites

Rate and Review Books: RIF Book Zone
Use the Book Search box to find a book, then evaluate the book and write your own review.

Is This the Right Book for Me? Strategies for Beginning Readers
This lesson first introduces beginning readers to the different purposes readers have and how to determine what their purpose for reading is. Students also learn how to evaluate whether a book is at the right reading level and length for their abilities and purpose.
From Read-Write-Think, the International Reading Association

Guided Comprehension: Evaluating Using the Meeting of the Minds Technique
Based on the Guided Comprehension Model developed by Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen, this lesson introduces students to the comprehension strategy of evaluating. Students learn how to evaluate information using the meeting of the minds technique, a strategy that teaches them to act out the opposing views of two or more characters in an oral debate or interview format.
From Read-Write-Think, the International Reading Association

Hints About Print
Hints about Print demonstrates the process of evaluating a nonfiction print resource to determine its appropriateness for a research project. The animated demonstration includes prompting questions to guide young researchers in evaluating sources. A print evaluation form is also available.
From Read-Write-Think, the International Reading Association

Comparison and Contrast Guide
This interactive tool for grades 3-8 leads students through the process of evaluating by comparison and contrast. It includes samples of graphic organizers, and provides guidance on writing comparison and contrast essays.
From Read-Write-Think, the International Reading Association

Get the Real Scoop: Comparing Books to Movies
This lesson plan asks students to compare and contrast books with their movie counterparts. The lesson utilizes the online Comparison and Contrast Guide above, and provides several graphic organizers and other resources. Students also write their own evaluations as movie reviews.
From Read-Write-Think, the International Reading Association