Skip to main content
HHMI BioInteractive
  • Español
  • Site Search
  • Log In/Create Account
  • Classroom Resources
  • Teaching Tools
  • Professional Development
  • Partner Content

Evaluating Science in the News

Illustration showing a mock science newspaper and science headlines appearing on a cell phone.

Topic

  • Scientific Skills & Literacy
  • Explanations & Argumentation
  • Science as a Social Process

Resource Type

  • Activities
  • Skill Builders

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
Saved By
83 Users
Share This
View in Spanish

Description

In this activity, students evaluate a science news article to determine whether it is a trustworthy source of information.

Science news articles are a great way to learn about new ideas, discoveries, and research. However, it’s important to evaluate the authority and credibility of sources of information. In this activity, students practice their reading comprehension and source evaluation skills by answering a series of questions about a science news article. They then synthesize their answers to determine whether the article is trustworthy. This activity can be used with any print or online news articles.

Two versions of the “Student Handout” are available for this activity. The short handout focuses on evaluating a science news article, and the extended handout also has students respond to the ideas presented in the article. The additional “Criteria for Evaluating Sources” handout provides more questions for evaluating sources of information based on the CRAP (Currency, Reliability, Authority, and Purpose) test.

The “Resource Google Folder” link directs to a Google Drive folder of resource documents in the Google Docs format. Not all downloadable documents for the resource may be available in this format. The Google Drive folder is set as “View Only”; to save a copy of a document in this folder to your Google Drive, open that document, then select File → “Make a copy.” These documents can be copied, modified, and distributed online following the Terms of Use listed in the “Details” section below, including crediting BioInteractive.

Student Learning Targets

  • Evaluate the currency, reliability, authority, and purpose of a source of information.
  • Justify the reasoning used to determine whether a source of information is trustworthy.
  • (extended handout only) Identify the main idea and supporting details of a science news article.
  • (extended handout only) Respond to the ideas presented in a science news article. 
     

Estimated Time

One to two 50-minute class periods, depending on which handout students will be working on.

Key Terms

authority, bias, CRAP test, currency, evidence, reliability, scientific literacy

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)

PDF files meet criteria. Spanish files meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published 06.01.20
Date Updated 03.02.21

NGSS (2013)

SEP8

AP Biology (2019)

SP6

Common Core (2010)

ELA.RST, ELA.WHST

Vision and Change (2009)

DP6

Materials

Download Resource Google Folder (Link)
Download Educator Materials (PDF) 325 KB
Download Student Handout — Short (PDF) 267 KB
Download Student Handout — Extended (PDF) 288 KB
Download Criteria for Evaluating Sources (PDF) 216 KB
Download Educator Materials - Español (PDF) 348 KB
Download Student Handout — Short - Español (PDF) 279 KB
Download Student Handout — Extended - Español (PDF) 331 KB
Download Criteria for Evaluating Sources - Español (PDF) 249 KB

Explore Related Content

Other Related Resources

Showing of
A map of vegetation and wildebeest locations highlighting the wildebeest moving toward an area of greater vegetation.
Lessons
Investigating Science Practices in Serengeti: Nature’s Living Laboratory
Image of Howie
3D Models
Howie
Photo montage of the scientists from the activity.
Skill Builders
Scientist Role Models
Screenshot of the Image of the Week webpage
Skill Builders
Using Images as Phenomena
Image of a researcher working at his computer from the film
Scientists at Work
Think Like a Scientist: Gorongosa
Image from the interactive
Click & Learn
Are You a Morning or an Evening Person?
Photo of a person hand-launching a drone plane
Scientists at Work
Mapping the Darién Gap
Image of EO Wilson and Tonga Torcida from the film
Short Films
The Guide: A Biologist in Gorongosa
Image of a map from the interactive.
Click & Learn
Gorongosa National Park Interactive Map
Image of E.O. Wilson from the film
Film Activities
Activity for The Guide: A Biologist in Gorongosa
HHMI BioInteractive
  • About Us
  • Our Team
  • Our Advisors
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Newsletter Signup
  • HHMI.org
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility