1. Wading Through the Web Conducting Research on the Internet Adapted from Dennis-Shaw, S., ReadWriteThink.org and

2. Wading Through the Web To tell if an Internet site is reliable
Follow the 5 W’s (+1H) of Cyberspace:
Who is the source of the information?
What are you getting?
When was the site created?

3. Wading Through the Web The 5 (+1) of cyberspace…cont.
Where is the site?
Why are you here?
How can you tell what’s what??

4. Who is the source? Author and/or organization identified by name.
Links to “in depth” information?
A real world address/phone number given

5. Who is the source?
the author is credible and authoritative—and you can prove it
Enter the author’s name into a search engine—what do you find?

6. What are you getting (cont.)
Does the information seem complete?
Is it well written? How is the grammar, the spelling?
Is there a list of further resources?

7. What are you getting? Watch for biased information:
Broad, unsupported generalizations
Appeals to emotion
More than one viewpoint present
Links provided to other viewpoints

8. When was the site created?
Is the information up to date?
Does it need to be?
Is a reference date provided showing when it was put online or updated? A copyright?
Do the links work?

9. Where is the site? What does the URL (site address) mean? means
means
http: a hypertext document
www. “World Wide Web”
Media-awareness.ca/ the name of the person or organization hosting the site
eng/sitemap the pathway
html the code or format of the page

10. Where (revisited.) Originally, these codes meant…
.org – a wide assortment of groups, often non-profit
.com – commercial organizations
.net – intended for organizations directly involved with the Internet

11. Where (cont.) Codes for organizations
.gov - federal government departments
.ca, .uk, or .au - country code of origin
.edu – American or Canadian colleges and universities

12. Why are you here? Can I get the information faster off-line?
Does the material suit my needs?
Am I able to verify the information elsewhere?

13. How can I tell it’s valid?
When in doubt, doubt
Apply the 5 W’s
Double—and triple check your facts and sources
Use Meta Web information searches
What other sites link to your site?

14. For example… http://www.hersheys.com/extra-dark/home.asp

15. Your Task… Using the handout provided, evaluate your assigned website.
Be prepared to meet in your groups next session—you will be compiling your information into a chart to present your findings to the class.

16.  1. Defenders of Wildlife 
2.Endangered Animals by 5th Grade 
3. Endangered Earth 
4. World Endangered Species 
5. World Wildlife Fund: Species (Age 12 or younger) 
6. Endangered Specie Profiles and Photos 
7.The Endangered Animals of the World
8. Illustrated Encyclopedia of Endangered
Animals