Evaluating Trustworthiness in Media

Emily Cook, a teacher at Westside Collaborative in NYC, guides her 6th and 8th graders through a lesson on evaluating the trustworthiness of media. The lesson involves defining key terms like evaluate, trustworthy, and biased, and tasks students with researching online to persuade their principal about year-round schooling. Students learn to assess website credibility by checking for balanced information and avoiding sites with excessive ads. The lesson emphasizes critical thinking and evaluation skills, preparing students for future research tasks.

What is the main focus of the lesson introduced by Emily Cook?

• Evaluating the trustworthiness of media

• Creating media content

• Understanding the history of media

• Learning about different media formats

What does the term 'evaluate' mean in the context of media?

• To determine the value of something

• To ignore the media

• To create media content

• To share media with others

How is 'trustworthy' defined in the lesson?

• Being worthy of trust

• Being popular

• Being entertaining

• Having a lot of information

What does 'biased' mean according to the lesson?

• Being one-sided in opinion

• Having a balanced view

• Being neutral

• Being uninformed

What is the task assigned to the students?

• To design a media campaign

• To persuade their principal using facts

• To create a new website

• To write a book report

What should students look for in a trustworthy website?

• A lot of advertisements

• Celebrity endorsements

• Balanced information and facts

• Bright colors and animations

Why is it important to avoid websites with many ads?

• They are more entertaining

• They are more reliable

• They provide more information

• They can distract and confuse the reader

What is a key indicator of a trustworthy site according to the lesson?

• It has a lot of pop-up ads

• It presents both sides of a story

• It is visually appealing

• It is frequently updated

What is the ultimate goal of evaluating media as discussed in the lesson?

• To improve media production skills

• To make informed decisions based on reliable information

• To become a media critic

• To increase media consumption

What is the value of having 'aha' moments in learning about media?

• They help in understanding complex concepts

• They are only for advanced students

• They are not important

• They make learning more fun