Assignment #3-Cross-Curricular Media Activity
- 1. Media Literacy-Evaluating Website By Travis Garde
- 2. Learning Expectations BTT2O-Information and Communication Technology in Business Evaluate websites for usefulness, accuracy, validity, bias, appropriateness, and currency CHC2D-Canadian History Since World War I Interpret and analyze information gathered through research, employing concepts and approaches appropriate to historical inquiry
- 3. Activating Prior Learning Review prior learning on internet search techniques (business) What are some of the key search terms and symbols recognized by search engines? How can we narrow down search results? Review prior learning on famous Canadians Who are some of the famous Canadians who shaped history? What were their contributions to Canada?
- 4. Instructional Strategies Discuss as a class the previously mentioned questions to activate prior learning. Students have this information in their notes from earlier lessons. Ask students “How do you know whether or not information is worth using in your research?” Generate a number of ideas with the class, recording them on the blackboard. Organize thoughts into groups mirroring those in the learning expectations. Have students record the chart in their notes.
- 5. Instructional Strategies (cont.) Hand out internet research assignment in which students will choose an informational site and assess the validity and usefulness of the provided information. Research assignment should take 1-2 classes.
- 6. Assessment Students will be assessed on the accuracy and completion of their internet research assignment, as well as the analysis of the usefulness of their chosen website. Students may choose websites that are or aren’t useful. This won’t matter as long as they support their decision based on the expectations of the activity.
- 7. How Is This Integrated? This lesson is a good example of an integrated learning activity between Business and History because it cover expectations from both courses, but the business course expectations of website evaluation are useful not only for history, but for all courses that require students to gather and collect information. Additionally, internet research is a skill that students will be required to use again and again throughout not only their academic careers, but their professional careers and everyday life.
- 8. Literacy Framework This lesson incorporates all three aspects of the media triangle by allowing students to consider the text, audience, and production of the website they are choosing to evaluate as a credible source of information. Students are then conscious of the media triangle not only when consuming media (as in this situation), but in creating media of their own to be consumed by others.