2
Is this source good? Five questions
ICT P4 Term 2, Theme 4: pp. 58–61
GoalUse five questions to judge a source.
New words
evidence · something that shows a fact is truerecent · new, not made a long time agoopinion · what a person thinks, which cannot be provedone-sided · showing only one point of view
Explanation
Before you trust information, check its source. Ask five questions. One: who made it, a known person or a respected organisation? Two: does it give evidence and name other sources you can look at? Three: how recent is the information? Four: does it give facts or opinions? A fact can be checked; an opinion is what someone thinks. Five: is it fair or one-sided, showing only one point of view? You can ask a teacher or a family member to help. A source that passes all five questions is a good one. If it passes only a few, be careful.
| Question | Good sign | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Who made it? | a named person or a respected organisation | no name |
| Is there evidence? | names other sources | names none |
| How recent? | up-to-date information | very old |
| Facts or opinions? | mostly facts | mostly opinions |
| Is it fair? | shows more than one view | one-sided |
Worked examples
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who made it? | a farming expert, yes |
| Evidence? | yes |
| Recent? | yes |
| Facts? | yes |
| Fair? | yes |
An advert says: “Buy this juice! It is the best in the world!” It has no author and no evidence. It is an opinion and one-sided, so we are careful.
| Fact | Opinion |
|---|---|
| Camels live in deserts. | Camels are the best animals. |
Class activity
Source detectives. Write short descriptions of three imaginary pages on three cards. In pairs, ask the five questions and give each card a rating: Good source, Check more, or Be careful.
Practice
1
Write two of the five questions.
Any two of: Who made it? Is there evidence? How recent is it? Facts or opinions? Is it fair?
2
Fact or opinion: “The school garden has 12 palm trees”?
A fact, because we can count and check.
3
Page A is by an expert and names its sources; page B has no author and no sources. Which is more reliable?
Page A.
4
Why does it matter how recent information is?
Because things change, and old information may no longer be right.