ARTICLE ACTIVITY
In this activity, choose
a topic that you are interested in and then find an article from
the internet or print media (newspapers or magazines). You will
then explore different ways of looking at the information and
determining if it is reliable.
I. First choose your topic.
Is there something or somebody you are really interested in knowing
more about?
*What do you already know
about your topic?
* What do you want to
find out? What questions do you have?
**Once you choose your
article, make some predictions.**
* What does the title
suggest about the author's opinion, if anything?
* What do any photos or
captions suggest about the article?
II. Now read your article
and try to answer these questions:
*What do you think is
the author's main idea, and what are some details?
* When was this article
written, and who published it?
* Who wrote the article,
and what do you know or what can you learn about the author's
background?
* How do you think the
author's background might influence how she or he views and writes
about this topic?
* What do you think is
the author's opinion on this issue?
* What does the author
say that leads you to that conclusion?
* What are some examples
of statements that the author uses to support her/his view?
* Where in the article
do you find factual information and how do you know it's factual?
* What additional background
information would be helpful in understanding this article?
* Do you see evidence
that there may be an opinion that opposite to the author's viewpoint?
* Is there anything (ideas,
information, opposing viewpoints, etc.) that the article is NOT
saying? Why do you think they are leaving that information out?
* Go back and reread the
article; then sort as many statements as you can into three categories:
facts, opinions and probabilities. How does each type of statement
impact how you read an article?
III. When you are done
working through the article, ask yourself:
* What did you learn?
* What do you still want
to find out?
* Where do you go for
more or different information? |