Nine days ago I published Beyond Google, an ebooklet designed to help teachers and students improve their Internet search results. What that ebooklet didn’t include was resources for evaluating the quality of the websites that you find through Internet search engines. Therefore, I’ve compiled a list of nine resources that teachers can use as part of lesson plan about evaluating the quality and reliability of a website.

Downloadable PDFs from DocStoc and Scribd
1. Evaluating Information – A Guide to Websites.
– This is a one page list of guiding questions to consider while viewing a website. This guide is best suited to high school and college students.

2. Gary Library Website Evaluation Checklist.
– A two page document containing checklists in six different categories for determining the validitity and quality of online information. “Smiley” icons provide clues for younger students. Suitable for middle school and high school use.

3. Evaluating the Quality of Sources.
– A one page document outlining a list of questions to consider as you evaluate a website. This document recommends and provides a link for checking the WHOIS domain registry.

4. Boolify Lesson Plan for Evaluating Websites.
– A simple lesson plan from Boolify.org that is appropriate for grades four through nine (give or take a grade).

5. Bear Essentials Evaluating Websites.
– This document is part of series of documents about finding and evaluating online and print references. These documents were produced by the Baton Rouge Community College.

Online Lessons and Activities
6. Cyber Smart Lesson Plans and Student Activities.
– Provides more than a dozen lesson plans and activities appropriate for grades K-12. Lessons cover everything from finding websites to evaluating websites.

7. Kathy Shrock’s ABC’s of Website Evaluation.
– Tried and true lesson plans, online activities, and handouts for teaching website evaluation. The resources found here can be adapted for use in elementary school, middle school, and high school.

8. Cornell University Library – Evaluating Websites.
– Geared toward college students, the resources here can be accessed by high school students. Many links out to other resources on the topic of website evaluation.

For Brushing-up on Your Own Skills
9. Evaluating Websites for Learners.
– Created by Maggie Verster, this presentation provides justification for teachers previewing websites, creating their own search engines, links to resources for teaching website evaluation. Presentation is embedded below.