Cover lesson · IT · Year 10 · Intermediate
DCF: Producing → Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Name: Class: Date:
What this practises: GCSE Digital Technology Unit 1: The Digital World, Section 1.3.2 Reliability of online sources: the factors that determine reliability (accuracy and objectivity, author credentials, citations and references, peer review, publication date, source reputation), methods of evaluating sources (analysing writing style, checking for bias, cross-referencing, domain analysis, fact-checking), and the challenges of echo chambers, misinformation and disinformation. This is examination content.
Print: this sheet, one per pupil, and the stimulus sheet “Garth-wen wind farm: nine online sources”, one between two. Highlighters help in Step 1. No computers are needed, and pupils should not look up the web addresses: every source is invented.
Run: 10 min pupils read the sources in pairs and highlight · 15 min Step 2, the reliability grid · 8 min Step 3, cross-referencing the claim · 8 min Step 4, misinformation, disinformation and echo chambers · 12 min Step 5, the answer with references, alone · 2 min pupils tick the success criteria. Total 55 minutes.
Collect: this sheet.
A rumour is spreading in Cwm Garth: “The footpath up Garth-wen is being closed for ever.” You have nine online sources. Some are reliable, some are biased, one is out of date and one is deliberately fake. You are going to judge each source, check the claim against the best ones, and write a short, referenced answer for the school newsletter that people can trust.
Read the question box and all nine sources. Use one colour for who wrote it, a second for when, and a third for any evidence or links it gives. Read the key words at the bottom of the sheet.
Score each source from 1 (do not trust) to 5 (very reliable) for this question. Give a short reason for the score using at least one factor: author, date, citations, reputation, bias, writing style or domain.
| Source | Who wrote it? Are they qualified to know? | Date: current or out of date? | Evidence, links or references? | Purpose or bias? | Score /5 and reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | |||||
| B | |||||
| C | |||||
| D | |||||
| E | |||||
| F | |||||
| G | |||||
| H | |||||
| I |
(a) Which sources say the footpath will close for ever? Which sources say something different? Write the letters.
(b) Source B and Source D disagree completely, yet both are partly wrong. Using Sources A, C and F, explain what is actually going to happen to Footpath CG17 and when.
(c) Source I does not mention Garth-wen at all. Is it still useful? Explain in one sentence.
(a) Choose one source that is an example of disinformation and one that is more likely misinformation. Explain the difference using your two examples.
(b) Cai follows the Save Garth-wen group and @CwmGarthTruth, and likes every post about the wind farm. Explain how his feed could become an echo chamber, and give one thing he could do to get a fairer picture.
(a) Write 80 to 100 words answering: Is the footpath up Garth-wen being closed for ever? Use only the sources you scored 4 or 5. Mention each source you use in the text, for example (Cyngor Cwm Garth, 2026).
(b) Write a reference list for the sources you used, in this format: Author (year) Title. Website name. Web address (Accessed: date).