Think about your favorite pair of  blue jeans.  What makes this pair of jeans your favorite pair to wear?  What made you buy them in the first place?   Make a list of factors that helped you select your comfy blue jeans.  Would some factors include:

• Color?
• Cost?
• Fit?
• Brand-name?
• Pockets?
• Had purchased another pair?

One might be wondering what does blue jeans and websites have in common?  Well, shopping for blue jeans can be like shopping for information  on the Internet.   We need a list of factors or criteria in our minds for selecting quality information to be used for school research projects, papers, or just finding information for our own personal lives.

Below is a PowerPoint that discusses five major factors to consider when choosing excellent webpages.  Take some time to review this PowerPoint.

Now it is your turn to try evaluating a website.  Use the TC Website Scoresheet to help you through the process. 

To learn more about website evaluation, check out some of these cool websites:

Feline Reaction to Bearded Men

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Kathy Schrock Critical Evalution Form

Bibliography:

Gardner, Susan A..  "Oh, What a Tangled Web We've Woven! Helping Students Evaluate Sources ."  English Journal Sept. 1999: 39-44.

Glantz, Shelley.  "The Internet: A Credible Resource?."  Book Report Sept./Oct. 1999: 40-41.

Junion-Metz, Gail.  "Teacher Knows Best."  School Library Journal May 2000: 37.

Spitzer, Kathleen.  "How to Use Soda Pop, Blair Witch Project, and Other Methods to Help Students Learn to Evaluate Web Information Critically."  Book Report Jan./ Febr. 2000: 22-23.