Overview
Scroll past the click bait — Students will learn how to safely search the internet by creating productive keyword searches, practicing advanced search strategies, and using click restraint and lateral reading. For grades 6- 12 (45 mins)
Objectives
Students will be able to:
- Demonstrate how to do a productive keyword search.
- Explain what the safe search option is and how to access it.
- Define click restraint and explain why it is important.
- Define lateral reading and demonstrate how it is done.
Downloadable Lesson Documents
Before You Watch
- What is a keyword search on the internet?
- What is necessary to conduct a good keyword search?
Check out this lesson on Effective Keyword Searches.
While You Watch
Tell students to preview the following questions. Then answer them while they watch the How2Internet video. According to the video…
- What are two things to do before searching for information online safely?
- Fill in the blanks to complete these pro search tips:
“AND” — filetype:pdf — minus — news — quotation
a. Put _______________ marks around a phrase to search for those exact words
b. Use uppercase _______________ between two terms to make sure both terms are in the results
c. Try adding a _______________ sign to remove certain results
d. Turn on the “_______________ filter”
e. If you’re looking for documents, you can add _______________ to find things like studies and other research papers. - What are two reasons that unreliable search results appear at the top?
- How can you find exactly what you are looking for once you click on a credible source?
- Which “cookies” should you allow to run while you are conducting a web search?
After You Watch
- Why should you avoid clicking on the first several results when conducting an Internet search?
- What would be some of the most useful tips in this lesson to search for information for a research paper or project? Why?
- Why is it a good idea to limit the use of “cookies” on a web browser?
Exit Ticket
Write a good search phrase to find information online about a topic that you are researching or that interests you.
Standards
CC.9-10.R.H.9 Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.
CC.W.HST.8 Research to Build and Present Knowledge: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
CC.9-10.W.HST.7 Research to Build and Present Knowledge: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
Chris Schwalm is a youth producer at PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs (SRL). Before coming to SRL, Chris taught high school journalism for 20 years in Lancaster, Penn. For 12 of those years, Chris reported on nights and weekends for the Lancaster News. In addition to the How2Internet series, Chris wrote SRL and MediaWise’s Teen Fact Checking Network lesson series on media literacy. You can reach him on Twitter/X @cschwalm.
These lessons were developed by PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs in partnership with MediaWise and the Teen Fact-Checking Network, which are part of the Poynter Institute. This partnership has been made possible with support from Google.
To provide feedback on this resource, please fill out the form here.
