Crocodiles!
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Student Handout |
Whom to Believe?
This NOVA program includes many facts about how crocodiles live. But this program is just one of many sources from which you can obtain information about these complex creatures. Which sources should you rely on? In this activity, you will collect information from several different sources and then evaluate your findings.
Procedure
First make a chart like the one below on a separate sheet of paper. Next, fill in your group's assigned topic—either the anatomy and physiology of crocodiles or their social behaviors. As you watch, take notes in the column labeled "NOVA program" about facts that relate to your topic. Research other sources to see whether they contain information that agrees or differs from the facts you collected from the NOVA program.
Questions
Once you have completed your research, consider all of your facts, and choose which source or sources you most believe for each fact. List this source in the last column of your table and give your reasons for why you feel this source is most believable. In evaluating the sources, you may want to consider the following:
How objective is the source given the topic you are considering? How credible is the source? When were the facts reported? Where did the fact originate? (For example: Quote from scientist, text of article or narration in program, or paper authored by a scientist.) Based on your selections in the last column, what conclusions can you draw about the reliability of different sources? Choose one of the following roles and explain why the reliability of sources might be important to you in your work. What sources might you depend on?
A fifth-grade teacher preparing a lesson on crocodiles for your class A politician reading a proposed law that could impact crocodile habitats A news reporter writing a story about crocodiles in a local swamp A reptile specialist building a new crocodile exhibit at a zoo
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Source 1:
NOVA program |
Source 2:
Reference books |
Source 3:
Newspaper and magazine articles |
Source 4:
Scientist or science journal article |
Source 5:
Internet |
Which source(s) do you most believe and why? |
Fact 1 |
Example: crocodiles can live in salt water |
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Fact 2 |
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Fact 3 |
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Fact 4 |
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Fact 5 |
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