Information Literacy - Grade 5 Supplementary Activity
About This Lesson
In this lesson, students will learn how to evaluate online resources for reliability. First, they'll explore how to determine a site’s accuracy, relevance, bias, and reliability by comparing and contrasting online sources. Then, they'll put their information literacy skills to the test as they search for the truth, with supporting online evidence, about various topics.
Learning Skills

10-65 Minutes

5th Grade
Learning Objectives
By the end of this activity, students will:
- Understand the importance of thinking critically about online resources;
- Identify the characteristics of reliable and unreliable sources of online information;
- Locate and evaluate online sources for accuracy, relevancy, bias, and reliability.
Xello Entry Point
You can use this lesson at any point during students’ exploration of Xello, but it is most useful for career research and evaluating sites that students may want to add to their Storyboard.
Driving Question
How do I know what information to trust online?
Future-Ready Skills
Evaluating
Research Skills
Critical Thinking
Lesson Breakdown
5-10 minutes
Activity 1 - Pick a Side: Fact or Opinion
In this activity students will use their best judgement to determine if a statement is fact or opinion, and learn how to distinguish the difference.
20-25
minutes
Activity 2 - Source or Scam?
In this activity, students learn what makes an online resource trustworthy, and work with a partner to evaluate 2 online sources.
20-30
minutes
Activity 3 - Welcome to the CCB News!
In this activity, students play the role of a journalism intern who has to research 3 possible leads for tonight’s newscast. Students will use their source evaluation skills to support their ideas.
5-10
minutes
Exit Activity - Information Literacy
Students complete an exit ticket, reflecting on what they learned about evaluating online resources for accuracy, bias, relevancy, and reliability.