Wiggins’ and McTighe’s Six Facets of Understanding are highly applicable when transforming students’ critical thinking skills in the area of evaluating information for credibility. The four facets that are most relevant are interpretation, self-knowledge, application, and explanation.
- Interpretation - Students will understand how to distinguish a credible source of information from a non credible source of information. Students will know key things to look for when determining website credibility, such as the author and type of website. Students will be critical thinkers about all information in the media, whether it is in the form of newsprint, websites, radio, television, or social networking.
- Self-Knowledge - To tie in science content expectations, students will research how they impact ecosystems around them. Students will have a realization of how their daily life impacts the environment around them, both positively and adversely. They will use this self knowledge to make choices that positively affect the environment.
- Application - Students will be able to apply what they have learned in the specific lesson taught to all areas of assessing information critically. Students will be discerning about what types of resources are most credible, and will know when information needs to be looked at with a more critical eye. Students will not always “believe everything they see or hear” without using their critical thinking skills to make their own assessment.
- Explanation - Students will be able to explain why a source of information is credible or isn’t credible. They can explain why or why not information is valid to peers or adults in multiple ways. Students may communicate this information verbally, via a website or blog, in written form, or even through social media.