Vocabulary
Ally heavily favors ice cream and refuses to have any other dessert for dinner. Ally's behavior is an example of
Bias
If the same information appears in several reliable sources, it is more likely to be accurate.
True: Cross-checking information across multiple reputable sources (corroboration) increases confidence that the information is correct.
A witness to a theft at the Sephora on writes down his testimony of what he saw and gives it to the police. Is witness and their testimony primary or secondary?
Primary. The testimony was written by someone who was there at the time of the theft.
Who were the people in the cafeteria during the Lunchroom fight?
Max, Justin, Eric, Anthony, Cafeteria Worker
A newspaper article includes quotes from experts, statistics, and research studies to support the author's claim. This process demonstrates how the author collected ____________________.
Evidence
Adults are always more reliable than children.
False. While adults can be reliable because they have more experiences and may understand the difference between right and wrong more, it does not mean they are more trustworthy than a child.
A filmmaker creates a movie in 2023 about the moon landing. He uses some NASA footage, historical commentary, and interviews with astronauts recorded decades later to make the film.
Is this source primary or secondary?
Secondary because although there is some original footage, the film is mostly a reflection, analysis, and interpretation of the moon landing created years after the event.
What explained Max's attitude towards Justin
Max was upset at Justin because Justin's dad fired Max's parents when he took over the town's main business.
Holland once had a bad food poisoning from eating Chipotle that was sitting on his counter for hours. Now he can't even look at a rice bowl without getting sick. Holland's experience influenced his _________________ on rice bowls and Chipotle.
Perspective
Information found on a government website is usually considered more reliable than information from an anonymous social media post.
True: Government websites are generally reviewed and fact-checked by various people, while anonymous posts are not.
During a museum visit, Jordan listens to an audio recording of a speech given by a civil rights leader in 1965. Later, he reads an exhibit panel that analyzes how the speech influenced future protests.
Which part of the source is primary and which part is secondary?
Primary: Audio recording of a speech given by a civil rights leader in 1965.
Secondary: Exhibit panel that analyzes how the speech influenced future protests.
Name the most reliable source from the Lunchroom Fight and explain why.
Cafeteria worker- They were present in the cafeteria, saw the entire fight close up, and did not show bias since they did not know either of the boys.
What is the definition of context?
The circumstances that form the setting of an event, statement, or period.
Context cannot change the reliability of a source.
False: A source may be reliable for one purpose but not another depending on the context you're using it in.
While researching the sinking of the Titanic, Maya finds a website that includes scanned copies of passengers' letters along with a modern historian's explanation of what happened. She decides to use a letter written by a survivor but also reads the historian's notes to understand the context.
Which sources are primary and which are secondary?
Primary- Survivor & passengers letters
Secondary- the historians explanation of what happened, the website itself
Name 2 of the least reliable sources from the Lunchroom Fight scenario and explain why their testimonies were unreliable.
Eric- heavily biased towards Max. Account included his own feelings about Justin which did not have to do with the fight itself.
Anthony- Although he was a bystander he was far back in line and could not see the entire fight. He only witnessed the end.
Define secondary source
A second-hand analysis, opinion, or interpretation of an event created by someone who did not experience it.
A recently published article is always more reliable than an older article on the same topic.
False: Recency is important for some topics, but reliability also depends on the quality of the evidence, the author's credentials, and the accuracy of the information.
An author writes a the story of a famous inventor by using hundreds of personal letters, journals, and photographs. Many passages quote directly from the inventor's own writings. What type of source is this, and as a whole, is this source primary or secondary?
Secondary. The source is a biography and to create it, the author had to research and interpret someone else's life. Even though it contains quotes from letters and journals, it is still secondary as a whole.
Name 2 people in the Lunchroom Fight Scenario who could defend Justin, and what they would say.
Justin's father- Justin is a great kid; lays low; would never fight anyone unless provoked.
Jamie- Justin's been getting treated badly by Max in English class. Max has glared at Justin and made mean comments when the teacher isn't looking.
Justin- Max has been weird and mean to him ever since he came to the school.