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E10 M - Evaluate the usefulness of a source

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Einleitung

E10 M - Evaluate the usefulness of a source

Mini-description: You check the provider, date, purpose, evidence and relevance of an English source for one clear school task. You do not ask only: “Is this source reliable?” You ask: “How useful is it for this task?”

School task: Your class is preparing an English article of about 160 words for the school website: Should our school have clear smartphone rules? Your job is not to decide the rule here. Your job is to judge whether an English source is useful evidence.

Datei:Wikimedia UK's Information Literacy work.webm

This course follows the path English first → understand → respond → analyse → communicate → feedback → revise → transfer. You work mainly in English. German is used only when it helps you understand the learning process.

The course matches Class 10, M level, English as first foreign language, Baden-Württemberg. The target is B1-oriented independent work with longer, simple authentic texts and natural standard audio. The Baden-Württemberg curriculum expects learners in Class 10 to use English-language internet sources for a task and to evaluate their reliability largely independently while respecting copyright.

I can ...

I can ...	Success looks like ...
identify the provider and date	I can say who is responsible and how current the source is.
explain purpose and evidence	I can say why the source was made and what supports its claims.
judge relevance	I can connect the source to the exact school task.
give a balanced judgement	I can say “useful”, “partly useful” or “not useful enough” and give reasons.
improve my response	I can use feedback, correct weak evidence and revise my judgement.

Quick start: What do you already know?

Look at a website you used recently for school. Without translating the whole page, answer in English: Who provides it? When was it updated? Why does it exist? What evidence can you see? Does it answer your exact task?

Listening and Viewing

First viewing: What is the main message? Write one sentence.

Second viewing: Note three checks that can help you judge an online source. Do not try to understand every word.

Compare the two videos. Which advice appears in both? Which advice is new? Use short English notes.

Reading: One authentic source, one exact task

Open the English UNESCO article: To ban or not to ban?.

Reading task: You are collecting evidence for the school article “Should our school have clear smartphone rules?”

Skim first. Then read for the five checks.

Check	Ask yourself	Notes for this source
Provider	Who stands behind the page? What expertise or responsibility do they have?	UNESCO / Global Education Monitoring Report. Check the organisation, not only the logo.
Date	When was it published or updated? Is that current enough for this task?	Published in 2023 and updated in 2025. Useful for background, but local rules may change.
Purpose	Is the source mainly trying to inform, persuade, sell or entertain?	It informs readers about regulations and findings linked to the GEM Report.
Evidence	What supports the claims? Can you trace data, reports or named sources?	The page links its statements to GEM reporting and policy monitoring. Follow the links before using a claim.
Relevance	Does it answer this exact school task, for this audience and place?	It gives international background. It does not by itself decide what one school in Baden-Württemberg should do.

Model judgement: “The UNESCO source is useful for international background because the provider is identifiable and the page links to report-based evidence. However, it is only partly relevant to our exact school because it does not give local school data. I would combine it with a current local source.”

Reliable is not the same as useful

A source can be trustworthy but still be weak for your task. A source can also be relevant but poorly supported. Your judgement needs both credibility and task fit.

Use cautious language: The source is useful because ... / It is only partly useful because ... / The evidence seems strong when ... / I would verify ... / For this task, a better source would ...

The five-check method

Provider	Date	Purpose	Evidence	Relevance
Who is responsible?	Is it current enough?	Why was it made?	What supports the claims?	Does it fit this task?

Do not stop at the web address. A .org, .com, .edu or .gov ending can give context, but it does not prove that every claim is correct. Open links, check the organisation and compare important claims with another suitable source.

Lateral reading: leave the page for a moment

When a provider is unfamiliar, open a new tab and investigate the organisation. Then look for better coverage or the original evidence. This is often faster than staring at one page.

Context vocabulary

Word / phrase	Simple English meaning	Useful sentence starter
provider	person or organisation responsible for a source	The provider is ...
up to date	current enough for the task	The source is up to date because ...
purpose	reason why the source was created	The main purpose is to ...
evidence	information that supports a claim	The claim is supported by ...
relevance	how well the source fits the task	This is relevant because ...
claim	statement that may need support	The source claims that ...
bias	a tendency that can shape how information is presented	A possible bias is ...
corroborate	support a claim with another source	I would corroborate this by ...

Pronunciation for clear communication

Aim for clear stress and understandable speech, not accent imitation. Use the natural audio in the videos as a model.

Word	Stress help
provider	pro-VI-der
evidence	EV-i-dence
relevance	REL-e-vance
credible	CRED-i-ble
evaluate	e-VAL-u-ate

Say a full phrase, not only the word: relevant evidence, a credible provider, evaluate the source. Recordings are optional and may stay private. Do not upload recordings unless your teacher has arranged a safe school platform and you choose to use it.

Speaking: discuss, negotiate, react

Work with a partner. Student A argues that the UNESCO source is useful for the school article. Student B explains its limits. Then swap roles.

Use spontaneous follow-up questions: What makes you say that? Which evidence do you trust? Is the date recent enough? How does this help our exact task? What source would you add?

Finish with a joint statement: We would use / not use this source for ... because ...

Writing: a short source evaluation

Write about 90–120 words.

Task: Evaluate the usefulness of the UNESCO source for the school article about smartphone rules.

Use this structure:

Point: Give your overall judgement.
Check: Refer to at least three of the five checks.
Evidence: Give concrete details from the source page.
Limit: Explain one weakness or missing perspective.
Next step: Say what you would verify or add.

Useful connectors: because, although, however, therefore, while, for this task, compared with.

Functional grammar: make your judgement precise

Use grammar to show certainty and limitation.

Function	Example
reason	The source is useful because the provider is identifiable.
contrast	Although the article is relevant, it is not local.
cautious judgement	The evidence may be useful for background information.
condition	The claim is stronger if the original report can be checked.
comparison	This source is more relevant than a general opinion post.

Avoid absolute statements such as “This source is 100% true.” Better: “This source is useful for X, but I would still verify Y.”

Mediation: purpose before translation

A German-speaking classmate asks what matters when choosing an English source. Explain the five checks in German in about 45 seconds, but keep key source terms such as provider, evidence and relevance if they make the explanation clearer.

Do not translate the UNESCO article sentence by sentence. Select only information your classmate needs for the purpose.

Copyright and source use

A useful source is not automatically free to copy. Link to the original, cite the source and follow its licence. For images, check the file page and licence information. For school work, use short quotations only when needed and clearly mark them.

AI check: source before output

AI is not required for this course. If an AI tool gives you a claim or a link, treat it as a lead, not as evidence. Open the original source and check provider, date, purpose, evidence and relevance yourself. Check whether the link really exists and whether the source says what the AI claims.

Keep your own text. Do not send personal data, private recordings, real applications or other sensitive material to external AI services. School tasks involving profiles or applications must use fictional data unless your teacher provides another safe procedure.

Datei:Rethinking Information Literacy in the Age of Generative AI WikiLibraries January 2025.pdf

Feedback → revise

Exchange texts with a partner. Give feedback only on the task.

Check	Feedback question
provider + date	Are both identified accurately?
purpose + evidence	Does the writer explain why the source exists and what supports it?
relevance	Is the exact school task mentioned?
reasoning	Is there at least one strength and one limit?
language	Are connectors used to make the judgement clear?

Then revise one paragraph. Keep your own voice; do not replace the whole text with an AI rewrite.

Error analysis

Find one weak sentence in your first draft and label the problem: too general / no evidence / no task link / unclear connector / language blocks meaning. Rewrite only that sentence first. Then check whether the whole judgement is now clearer.

Transfer

Choose a second English source about smartphone use in schools. Apply the same five checks. Compare it with the UNESCO source.

Use lateral reading when the provider is unfamiliar. Your goal is not to collect the most sources. Your goal is to select sources that are useful for the exact task.

Can-do check

Can-do	Not yet	Almost	Yes
I can identify provider and date.	☐	☐	☐
I can explain purpose and evidence.	☐	☐	☐
I can judge relevance for one exact task.	☐	☐	☐
I can explain both strength and limitation.	☐	☐	☐
I can verify an AI-given claim with original sources.	☐	☐	☐
I can revise my judgement after feedback.	☐	☐	☐

Current Baden-Württemberg exam check

Checked on 2 October 2026. For the Realschulabschluss 2027, the written compulsory foreign-language exam is scheduled for 3 May 2027. The communication exam is scheduled for the period 22 February to 2 March 2027. The written compulsory foreign-language exam has Parts A–E: listening, text-based tasks, contextual vocabulary/grammar, topic-based writing and method/work-technique tasks. The pure working time is 150 minutes, with a 20-minute break between Part A and Parts B–E. No dictionary is used in Part A; a bilingual dictionary is available for Parts B–E. The communication exam lasts about 15 minutes per learner and includes monologue, dialogue and mediation, with no preparation time for the individual parts.

Always re-check the current official rules before an exam: official exam dates and official examination information.

For this course, the important connection is clear: you practise understanding authentic material, explaining evidence, speaking freely, writing with source reference and mediating for a purpose.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

What does provider mean when you evaluate a source? (The person or organisation responsible for the source) (!The number of pictures on the page) (!The colour of the website) (!The length of the text)

Why do you check the date of a source? (To decide whether it is current enough for the task) (!To count how many days you studied) (!To find the writer's age) (!To know the website password)

What is the purpose of a source? (The reason why the source was created) (!The font used on the page) (!The size of the screen) (!The place where you sit)

What counts as evidence? (Data, research or traceable support for a claim) (!A catchy headline only) (!A large logo only) (!A strong opinion without support)

What does relevance mean? (How well the source fits the exact task) (!How many words the source has) (!How famous the website looks) (!How quickly the page loads)

Which is the best balanced judgement? (The source is useful for background but needs a local source too) (!The source is perfect because it has a logo) (!The source is useless because it is old) (!The source is true because it is online)

What should you do with an unfamiliar provider? (Check the organisation in another tab) (!Trust it because the page looks professional) (!Copy the first paragraph) (!Ignore the source date)

What should you do with an AI-given source link? (Open the original source and verify it) (!Use it without checking) (!Copy the AI answer as evidence) (!Assume the title proves the claim)

Why can a credible source still be weak for your task? (It may not be relevant to the exact question) (!It may use correct spelling) (!It may have a publication date) (!It may name an organisation)

What is mediation in this course? (Selecting and communicating needed information for a purpose) (!Translating every word) (!Reading a text aloud) (!Copying a paragraph into another language)

Memory

Provider	Organisation behind the source
Publication date	Time when the source appeared or was updated
Purpose	Reason the source was created
Evidence	Support for a claim
Relevance	Fit between source and exact task
Corroboration	Support from another suitable source

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
Who stands behind the page?	Provider
When was it published or updated?	Date
Why was it created?	Purpose
What supports the claims?	Evidence
Does it answer this exact task?	Relevance

Kreuzworträtsel

Provider	What do you call the person or organisation responsible for a source?
Purpose	What word describes why a source was created?
Evidence	What supports a claim?
Relevance	What describes how well a source fits the task?
Citation	What gives credit to a source in your work?
Verify	What verb means to check whether a claim is supported?

LearningApps

Lückentext

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Provider check: Choose one English school-related webpage and identify the provider. Find one detail that shows who is responsible.
Date check: Find the publication or update date of a source and explain in two English sentences whether it is current enough.
Purpose check: Choose one short webpage and label its main purpose as inform, persuade, sell or entertain. Give one clue.
Relevance check: Write one exact school task and explain whether a given source answers it directly, partly or not enough.

Standard

Five-check source card: Create a one-page source card with provider, date, purpose, evidence and relevance for one English source.
Speaking source review: Give a 60-second source evaluation to a partner and answer one spontaneous follow-up question. Recording is optional and private.
Compare two sources: Evaluate two English sources for the same task and explain which source gives stronger evidence for one specific claim.
Mediation for a classmate: Explain the main source-evaluation advice from an English page to a German-speaking classmate for a clearly stated purpose.

Schwer

Lateral reading investigation: Investigate an unfamiliar provider using two independent pages and document what you learn about its expertise and purpose.
Evidence trail: Follow one claim back to its original report, dataset or named source and explain what changes when you see the original context.
AI source audit: Use a teacher-provided fictional AI answer, check every source link manually and mark supported, unsupported or unclear claims. Do not send personal data to external AI tools.
Source-based article: Write a short English article for a school audience using two checked sources, then add a short note explaining why each source is useful for the task.

Lernkontrolle

Useful but limited: You receive an official international source about a school issue. Explain why it can be credible but only partly relevant to a local school decision.
Evidence gap: A blog makes a strong claim but links to no study. Explain what you would check next and why.
Provider conflict: Two sources report the same topic with different purposes. Analyse how purpose may shape selection and wording without assuming either source is automatically false.
Transfer to AI: An AI tool gives a confident claim with three links. Describe a safe, step-by-step verification process before using the claim in school work.
Revision task: Improve a weak source judgement that only says “This website is reliable.” Add task relevance, evidence and one limitation.

Lernnachweis

For a successful learning record, show that you can:

identify provider and date accurately,
explain purpose and point to traceable evidence,
judge relevance for an exact task,
give a balanced judgement with a strength and a limitation,
refer to sources without copying large parts,
communicate your judgement clearly in spoken and written English,
mediate information according to purpose and audience,
use feedback to revise your own text,
verify AI-given claims through original sources,
respect privacy, copyright and safe school procedures.

OERs zum Thema

Datei:Media and Information literacy.pdf

Wikimedia UK's Information Literacy animation is openly licensed on Wikimedia Commons.

USC Libraries: Evaluating Sources offers an English tutorial for source evaluation.

UNESCO: To ban or not to ban? is the authentic reading source used in this course.

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E10 M - Evaluate the usefulness of a source

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