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ABI - Source freshness prüfen

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ABI - Source freshness prüfen

Mini-description: Learn to distinguish a source's publication date from the event date it reports, and never use an older background source automatically as a description of the current situation.

Course level: English as a continued foreign language, Kursstufe Baden-Württemberg, joint Basisfach (BF) / Leistungsfach (LF) course. English first; German support comes only after context, word formation, visualisation, an English explanation and dictionary work.

Einleitung

Source freshness is a question of fit between claim and time. A source can be excellent for historical background and still be unsuitable for a claim about what is true now. A recent source can be current and still weak in authority or evidence. Your task is therefore not “new = good”, but:

Ask	Meaning
When was it published?	publication date
When did the reported event happen?	event date
Was it updated?	updated/revised date; check what actually changed
When did I access it?	access date; useful for changing web pages
What time does my claim refer to?	current, recent, historical or timeless

Core rule: Match the date of the evidence to the date-range of the claim.

Official ABI 2027 check: Baden-Württemberg

Checked: 03 October 2026. The current official information page of the Kultusministerium lists the Facherlass Abitur 2027, Stand 09.09.2025. For English, the 2027 regulations connect the exam to the Bildungsplan 2016. In the LF, the written examination includes listening and writing; analysis, reading comprehension and a personal or creative writing task are part of the written task structure. BF and LF share the Schwerpunkt and Pflichtwerke, but the BF treats them in an appropriately reduced scope and with the official level differentiation.

Official sources for your own re-check before teaching or sitting the exam:

Important: Official requirements can change. Re-open the official page for your own examination year instead of copying a previous year's list.

BF/LF differentiation

Shared core	BF	LF
distinguish publication, event, update and access dates	one or two short sources; guided timeline; sentence starters	several sources; independent temporal mapping; conflicting metadata
evaluate relevance, authority and evidence	exemplaric comparison	broader corroboration and independent material linkage
analyse a claim-source relationship	focus on AFB I/II with selected AFB III	stronger AFB II/III, deeper justification and counter-evidence
communicate in English	structured B2 support	B2 with C1-oriented precision where useful

No artificial difficulty: LF depth comes from more complex reasoning and material links, not from obscure vocabulary.

I-can goals

I can identify publication date, event date, update date and access date.
I can explain why an older source may be useful for background but insufficient for a current-status claim.
I can verify a source laterally instead of judging it only from its own page.
I can use context, morphology and an English dictionary before asking for German help.
I can write and speak about source freshness with precise evidence.
I can check AI-generated claims and citations instead of treating them as verified sources.

Vorwissen: 90-second diagnostic

Read this fictitious card:

Source card	Date
Article published	18 September 2026
Event described	12 September 2026
Page updated	29 September 2026
Your research question	What happened on 12 September?

Think in English: Which date answers the research question? Which date tells you when the source became public? Which date might matter for a claim about the page's present version?

Media entry: see the difference before naming it

Open two tabs mentally: one for the page you are reading and one for independent information about that page. That habit is called lateral reading.

Viewing task: Note three actions the presenter takes outside the original page. Then label each action: authority check, context check or corroboration.

Freshness note: This Crash Course video was published in 2019. It is used here as a method resource, not as evidence for the state of current events in 2026/2027. This is exactly the distinction this course teaches.

Core concept: publication date ≠ event date

Publication date tells you when a source was released. Event date tells you when the event described by that source happened. They may be the same day, days apart or years apart.

A third date, updated/revised, can matter, but an updated timestamp alone does not prove that the part relevant to your claim was changed.

A fourth date, accessed, records when you saw a live web page. It is useful when pages change over time.

A simple visual model

EVENT	PUBLICATION	UPDATE	ACCESS
What happened?	When was it reported?	When was the page revised?	When did you view it?

Claim → time target → best source.

Example: “The event occurred on 12 September” needs evidence that reliably documents the event. “The organisation currently lists X” needs a source that is authoritative and sufficiently current for the day of your claim.

Course mnemonic: FRESH

This is a course mnemonic, not an official examination formula.

F – Find the publication and update dates.
R – Reconstruct the event date.
E – Examine how time-sensitive the claim is.
S – Search laterally for a current, authoritative corroborating source.
H – Hold or hedge the claim if freshness cannot be established.

Listening / Viewing

While viewing: Listen for the ideas of authority and perspective. After viewing, add freshness as a separate criterion. Explain why a source can be authoritative but temporally unsuitable for a current-status claim.

Second viewing task: Separate evidence quality from date fit. A source must not only contain evidence; the evidence must support the particular claim and its time frame.

Optional German support after the English work

Datei:Wie erkennt man Fake News? Formen der Falschinformation und seriöse Quellen - kolleg24 Deutsch.webm

Use the German OER video only after completing the English-first task. Compare its verification strategies with the English terms you already used.

Reading: a fictitious freshness case

Scenario: A fictional school library posts a notice on 2 September 2026 announcing extended opening hours for a trial from 15 to 30 September. A webpage first published in 2023 is updated on 28 September 2026 and states that normal hours return on 1 October. A 2024 brochure still lists the old schedule.

BF task: On 3 October 2026, choose the best source for a claim about the library's current opening hours and justify your choice in 3–4 English sentences.

LF extension: Explain what you would still need to verify before treating the “updated 28 September” timestamp as proof that the relevant section is current. Add one independent corroboration step.

Reading strategy: temporal annotation

Mark every source with four labels where available:

Label	Question
P	publication?
E	event?
U	update?
A	access?

Then underline the time phrase in the claim: now, currently, in 2024, during the event, since September, at the time, today.

Kontextwortschatz und Wortbildung

Word	English explanation	Word family	German help only if needed
freshness	how well the timing of a source fits a time-sensitive claim	fresh → freshness	Aktualität / zeitliche Passung
publication	the act or date of making information public	publish → publication	Veröffentlichung
occurrence	an event or something that happens	occur → occurrence	Ereignis / Vorkommnis
revision	a changed or reviewed version	revise → revision	Überarbeitung
corroboration	independent support for a claim	corroborate → corroboration	Bestätigung durch weitere Quelle
relevance	how directly evidence fits the question	relevant → relevance	Relevanz
provenance	where information or media comes from	provenance	Herkunft
current	true or valid at the present time	current → currently → currency	aktuell

Dictionary rule: First infer from context, then analyse the word family, then check an English learner's dictionary; use German help only if the meaning is still unclear.

Analyse: source freshness in non-fiction

For a non-fiction source, do not stop at content. Analyse the publication context:

Dimension	Questions
time	When published? What event date? Updated when?
authority	Who is responsible? What expertise or institutional role?
evidence	What supports the claim? Primary data, document, quotation, observation?
purpose	Inform, persuade, advertise, entertain, mobilise?
perspective	Which viewpoint is foregrounded or omitted?
current fit	Is the source suitable for the exact time frame of my claim?

Useful sentence frame: “Although the source remains useful for background on ..., its publication date limits its value for the claim that ... is currently the case.”

LF extension: Add a counter-reading: under what conditions could an older source still be the strongest evidence available?

Speaking

BF pair task: Student A defends Source A; Student B defends Source B. Each speaker must use publication date, event date and current claim correctly.

LF discussion: “Freshness should be treated as a relation between source, claim and time, not as a fixed expiry date.” Discuss, qualify and give counterexamples.

Feedback focus: clarity of reasoning, source reference, temporal precision, interaction and language—not accent imitation.

Writing

BF: Write a 120–160 word source note explaining why one older background source should not be used alone to describe a present situation. Use one sentence of concession: “While ..., ...”.

LF: Write a 220–300 word analytical comment comparing three sources with different dates. Link freshness to authority, evidence and purpose. Include one limitation of your own evaluation.

No replacement essay: You write the analysis yourself. Tools may help with vocabulary or feedback only when allowed; they must not produce a substitute submission.

Mediation

Optional task: A German-speaking classmate says: “Der Artikel ist von 2019, also ist er falsch.” Mediate the idea in concise English: explain that age alone does not make a source false; the key question is whether its evidence fits the claim and time frame.

Hilfen

Need	Help
language	use sentence frames and word families
reading	mark P/E/U/A directly next to the source
analysis	use time → authority → evidence → purpose → current fit
BF structure	compare two sources before adding a third
LF challenge	combine three or more sources and justify conflicting evidence

Feedback und Fehleranalyse

Use these error codes on your own draft:

Code	Error	Repair
F1	publication date confused with event date	label P and E separately
F2	old background source used as proof of a current state	add a current authoritative source
F3	new source accepted only because it is new	check authority and evidence
F4	update timestamp treated as proof of content change	verify the relevant section or version history
F5	AI-generated citation accepted without checking	open the claimed source and verify author, title, date and content

KI, Datenschutz und Quellenethik

Work with fictitious personal data in practice tasks. Audio or video recordings are voluntary and should stay private unless an explicit classroom agreement says otherwise. Do not upload classmates' work, faces, voices or personal data without consent.

Do not send material to an external AI service unless the learning setting explicitly permits it. If AI is used, verify every factual claim and every cited source yourself. Follow your school's rules for disclosure. AI output is not a substitute for your own analysis or writing.

Transfer: when old is right and new is wrong

Transfer prompt: A search engine may show a very recent page first. Explain why ranking and recency do not by themselves establish reliability.

Mini-cases:

For a historical quotation, an older primary source may be exactly right.
For today's opening hours, a ten-year-old brochure is normally a poor fit.
For a scientific theory, an older foundational paper may remain essential but should not automatically stand for the newest state of research.
For a fast-changing statistic, verify the date of data collection as well as the publication date.

ABI-Check

Before you submit an analysis, ask:

Check	Yes?
I named the time frame of the claim.	□
I separated publication date and event date.	□
I checked update/access information where relevant.	□
I used an authoritative source for a current-status claim.	□
I corroborated important time-sensitive claims.	□
I did not treat “new” as a synonym for “reliable”.	□
I wrote the reasoning in my own words.	□

Folgekurs: ABI - Lateral Reading und Corroboration

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

Which date tells you when a source was made public? (Publication date) (!Event date) (!Access date) (!Birth date)

Which date tells you when the reported event happened? (Event date) (!Publication date) (!Access date) (!Revision date)

What is the best first response to an old background source used for a current-status claim? (Check a current authoritative source) (!Assume the old source is false) (!Use it because it is detailed) (!Ignore all older sources)

What does lateral reading mean? (Check information outside the original page) (!Read only the first paragraph) (!Read every sentence twice) (!Translate the page into German)

Why can an updated date be insufficient on its own? (It may not show what content changed) (!Updates are always unreliable) (!Updated pages have no author) (!Updates remove publication dates)

Which combination best evaluates a current claim? (Freshness authority evidence and relevance) (!Freshness alone) (!Length and design) (!Number of images and comments)

What is corroboration? (Independent support from another source) (!A direct translation) (!A spelling correction) (!A publication delay)

When is an older source often especially useful? (For historical background or primary evidence) (!Whenever it is the first search result) (!Only when it has many pictures) (!Never)

What should you do with an AI-generated citation? (Open and verify the claimed source) (!Assume it exists) (!Copy it without checking) (!Use it as a primary source)

What is the key freshness principle? (Match the evidence date to the claim time frame) (!Choose the newest source automatically) (!Choose the longest source automatically) (!Avoid all archived sources)

Memory

Publication date	When a source was made public
Event date	When the reported event happened
Access date	When you viewed a changing web source
Provenance	Origin of information or media
Corroboration	Independent support for a claim
Lateral reading	Checking outside the original page

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
Publication date	Source becomes public
Event date	Reported event happens
Update date	Page is revised
Access date	Researcher views the page
Corroboration	Independent source supports the claim
Temporal mismatch	Evidence date does not fit the claim time frame

...

Kreuzworträtsel

Freshness	What term describes the temporal fit between source and claim?
Timestamp	What one-word term names a machine-readable time marker?
Context	What must be checked around a quotation, image or claim?
Archive	What kind of collection can preserve an earlier version of a web page?
Provenance	What term describes where information comes from?
Corroboration	What term means independent support for a claim?

LearningApps

Lückentext

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Datenspuren markieren: Take a short article and label publication, event, update and access dates.
Timeline gestalten: Create a four-step visual timeline for P/E/U/A using only fictitious data.
Wortfamilien trainieren: Build a mini word map for publish, revise, relevant and corroborate.
Quellenpaar vergleichen: Compare one older background source with one current source in five English sentences.

Standard

Lateral Reading: Check a public information page with two independent tabs and document your search path without personal data.
Viewing Notes: Watch one embedded video and create a one-page English verification checklist.
Sprechduell: Defend two different source choices in a partner discussion and switch sides halfway through.
Fehlerdiagnose: Write a deliberately flawed freshness paragraph, exchange it privately and repair all F1–F5 errors.

Schwer

Drei-Quellen-Matrix: Compare three sources with different publication and event dates and justify which claim each can support.
Archivvergleich: Compare a live webpage with an archived version and explain what changed and what did not.
Mini-Dossier: Build a compact BF/LF source dossier; BF uses two guided materials, LF links at least four materials independently.
Abi-Transfer: Design an AFB-II/III task on source freshness and write a concise expectation horizon, not a model essay.

Lernkontrolle

Temporal reasoning: A source was published in 2021, updated in 2026 and reports data collected in 2019. Explain which date matters for a claim about 2019 and which matters for a claim about 2026.
Source selection: Choose between three fictitious sources for a current claim and justify your choice using freshness, authority and evidence.
Counterexample: Give one case in which an older source is better than a newer one and explain why.
Corroboration plan: Design a three-step lateral-reading plan for a fast-changing claim without using personal data.
Transfer to visuals: Explain how publication context and event date can differ for a photograph reposted years later.
AI verification: Given a fictitious AI answer with two citations, describe how you would verify each citation before using it.

Lernnachweis

For a successful Lernnachweis you can:

distinguish publication, event, update and access dates;
match source timing to the exact time frame of a claim;
combine freshness with authority, evidence, relevance and purpose;
use lateral reading and corroboration;
explain BF-level reasoning with structure and LF-level reasoning with greater breadth, depth and independence;
communicate the analysis in clear B2 English, with C1-oriented precision where useful;
verify AI claims and citations and write independently;
respect privacy, consent and copyright.

OERs zum Thema

Datei:Aufbau und Merkmale einer journalistischen Nachricht - kolleg24 Deutsch.webm

Further OER / free learning context: Wikimedia Commons media above are used from their file pages under the licenses stated there. The Crash Course videos are embedded from the official YouTube channel; do not copy or re-upload them.

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