E8 E - Evaluate a source for a school task
aiMOOCE8 E - Evaluate a source for a school task
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E8 E - Evaluate a source for a school task
Mini-description: Check a simple English-language source by looking at author/provider, date, relevance and evidence. Then decide whether it is suitable for a school task.
Level: English as a first foreign language, Grade 8, Baden-Württemberg, E-level. Work mainly in English. Use German only as a short support if you need it.
Media start – 30 seconds: Look at the image. What does the learner check? Name two things in English. Then compare with a partner.
Einleitung
Online information can look professional and still be weak. For a school task, do not ask only: “Do I like this source?” Ask four clearer questions: Who made it? When was it published? Does it fit my task? What evidence supports the claims?
Your short check is:
- Author / provider: Who is responsible? Is the person or organisation clearly named?
- Date: Is there a publication or update date? Is it recent enough for your topic?
- Relevance: Does the source answer your exact school question and fit your level?
- Evidence: Are claims supported by data, examples, references or links to reliable material?
A source can be useful even when it is not perfect. Your job is to explain your decision with evidence from the source.
Try first: Without reading any help, choose one question you would ask before using an unknown website.
I can ...
- I can identify the author or provider of a source.
- I can check the date and explain why it matters.
- I can judge the relevance of a source for a school task.
- I can look for evidence behind a claim.
- I can give a short, structured decision: suitable, partly suitable or not suitable.
- I can react to another opinion and improve my decision.
Vorwissen: Quick check
Think of a website, video or article you used for school. Do not share private accounts or personal messages.
English first: What made you trust it?
Hint: Start with “I trusted it because ...”
German help if needed: Überlege nur kurz: Wer stand dahinter? Wie aktuell war es? Gab es Belege?
Listening and Viewing
Viewing task: Watch a short part first. Listen for ideas about who is behind information and why expertise or perspective matters. Note three key words, not full sentences.
Pair reaction: “One useful check is ... because ...”
Challenge: Which idea from the video goes beyond our four-point check?
Second viewing: Compare the speaker’s evaluation questions with author/provider – date – relevance – evidence. Which points match? Which point is new?
Listening help: You do not need every word. Listen for repeated key terms such as author, relevant, recent, accurate.
Reading: A fictional practice source
All names and profiles below are fictional and created only for learning.
| Source card | Information |
|---|---|
| Title | Do school gardens help students focus? |
| Author | Maya Brooks, education writer |
| Provider | Green Learning Lab, a fictional education website |
| Date | 18 September 2026 |
| School task | “Find one source about how school environments may affect learning.” |
| Evidence shown | The article gives a small data table, names the organisation that collected the data and links to a longer report. It also says that results may differ between schools. |
Short extract:
“Students in three schools took part in a six-week garden project. The article reports that many participants described the garden sessions as calming. A small table shows changes in self-reported concentration. The provider says the data came from a school survey. The article also warns that the project was small and does not prove that gardens improve learning for every student.”
Your first decision: Is this source suitable for the task? Write one sentence before you read the model.
Model evaluation
Author / provider: The author and provider are named. That is better than an anonymous post, but the names alone do not prove expertise.
Date: The source is recent for a current school topic.
Relevance: It directly addresses school environments and learning.
Evidence: It gives some evidence and describes limits. However, a careful student should still check the linked report before treating the claim as strong proof.
Model decision: “The source is partly suitable as a starting source because it is relevant, recent and gives some evidence. I would check the linked report before using its claim as strong evidence.”
Key idea: A confident design is not evidence. A named author is useful information, not an automatic trust signal.
Media task: Look at the image and choose one checking habit you could add to your own source routine.
Kontextwortschatz
| English | Meaning in this course | Useful phrase |
|---|---|---|
| author | person who wrote or created the source | The author is ... |
| provider | organisation or platform responsible for the source | The provider is ... |
| date | publication or update time | It was published in ... |
| relevant | useful for the exact task | It is relevant because ... |
| evidence | support for a claim | The claim is supported by ... |
| claim | statement presented as true | The main claim is ... |
| reliable | dependable after checking | This seems reliable because ... |
| limitation | reason not to overstate a result | One limitation is ... |
Ask before German help: Can you explain the word using the English example?
German help if needed: provider = verantwortliche Stelle; evidence = Belege; claim = Behauptung/Aussage; limitation = Einschränkung.
Aussprache und Verständlichkeit
Focus on being clear, not accent-free.
- evidence: stress the first syllable.
- relevant: keep the middle syllable short and clear.
- provider: stress the second syllable.
- reliable: speak slowly enough to keep all syllables understandable.
Private practice: Say your decision once. Recording is optional and should stay private unless you actively choose to share it in class. Do not upload recordings to external services unless your teacher has explicitly arranged a safe, approved setting.
Functional grammar for source evaluation
Passive – use it productively:
“The article was published in 2026.” “The claim is supported by a small survey.” “The data were collected in three schools.”
Reported speech – report what a source said:
Direct: The author said, “The project is small.” Reported: The author said that the project was small.
Question: The teacher asked, “Who collected the data?” Reported: The teacher asked who had collected the data.
Command: The teacher said, “Check the original report.” Reported: The teacher told us to check the original report.
E-level receptive stretch: “The team had been collecting feedback for six weeks before it published the summary.” You only need to understand this form here.
Grammar goal: Use grammar to make your evaluation precise. Do not add difficult structures just to sound advanced.
Try – Ask – Hint – Help
Try: Evaluate the practice source with four short notes.
Ask yourself: Which point is strongest? Which point still needs checking?
Hint 1: Use the four headings: author/provider – date – relevance – evidence.
Hint 2: Sentence starters: “The source was published by ...”; “It is relevant because ...”; “The claim is supported by ...”; “One limitation is ...”
German help if needed: Entscheide nicht nur „gut/schlecht“. Begründe, welche Kriterien erfüllt sind und wo noch Unsicherheit besteht.
Speaking
60-second source huddle: In pairs, Student A gives a decision. Student B must ask one spontaneous follow-up question.
Useful reactions:
- “What makes you say that?”
- “Which evidence is strongest?”
- “Does the date matter for this topic?”
- “I agree about ..., but I am less sure about ...”
- “Could this source still be useful for background information?”
Perspective switch: First speak as a student who wants a quick source. Then speak as a teacher who must check whether the source is strong enough for an assignment.
Writing
Write 80–120 words evaluating the fictional source.
Use this structure:
- Decision: suitable / partly suitable / not suitable.
- Reason 1: author/provider or date.
- Reason 2: relevance or evidence.
- Limitation: what still needs checking?
- Next step: what would you verify before using the source?
Revision focus: Underline your decision, circle two pieces of evidence from the source card and improve one vague sentence.
Do not let AI replace your text. If an AI tool is allowed by your school, use it only to check language or ask for feedback. Check the AI’s level, facts and feedback yourself.
Mediation
A German-speaking classmate asks: “Kann ich die Quelle einfach nehmen, weil sie aktuell aussieht?”
Answer in English first with two short sentences. Do not translate the whole source.
Hint: Explain that a recent date helps, but evidence and responsibility must also be checked.
German help if needed: Vermittle nur die Kernidee, nicht jedes Wort.
Error analysis
Read the weak evaluation:
“The website is good because it looks modern and the text sounds scientific.”
Find two problems. Then improve it.
Direct feedback: “Looks modern” is not one of the four checks. “Sounds scientific” does not show evidence. A stronger answer names what was actually checked.
Improved version: “The source may be useful because the provider and date are shown and the topic matches the task. However, I still need to check where the data came from.”
Transfer: A second source
| Source card | Information |
|---|---|
| Title | Five tricks that guarantee better concentration |
| Author | not named |
| Provider | StudyBoostNow, fictional |
| Date | 2019 |
| Evidence shown | No references; one sentence says “experts agree”; the page promotes a study product. |
Fast decision: Give one reason connected to author/provider, one to date, one to relevance and one to evidence.
Perspective question: Could this page still be useful for studying how advertising uses claims? Explain.
Medienkritik und lateral check
Viewing task: What does “lateral reading” ask you to do? Explain the idea in your own words after watching.
Safe transfer: Use only public, teacher-approved sources for practice. Do not search classmates’ private profiles or copy private social-media content into school work.
Optional German support media: Use this only after the English tasks if you still need conceptual support. Then return to English and explain one checking strategy in your own words.
Can-do check
Rate yourself: Yes / Almost / Not yet.
- I can find the author or provider.
- I can use the date as part of a judgement.
- I can explain whether a source fits a task.
- I can identify evidence and limitations.
- I can give a short decision with reasons.
- I can question a source without rejecting it automatically.
- I can improve my wording after feedback.
Next step: If most answers are “Yes”, continue with a follow-up course on comparing two sources and checking claims across sources.
Interaktive Aufgaben
Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen
Which question checks responsibility for a source? (Who is the author or provider?) (!How colourful is the page?) (!How long is the title?) (!How many pictures are shown?)
Why can the date matter? (Some topics need current information.) (!Newer sources are always correct.) (!Older sources can never be useful.) (!A date proves the author is an expert.)
What does relevance mean in this course? (The source fits the exact school task.) (!The source has many followers.) (!The source uses difficult words.) (!The source agrees with your opinion.)
What is evidence? (Support for a claim, such as data or references.) (!A modern website design.) (!A strong opinion.) (!A catchy headline.)
Which sentence uses the passive appropriately? (The article was published in 2026.) (!The article publishing in 2026.) (!The article publish by 2026.) (!The article was publish 2026.)
Which is the strongest evaluation? (The source is relevant, but I still need to check the linked evidence.) (!The source is good because I like it.) (!The source is true because it looks professional.) (!The source is reliable because it is short.)
What should you do if a source names an author? (Check who the author is and what the source shows.) (!Trust every claim immediately.) (!Ignore the date.) (!Skip the evidence.)
What is a useful follow-up after reading a claim? (Check where the claim comes from.) (!Share it before checking.) (!Count the adjectives.) (!Choose it because it is surprising.)
Which sentence reports a question correctly? (The teacher asked who had collected the data.) (!The teacher asked who did collect the data?) (!The teacher asked who collect the data.) (!The teacher asked did who collect the data.)
What is the best role for AI in this task? (Use it for limited feedback and check its facts and level.) (!Let it replace your evaluation.) (!Copy its answer without checking.) (!Upload private material so it has more context.)
Memory
| author | person who created the source |
| provider | organisation responsible for the source |
| date | publication or update time |
| relevance | fit with the exact task |
| evidence | support for a claim |
| limitation | reason to be cautious |
Drag and Drop
| Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu. | Thema |
|---|---|
| Author/provider | Who is responsible? |
| Date | When was it published or updated? |
| Relevance | Does it fit the school task? |
| Evidence | What supports the claim? |
| Decision | Is it suitable, partly suitable or not suitable? |
Kreuzworträtsel
| author | Who wrote or created the source? |
| provider | Which organisation is responsible for the source? |
| evidence | What supports a claim? |
| relevant | Which word means that a source fits the task? |
| reliable | Which word means dependable after checking? |
| limitation | What do we call a reason to be cautious about a result? |
LearningApps
Lückentext
Offene Aufgaben
Leicht
- Source card: Create a four-box source card with author/provider, date, relevance and evidence for a teacher-provided source.
- Sentence starters: Write four useful English sentence starters for evaluating a source and test them with a partner.
- Media observation: Choose one image in this aiMOOC and explain how it supports the idea of checking information.
- Quick comparison: Compare the two fictional sources in this course and name two visible differences.
Standard
- Source evaluation: Evaluate one teacher-approved English source in 100–130 words and include one limitation.
- Speaking task: Hold a two-minute pair discussion in which you disagree politely about whether a source is suitable.
- Viewing response: Watch one embedded English video and create a five-point checklist from its advice.
- Revision task: Exchange an evaluation with a partner and improve one vague claim, one grammar point and one piece of evidence.
Schwer
- Lateral reading: Compare what one public source says about itself with what two independent public sources say about the provider.
- Perspective switch: Write two short judgements of the same source: one from a student perspective and one from a teacher perspective.
- Mini investigation: Choose one school-safe claim and trace it back to the earliest reliable evidence you can find.
- Transfer project: Design a one-page English guide for younger students called “Check before you use it” and justify your four most important checks.
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Lernkontrolle
- Reasoned decision: You receive a new English source card. Decide whether it is suitable and support your decision with all four criteria.
- Evidence quality: Two sources make the same claim. One gives data and a link to an original report; the other says “experts agree”. Explain how this changes your judgement.
- Context transfer: Explain why a source can be relevant for one school task but not relevant for another.
- Perspective analysis: Compare the needs of a student writing a short presentation with the needs of a student writing a science report. How might their source choices differ?
- Language precision: Rewrite a vague evaluation using one passive sentence, one reported statement and one clear limitation.
- Media literacy transfer: Explain why popularity, visual design or a confident speaking style should not replace evidence checks.
Lernnachweis
For a strong learning record, you should be able to:
- identify author/provider, date, relevance and evidence;
- explain why each criterion matters in context;
- distinguish visible information from assumptions;
- give a structured judgement with a limitation and next step;
- use clear source-evaluation language, including suitable passive forms;
- report a source’s statement or a teacher’s question accurately;
- react to another view and revise your own evaluation;
- use media and AI tools critically, safely and without replacing your own work.
OERs zum Thema
Further public learning idea: Compare the broad concept of Quellenkritik with the four-step classroom check in this course.
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