aiMOOC

Evaluating online information and acting safely - Computing Year 5

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Introduction

The first search result gives one opening time; a copied post gives another. A message then promises a prize if you supply private details. You need two related skills: checking information and choosing a safe next action. Being confident with a device does not automatically provide either skill.

You will improve a search query, compare evidence, separate ranking from reliability and practise a respectful reporting response. The source cards and messages below are original fictional examples, not live sites or real messages. You do not need to create an account, share personal information or visit an unsafe page. This is an editorial Year 5 sequence within England's Key Stage 2 computing programme.

Search with a question rather than a guess

A search engine helps find online resources. It gathers information about pages, organises it in an index and uses ranking processes to choose an order for a query. A result is a route to a source, not a certificate that every statement there is correct.

Start by writing what you need to know. In our fictional example, the question is: “What are Willow Park Gallery's Saturday opening hours during November 2026?” Searching just “park” leaves out the place, resource and time. A more focused query includes the gallery name, Saturday hours and the relevant month.

Revise without adding personal information

If results are about a different gallery, add the place or organisation from the teacher-provided task. If you need historical hours, add the year. Do not add your home address, password, private timetable or another person's details to make a query more specific. More words are useful only if they clarify the information need.

Code.org's How Search Works video explains searching and ranking. Identify one reason that searching involves more than looking for a single word. You can use the written explanation instead; ranking methods and interfaces vary between services.

Notice the result's purpose

Some displayed results may be paid placements, commonly marked as sponsored or advertising. Labels and layouts vary. A paid result is not automatically false, but payment for placement does not prove accuracy. An ordinary first-ranked result is also not automatically the best evidence for your particular question. Open only resources your teacher has approved for the activity.

Check the source, claim and evidence

Evaluate a particular claim, not just how professional a page looks. Ask who is responsible, what evidence is offered, when the information applies and what the source is trying to do. A site can be useful for one question and unsuitable for another.

Who and why?

Look for a named author or accountable organisation, a relevant role and a clear purpose. Is the page explaining, selling, entertaining or persuading? A writer's expertise should fit the claim. A shop may reliably state its own current prices while still having a reason to promote its products. An official-looking logo or a domain ending such as .org is not proof by itself.

When and what evidence?

Check a publication or update date and whether it applies to the question. Newest does not always mean most accurate: a new post can copy an old mistake, while an older historical document may be exactly the evidence needed for a history question. Follow references with a teacher and check whether they support the actual claim.

Compare independent sources

Three posts repeating the same unsupported sentence are not necessarily three independent checks. They may all copy one original post. Look for an accountable source close to the information and another suitable source that can genuinely help check it. If the evidence remains uncertain, say so rather than inventing certainty.

Images and generated answers

A photograph can be genuine but used with a misleading date or caption. An edited image can omit context. A confident AI-generated answer may contain mistakes or invented references. Use an approved route to inspect the original source and evidence; do not treat polish, confidence or popularity as proof.

Compare two complete fictional source cards

All names, places and opening-hour notices in this section are invented. You can evaluate the supplied evidence without opening another website.

Feature	Source card A	Source card B
Responsible source	Willow Park Gallery visitor-information notice	WeekendFun repost account
Stated purpose	Inform visitors about a temporary timetable	Encourage readers to visit and share a cheerful post
Relevant date	Notice dated 25 October 2026, applying to Saturdays in November 2026	Repost dated 2 November 2026, copying a summer visitor leaflet
Claim	Saturday opening during November is 10:00–14:00 because of temporary building work	The gallery opens 10:00–16:00 every Saturday
Evidence supplied in this model	A timetable naming the month, days and temporary change	An image of a leaflet headed Summer 2025, with no current confirmation

Make a reasoned choice

For the precise November 2026 question, card A is better supported within the supplied model. It is accountable for its own timetable and explicitly addresses that month and temporary change. Card B's newer repost date does not make the copied 2025 leaflet current. The support comes from the relationship between source, evidence and question, not simply the word gallery in the heading.

What if the evidence changes?

If a teacher supplies a later genuine closure notice from the gallery in the fictional model, reconsider the answer. Do not continue using card A merely because you selected it first. Before a real visit, an adult should confirm current arrangements through an approved official contact. This lesson's invented timetable must never be used to plan a real visit.

Write a source note

A useful note identifies the claim, source, relevant date, supporting evidence and remaining uncertainty. “Card A says 10:00–14:00 for the named November Saturdays; card B copies an older summer timetable” is more informative than “A looks nicer”.

Protect information and pause before responding

Personal information can identify you or reveal private details. It can appear in text, photographs, filenames, uniforms, location information or a background screen. A strong password protects one part of an account; it does not make it safe to publish private information.

A fictional prize message

A message says: “You won a tablet. Reply now with your password, school and a photo to collect it. Keep this secret.” Do not reply, send information, open its attachment or try to investigate the sender on your own. Stop the interaction and tell a trusted adult, such as a parent, carer or member of school staff. Pressure and secrecy are reasons to seek help, not reasons to act faster.

If you have already clicked or shared something, you still deserve help. Tell a trusted adult promptly and explain what happened. You are not required to solve the problem alone, and hiding it can make support harder. Follow the adult's and school's reporting route.

A secure connection has limits

HTTPS helps protect data in transit between a browser and the contacted site. It does not prove that the site is honest, that a message is safe or that its claims are true. A convincing logo, lock indicator or polished design must not replace evidence and adult support.

Practise safely

Use only the invented message in this lesson. Do not exchange real passwords or ask classmates to reveal private details as a demonstration. Do not forward a worrying image or message to a class group. An adult can advise how to preserve or report appropriate evidence without spreading harmful or private material.

Be respectful and know how to ask for help

Disagreement does not require an insult. You can challenge a claim by identifying the evidence and explaining a different interpretation. “The repost uses an older leaflet; can we check the current timetable?” addresses the information rather than attacking the person who shared it.

An upsetting group-message case

A fictional group starts mocking another learner and asks you to add an insulting picture. Do not join in, forward the picture or retaliate. If safe, leave the interaction and use the school's agreed reporting route with a trusted adult. Blocking or platform reporting may be appropriate with adult support, but it does not replace asking for help when someone is worried or being targeted.

A learner is not responsible for investigating or confronting the person causing harm. Reassure someone who asks for help and help them reach a trusted adult. Do not promise to keep a situation secret if support is needed.

A short help-seeking script

“You are someone I trust. Something online made me worried. I stopped responding. Can you help me decide what to do?” You can explain the situation without reposting private material. If the first adult is unavailable or does not provide help, speak to another trusted adult. Your school should explain its own safeguarding and reporting arrangements.

Combine information and safety checks

For a research task, keep the question, approved sources and evidence notes. For a worrying contact, prioritise stopping and seeking support rather than continuing research. These are different kinds of problem: checking a harmless timetable does not justify exploring a suspicious message. You should be able to explain which route you chose and why.

Interactive Tasks

Quiz: Test Your Knowledge

What does being first in search results establish? (The service ranked that result highly for the query, not that every claim is true.) (!Every statement on the page is guaranteed correct.) (!The page is always suitable for every child.) (!No other source needs checking.)

Which query best fits the fictional timetable question? (Willow Park Gallery Saturday hours November 2026.) (!Park.) (!My password and home address.) (!Everything ever posted online.)

Why is card A better supported for the specified question? (Its evidence explicitly applies to the gallery's November Saturday timetable.) (!Its table has more attractive lines.) (!All older documents are always false.) (!Every repost is necessarily dishonest.)

Why does card B's later repost date not settle the question? (The material it copies concerns an older summer timetable.) (!Dates never matter for opening hours.) (!Reposting always makes old facts current.) (!A newer post cannot contain an error.)

Which is a meaningful source check? (Ask who is responsible and whether the evidence supports this claim.) (!Count bright colours only.) (!Trust every page with a professional logo.) (!Assume popularity proves accuracy.)

Three posts repeat one unsupported statement. What should you consider? (They may all copy the same original rather than provide independent evidence.) (!Repetition automatically proves the statement.) (!No source can ever copy another source.) (!The claim must now be checked less carefully.)

What is a safe response to the fictional prize message requesting private details? (Stop responding and tell a trusted adult.) (!Send a password to test whether the sender is honest.) (!Keep it secret as requested.) (!Forward it to every classmate.)

What does HTTPS not guarantee? (That the site and its claims are trustworthy.) (!That protected transport can be used for a connection.) (!That a browser can request a web resource.) (!That data can travel over a network.)

What should you do if you already shared something worrying? (Seek help promptly from a trusted adult and explain what happened.) (!Assume you no longer deserve help.) (!Hide the situation forever.) (!Send even more private information.)

Which response to an inaccurate post is respectful? (Explain the evidence problem and ask to check the current source.) (!Insult the person who shared it.) (!Create a mocking image of the author.) (!Spread a rumour in reply.)

Memory Game

Query	The search words used to express an information need.
Claim	A statement whose support can be examined.
Evidence	Information that can support or challenge a particular statement.
Purpose	What a source is trying to achieve.
Independent check	Evidence not merely repeating the same unsupported origin.
Trusted adult	A responsible person you can approach for help and support.

Drag and Drop

Check the relevant date	Compare the timetable's application period with the month in the question.
Inspect the supporting source	Notice that the repost copies an old summer leaflet.
Protect personal information	Do not supply the password or photo requested by the prize message.
Challenge a claim respectfully	Explain the evidence issue without insulting the person.
Ask for help	Tell a trusted adult when a contact or content makes you worried.

Crossword Puzzle

query	The words submitted to a search engine.
claim	A statement you can examine against evidence.
source	The origin or accountable producer of information.
evidence	Support that relates to the particular statement being checked.
purpose	A source's aim, such as informing or selling.
respect	Show this when challenging information without insulting people.

LearningApps

Optional extra practice. Choose an appropriate activity with your teacher. If the external collection is unavailable, use the native activities and independent tasks in this course.

Cloze Text

Open Tasks

Easy

Improve a vague search query: Rewrite park as a query for the fictional gallery question. Explain which added words identify the resource and relevant time.
Annotate the two source cards: Mark the responsible source, purpose, relevant date and evidence on each supplied card. Use the actual entries, not visual appearance.
Explain a ranking misconception: Write a short explanation of why a first result or sponsored placement is not a truth certificate.
Practise a help-seeking sentence: Use the fictional prize message to rehearse asking a trusted adult for help. Do not write or share real private details.

Standard

Write a justified timetable answer: Answer the precise fictional November question, cite the relevant card details and explain why the newer repost does not override them.
Compare copying and corroboration: Create three invented post labels that all copy one origin. Explain why counting those posts does not provide three independent checks.
Evaluate a secure-looking message: Explain why a polished logo and HTTPS would not make the fictional prize request safe. Give the appropriate next action.
Rewrite an insulting reply: Replace you are stupid for sharing this with a respectful, evidence-focused response about the copied old timetable.

Advanced

Revise an answer when evidence changes: Imagine the teacher adds a later closure notice in the fictional model. State which evidence you would compare and why you should be willing to change the answer.
Audit an information claim: Use an approved harmless source to record one claim, its origin, date, purpose, support and remaining uncertainty. Do not visit unsafe resources to complete the task.
Distinguish research from safeguarding: Compare the harmless timetable disagreement with the secretive prize message. Explain why the second calls for support rather than further independent investigation.
Plan a respectful reporting response: For the fictional mocking group-message case, describe how to avoid joining in and reach the school's trusted support route without forwarding private or harmful material.

Learning Check

Formulate a focused query: Write a suitable query for the fictional gallery question and explain two choices without adding personal information.
Compare evidence in context: Choose the better-supported card for November Saturdays and explain the roles of source, applicable date and evidence.
Challenge a reliability shortcut: Explain why either popularity, a logo or HTTPS alone cannot establish that a timetable claim is accurate.
Choose a safe response to pressure: State what to do with the fictional prize request and how the answer changes if a learner already clicked or shared something.
Respond respectfully and seek support: Write one evidence-focused correction of the timetable post and one safe response to the mocking group-message case.

Worked checks and assessment guidance

A suitable query includes Willow Park Gallery, Saturday hours and November 2026. These identify the resource and relevant period; passwords and private location details are unnecessary.
Card A explicitly gives a temporary November 2026 timetable from the gallery within this invented model. Card B's recent repost copies Summer 2025 material. The relevant underlying evidence matters more than the repost date or appearance.
Popularity can reflect repetition, a logo can be copied and HTTPS protects transport rather than guaranteeing honesty or correctness. Check accountable sources and evidence relevant to the requested period.
Do not respond, provide details or investigate attachments. Stop and seek a trusted adult's help. If something has already been shared, ask for help promptly and explain it; the learner still deserves support and should follow the school's reporting arrangements.
A respectful correction notes that the repost copies an older leaflet and suggests checking the current timetable. In the mocking case, do not join in, retaliate or forward the picture; reach a trusted adult through the agreed school route.

Learning evidence

Knowledge: Explain query, ranking, sponsored placement, claim, evidence, source purpose, applicable date and the limits of appearance or HTTPS as reliability signals.

Skills: Improve a query, compare independent support, justify uncertainty, correct information respectfully and select a safe help-seeking response.

Products: Keep an annotated fictional-source comparison, a reasoned answer, a revised query and responses to the supplied safe scenarios. Do not submit real passwords, private messages or pupil details.

Transfer: Apply source checks to another teacher-approved harmless research question and use the school's actual support arrangements when needed.

Support boundary: These activities practise decisions; they do not replace safeguarding staff or make learners responsible for investigating harmful contacts. An adult should confirm local reporting arrangements.

OER and Wikipedia

Department for Education: computing programme. Relevant key-stage work includes evaluating information and safe, respectful use; the Year 5 sequence is editorial.

Childnet: SMART rules and UK Safer Internet Centre: resources for primary-age learners. Primary education and support guidance. The gallery, source cards, prize request and group-message cases in this course are original fictional teaching scenarios.

Picture: International books at Kent Library, Roc0ast3r, CC0. Unmodified. The library is an illustration of finding sources, not a source for the invented timetable.

Video: The Internet: How Search Works, Code.org / CodeAI, original publisher's YouTube embed. Publisher's educational-video collection. The written route remains available if streaming is restricted.