Unit 2: Understanding and Evaluating Scientific Research
Overview
In this unit, students will take a closer look at the reliability of sources. They will learn how to critique online sources and search tools for bias and the content they present, and they will compare popular science articles to original research articles. The unit emphasizes the close inspection of sources to determine how trustworthy and useful they will be in supporting an argument, and the careful comparison of different types of sources.
Unit Objectives
- Students will be able to recognize bias in both online sources and the search tools used to find them.
- Students will be able to critique scientific articles for reliability.
- Students will be able to compare popular science articles to original research. Students will be able to use AI tools to support evaluation of scientific sources.
- Students will continue working on the course-long project by continuing to find and evaluate sources.
Pre-Lesson Task
Question: As we will see in this unit, some sources are more trustworthy than other sources. How do you think this will impact the sources you have or will collect for your course-long project? (2-3 sentences)
Unit 2 Lessons
Unit 2 Lesson 1: Recognizing Bias in Sources
Unit 2 Lesson 2: Critiquing and Comparing Sources
After completing Unit 2 Reflection, move on to the second phase of our course-long project. Go to the next unit, Unit 3: Using Scientific Research to Support Argumentation