Home›Lesson Plans›English Language Arts›Media Literacy · Grade 5

Evaluating a Website

Fifth graders learn to judge whether a website can be trusted by asking five key questions — who made it, when it was updated, what its purpose is, whether it has evidence, and what its web address suggests. Matching each question to what it checks builds a careful online researcher.

Grade 5Evaluating a Website45 minutes1 class periodMedia Literacy · CCSSExplicit teaching4 StandardsCCSS / NAMLE
Start the Lesson
Assign or share this lesson
Share to Google Classroom Share to Microsoft Teams

Copy link works with Canvas, Schoology, Moodle and any other LMS — paste it in as a resource or assignment.

Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Ask the right questions.
  • ✓Judge a website.
  • ✓Match questions to checks.
  • ✓Research safely.
Essential Question

Anyone can make a website. How do you decide if the one you’re reading can be trusted?

0
Lesson Phases
0
Vocabulary Terms
0
Standards Aligned
0
Interactive Task
Match It · Interactive

Match the Question to What It Checks

Project this and match each website question to what it checks — tap the question, then tap the check.

🔍 Match each question to what it checksTry it
Question
What It Checks
Now tap the check!
The Lesson · Literacy Flow (Hook · Explore · Practice · Apply · Reflect)

45 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Hook — Can You Trust It?

5 min

Anyone can make a website — how do you decide if it’s trustworthy?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show two websites.
  • Ask which to trust.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Explore — Evaluating a Website

12 min

Students explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Match the Question.
  • Match each one.
  • Note the five checks.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Match.
  • Say.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Practice

12 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Ask a check question.
  • Apply it to a site.
  • Explain.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Ask it.
  • Apply.
  • Explain.
4

Apply — Apply

10 min

Students apply.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Evaluate a real website.
  • Use all five questions.
  • Share your judgment.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Evaluate.
  • Check.
  • Share.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a check question.
  • Say what it checks.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Common Core ELA Standards (informational literacy) & NAMLE media-literacy competencies.

CCSS
W.5.8

Assess source credibility.

CCSS
RI.5.7

Locate info efficiently.

NAMLE
Evaluate

Judge website reliability.

CCSS
RI.5.1

Use evidence from text.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Question cards.
  • Sentence frame: “This question checks ___.”
  • Use sample sites.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with “who made it?”
  • Match one pair at a time.
  • Use examples.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Evaluate three sites.
  • Rank them by trust.
  • Explain a .gov site.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🔍Question cards
  • 💻Match the Question
  • 🌐Sample websites
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

websitea page on the internetevaluateto judgeauthorwho made itcurrentup to datepurposewhy it was madeevidenceproof for claimsdomain.gov, .edu, .comreliablecan be trusted
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
Name one question to ask when judging a website.
Who made it? When was it updated? What is its purpose? Is there evidence?
QUESTION 2
What does “when was it updated?” check?
Whether the information is current.
QUESTION 3
What might a .gov or .edu address suggest?
That the site may be official or educational.

Reflect: evaluating a website.

Have students name two questions they’d ask to judge whether a website is trustworthy. A printable website-evaluation sheet is in the ELA library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Evaluating a WebsiteFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
0

Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Evaluating a WebsiteQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Evaluating a WebsitePrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: author, current, domain, evaluate, evidence, purpose, reliable, website
  1. can be trusted
  2. .gov, .edu, .com
  3. up to date
  4. a page on the internet
  5. to judge
  6. who made it
  7. why it was made
  8. proof for claims

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. Name one question to ask when judging a website.
  2. What does “when was it updated?” check?
  3. What might a .gov or .edu address suggest?
Answer key — Part A: 1) reliable · 2) domain · 3) current · 4) website · 5) evaluate · 6) author · 7) purpose · 8) evidence
Part B: 1) Who made it? When was it updated? What is its purpose? Is there evidence? 2) Whether the information is current. 3) That the site may be official or educational.