Lesson 26: Gather Credible Sources

This section introduces students to the process of evaluating and selecting credible research sources as the foundation for building an evidence-based inquiry project. Students transition from generating keywords or phrases and inquiry questions to actively testing the reliability and usefulness of sources using evidence from authors, publishers, and text features. Students should begin to understand that different sources serve different purposes, and that careful selection ensures that their final research accurately represents overlooked historical contributions. In the previous lesson, students analyzed how headings, captions, timelines, and other text features in popular media contributed to understanding a topic. In this lesson, students apply those same skills independently as they evaluate real research sources.

Have students take out their Research Notes organizer, their three key search words from Lesson 25, and the two sources they found for homework. Provide additional time if they didn’t find sources for homework.

Turn and Talk

Say these Directions: In the previous lesson, we wrote and starred a keyword list to guide our search. In this lesson, we are using those to begin conducting research and figure out which sources deserve our trust and which ones do not. Turn and talk with a partner to discuss your thoughts on the question.

• Ask: What might make one source stronger than another when both sources are about the same person or topic?

  • One source can be stronger because it is more current, more detailed, or written by a more authoritative source. A strong source also aligns better with my inquiry question, so it provides information I can actually use rather than just general facts.

Connection to Today's Learning

Say: Now that you have keywords and possible sources, you are ready to learn the process researchers use to test whether a source is worth keeping.

This mini-lesson teaches students how to move from a vague judgment to a formal justification using a source. The goal is to help students combine an evaluation and specific evidence into one academic sentence so they can defend why a source deserves a place in their research process.

Sentence Combining

Strong researchers don’t stop at simple judgments like “This source is good.” Instead, they make a clear credibility claim and support it with evidence from the source itself, such as the author’s background, the publisher, or the organization behind the text. When you combine your claim and your proof in one sentence, you make stronger research decisions because you are choosing sources based on evidence, not first impressions. That might sound like “This source is credible because it is published by _____ and includes _____ evidence.”

As you continue your research, remember that your final inquiry question should be supported only by the most credible information you can clearly justify.

Display Kernel Sentences:

• This source is reliable.

• The article was written by a curator at the National Air and Space Museum.

• The museum is part of the Smithsonian Institution.

Teach: Combining a Source Evaluation with Evidence

• Say: I could start with the sentence “This source is reliable,” but that is too weak because it sounds like an opinion without evidence. So I ask myself, “What exact evidence shows this source can be trusted?” In this example, the strongest evidence is that the article was written by a curator at the National Air and Space Museum, and that museum is part of the Smithsonian Institution. Now I can combine those ideas into one sentence: “This source is reliable because it was written by a curator at the National Air and Space Museum, part of the Smithsonian Institution.” I can also begin with a reporting phrase and say, “According to the author information, this source is reliable because the writer works for a respected museum.” When I write this way, I am not just saying the source is good. I am showing why it is reliable using evidence that another reader could check.

Say these Directions: With a partner, discuss your response to the question below.

• Ask: Which sentence is stronger for research writing, and why? “This article is good.” or “According to the author's biography, this source is reliable because the writer is a historian at a university.”

  • The second sentence is stronger because it includes both the evaluation and the proof. It uses formal research language and explains why the source is reliable by citing the writer’s expertise rather than simply calling it good.

Say these Directions: Write one combined sentence in your journal using a source from your research so far. Underline the evaluation part of your sentence and circle the evidence that proves your source is reliable. You will use this same kind of sentence again when you decide which sources are worth keeping.

Sentence Structures:

• According to ___, this source is reliable because___

• Because ___ is ___, this source is reliable.

• This source is credible because ___.

Connection to Today's Learning

• Say: Now you have a sentence structure you can use as you sort through sources and keep only the most credible information for your final inquiry question.

Part A: Determine Credibility of Sources (RI.6.5.a, W.6.8) (10 minutes)

This is the guided evaluation portion of the lesson. Students use their inquiry questions to examine the strengths and limitations of real sources and how text features and visuals contribute to meaning.

Teach: Source Evaluation

Say: Source evaluation is more than checking whether a source exists. Researchers also examine the source’s features and ask themselves:

• Who is the author or organization, and can I trust them?

• When was this source published or last updated, and is it current?

• What do the title and headings tell me about the content?

• Are there captions, charts, maps, diagrams, or timelines, and do they help explain the information?

• Are there sidebars, labels, or other text features that make the information easier to understand?

• How do the sections and text features contribute to the development of ideas in the source?

• Does this source directly answer my inquiry question?

Think-Pair-Share

Say these Directions: Look at your two sources from your homework. Evaluate each one using the list above. Then, discuss your evaluation with a partner.

• Ask: Which source type or media format is most reliable for your research question, and why?

Partner protocol:

• Partner A summarizes Partner B’s idea

• Partner B agrees or challenges with evidence

• Each partner suggests one improvement (stronger keyword or better source choice)

  • The stronger source is the NASA biography because it matches the question about the innovator’s contribution more directly. In the section under the heading about computer programming, the article explains the person’s work clearly, and the timeline on the page helps show when the contribution happened. One suggestion would be to include a stronger keyword or phrase to find a more specific source.

This section reinforces students’ ability to evaluate and compare sources using explicit credibility criteria, including author or organization, currency, and the way text and visual features support understanding of the topic. Students should be able to explain why one source is stronger than another by referencing specific evidence such as timelines, headings, captions, or institutional authority. Emphasize that strong researchers do not rely on general impressions of quality but instead justify their choices using observable source features and direct alignment to inquiry questions. By the end of this section, students should be able to articulate which source is most reliable and explain how its structure and content make it more useful for answering their research focus.

Part B: Gather Credible Sources (W.6.8) (20 minutes)

This independent inquiry block asks students to gather as many credible source possibilities as they can, identify the strongest ones, and begin preliminary synthesis by explaining which source is best for each search keyword. Students transition from evaluating sample sources to independently gathering and organizing credible research materials aligned to their inquiry questions. Students should begin to recognize patterns in source types and formats, and how each supports different aspects of their research.

Say these Directions: Using the keywords from the last lesson, begin researching and gathering sources. Use the criteria above to determine if the source is credible and worth keeping. Gather your sources into a list below. Be sure to include the title of the source, where it was located (i.e., book, website, etc., and why it is reliable. In your research log, you must collect at least 3 sources per keyword combination. For each source, include:

• Source type (article, book, website, database, etc.)

• Media format (timeline, image, diagram, video, text)

• One sentence justification explaining credibility or relevance using evidence

By the end of this section, students should be able to articulate how different sources contribute distinct types of information and defend their selections using academic, evidence-based language.

Check for Understanding

Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.

This section consolidates students’ ability to justify source selection using evidence-based reasoning aligned with W.6.7 and W.6.8. Students should demonstrate that they can identify the strongest source and explain why it is more credible and useful than alternatives, using specific references to the author's expertise, publication source, and text or visual features. Emphasize that successful researchers make intentional, defensible decisions about which sources to keep because these choices directly shape the quality and accuracy of their final inquiry product. By the end, students should be able to produce a clear justification that integrates both evaluation and evidence to support their selected source.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Write your response to the question in two to three sentences.

• Ask: Which source are you most likely to keep, and what makes it a strong choice for your research?

  • I am most likely to keep the NASA biography because it is more authoritative and more relevant than my other sources. In the section under the heading of the innovator’s main work, the article clearly explains the contribution, and the timeline helps me understand when that work occurred. This source is strong because it gives accurate background and helps answer one of my inquiry questions directly.

Optional Sentence Starter:

• I am keeping ___ because it is more ___ and more ___ than ___. The ___ helps me understand ___.

Instruct students to read the information in each source and think about whether it is relevant to their research question and useful for understanding the topic.