D. Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts · Writing with Purpose: Research, Argument, Story and Media

Research: Evaluating Quality, Bias and Accuracy

D1.3 A2.3 A2.1About 50 minutes

Learning goals

I can evaluate the quality of information by looking at who made it, its evidence and its date.
I can recognize bias in a source, such as a purpose to sell, loaded words or missing perspectives.
I can check accuracy by reading laterally and cross-checking claims.
I can explain the difference between misinformation and disinformation, and act responsibly by not sharing claims I haven't checked.

Words to know

quality
How trustworthy and useful information is: who made it, what evidence it uses, how current it is.

bias
A one-sided way of presenting information that favours one view, often by leaving things out or using loaded words.

accuracy
Whether information is correct and true.

lateral reading
Leaving a website to see what other reliable sources say about it and its claims.

misinformation
False or misleading information that is shared, sometimes by people who believe it is true.

disinformation
False information shared on purpose to mislead people.

primary source
A first-hand source made by someone who was there or did the research: an interview, a diary, a photograph, original data.

secondary source
A source that explains or reports on primary sources, such as an encyclopedia article or a textbook.

Remember from Grade 6

In Grade 6 you verified sources by asking Who made it? When? Why? and by cross-checking facts in two or more reliable sources.

In Grade 7, the curriculum asks you to evaluate the quality, bias and accuracy of information. That means looking more closely at each source, like a detective, before you use it in your writing.

Three things to evaluate

1. Quality: Is this a strong source?

Is the creator an expert, an official organization, or a person with first-hand experience of the topic?
Does it show evidence: data, research, named sources?
Is it current enough for the topic?
Does it separate facts from opinions?

2. Bias: Is it one-sided?

What is its purpose? To inform, to sell, to persuade, to get clicks?
Does it use loaded words (shocking, disaster, miracle)?
Whose perspectives are missing?
Every source has some point of view. Bias doesn't always mean you can't use a source, but you must know about it and balance it with other sources.

3. Accuracy: Is it true?

Read laterally: open new tabs to find out who runs the site and what other reliable sources say.
Cross-check facts, numbers and quotations.
Find the original: if a post says scientists say, which scientists? Where is the study?
Check images: photos can be cropped, edited or made by AI. Videos can be cut to change their meaning.

Lateral reading: leave an unfamiliar site and check it from the outside.

Five sources on one question (all pretend)

Research question: How does screen time affect sleep for students my age?

A web page from a national health organization, updated in 2024, explaining the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth, with links to research.
A web page selling a special glow pillow: Our pillow ENDS screen-time sleep problems overnight! Buy now, 40% off!
A viral post with no name: Scientists say ONE minute of phone use at night ruins a whole week of sleep!!!
A newspaper article from 2009 about teens and flip phones.
An opinion column by a Grade 8 student: Reading on my tablet helps me relax before bed.

Source	Quality	Bias	Accuracy	Verdict
1. Health organization	Expert organization, recent, links to research	Low; purpose is to inform	Matches other official sources	Strong source. Use it for facts.
2. Pillow seller	No evidence shown	High; purpose is to sell	Ends problems overnight is an unproven promise	Don't use for facts. It could be an example of persuasive marketing.
3. Viral post	No creator, no study named	Made to shock and get shares (loaded words, capitals)	Can't be traced; exaggerated	Don't use. Likely misinformation.
4. 2009 article	Was reliable, but old	Medium; reflects its time	Phones and apps have changed a lot since then	Use carefully, only for history, e.g. how screens have changed.
5. Student column	One person's experience	One perspective (opinion)	True for that writer, not proof for everyone	Use as a perspective, not as a fact.

Evaluating each source for quality, bias and accuracy before deciding how to use it.

The five pretend sources placed on a scale from don't use to use for facts. The middle sources can still be useful, as long as you say what kind of source they are.

Worked example

Let's read laterally to check a claim

Check source 3: Scientists say ONE minute of phone use at night ruins a whole week of sleep!!!

Who posted it? There's no name and no organization. That's a warning sign.
Find the original: search the claim plus the word study. No study with this finding turns up, only copies of the same post.
What do reliable sources say? Health organizations explain that screens before bed can make it harder to fall asleep, and many advise turning screens off for a while before bedtime. The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines recommend 9 to 11 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night for ages 5 to 13.
Compare: the reliable sources give sensible advice. None says one minute ruins a week. The post took a real idea and exaggerated it.

The claim is inaccurate (exaggerated misinformation). Use source 1 instead, and don't share the post.

Worked example

Let's record and describe a source honestly

You decide to use source 1 and quote source 5 as a student perspective. How do you record and describe them?

Record source 1: Name of the organization. Title of the web page. Website name, updated 2024. Web address. Viewed October 12, 2026.
Record source 5: Student's name. Title of the column. Name of the newspaper or website, date.
In your writing, tell readers what kind of source each is: According to the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines... versus One Grade 8 student wrote that...

Readers can tell a guideline from an opinion, and they can find both sources themselves.

Just for fun

Riddle: What has thousands of shares but not a single source?

The viral post in this lesson! Popular is not the same as reliable.

Being a responsible digital citizen

Pause before you share. If you haven't checked it, don't pass it on. Sharing misinformation spreads it, even if you didn't mean to.
AI chatbots can be wrong. They can state false facts confidently and can even invent sources that don't exist. If you are allowed to use one, check every fact in reliable sources and follow your teacher's rules about saying how you used it.
Credit creators of words, images, music and data every time.

Hands-on activity

Kitchen-table fact check

You need: five texts from around your home (for example a cereal box, a flyer from the mailbox, a news article, an advertisement, an instruction manual), paper, a pencil, and a grown-up for the online part.

Draw a table with columns: Text, Quality, Bias, Accuracy, Verdict.
For each text, rate quality, bias and accuracy as high, medium or low, and write one reason.
Circle a claim on the cereal box or in the ad (for example packed with goodness or the best in Canada). Is it a fact you could check, or an opinion made to sell?
With a grown-up, choose one checkable claim and read laterally: who says so, and what do other reliable sources say?
Write a one-sentence verdict for each text: I would / would not use this for facts in a report, because...

Your turn

Name the three things the Grade 7 curriculum asks you to evaluate about information.

Give two signs of a high-quality source.

Give two signs of bias.

What is lateral reading?

What is the difference between misinformation and disinformation?

A website about a new video game is run by the company that makes the game. Is it a good source for reviews of the game? Explain.

Is a diary written by a soldier during the First World War a primary or secondary source?

More practice: warm-up

What does accuracy mean?

True or false: if a source is biased, it is always useless.

Is an encyclopedia article a primary or secondary source?

Name one loaded word that might signal bias.

What should you do before sharing a surprising post?

More practice: on your own

A post shows a photo of a polar bear walking down a main street in Toronto. What should you check, and why?

Which is better for facts about Ontario's provincial parks: a page on the Ontario government's parks website or a comment on a forum? Explain.

An article about a local fishing ban only quotes people who agree with the ban. What kind of problem is this, and how could you fix it in your research?

Why might a 2012 web page about smartphone apps be a poor source for a report today, while a 2012 page about how beavers build dams could still be fine?

Rewrite this note so it describes the source honestly: Experts say cats are better than dogs. (Source: a pet-food company's ad.)

Challenge

A chatbot gives you three facts and a book title about Inuit throat singing. Explain what you would do before using any of it.

Write a short evaluation (quality, bias, accuracy, verdict) of this pretend source: A video by a famous gamer saying energy drinks help you think faster, with a link to buy his brand.

Explain why sharing misinformation by accident is still a problem, and what a responsible digital citizen does instead.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which source is likely the highest quality for facts about safe ice thickness?

What is a sign of bias?

What does lateral reading mean?

Someone posts a false rumour on purpose to fool people. This is…

Which is a primary source about a community's flood?

A friend shares a shocking claim without a source. What's the best response?

For parents and teachers

Big idea (D1.3): Grade 7 students evaluate the quality, bias and accuracy of information, verify the reliability of sources, and record the creator and source of content created by others. This connects to Strand A: research and information literacy, including misinformation (A2.3), and digital citizenship (A2.1).

How to help at home:

Model lateral reading: when you see a surprising claim, say aloud Who made this? Let's check what others say.
Talk about ads together: What is this trying to make us do?
Discuss family rules about AI tools and about sharing posts.

Common difficulties:

Judging a site by how it looks. A polished design doesn't mean accurate content. Check who's behind it.
Thinking any bias makes a source useless. Teach know it and balance it.
Treating opinions as facts. Ask: Could this be proven? By whom?

Facts used: The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth recommend 9 to 11 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night for ages 5 to 13 (8 to 10 hours for ages 14 to 17). Caffeinated energy drinks sold in Canada carry a label saying they are not recommended for children. The five sources in the lesson are pretend. Supervise internet searches.