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Finding reliable information

Lesson details

Learning outcome

I can choose reliable information and repurpose assets to improve the quality of the digital guidebook.

Key learning points

  1. Not all information found online is reliable or accurate.
  2. Information found online should be verified by using more than one source.
  3. Choosing reliable information will help to improve the quality of a final digital product.
  4. Assets found online can be repurposed for a project but copyright should still be considered.

Keywords

  • Asset - text, images, audio, video clips and other media

  • Source - where information comes from, for example, a person, a website, a book or a video

  • Repurpose - take something that already exists and use it again in a new way

  • Copyright - the rights given to the owner of a piece of work to control how it can be used

Common misconception

The first result on a search page is the best one.

Search results are ordered by popularity or advertising, not reliability, so it is important to check a range of sources.

Teacher tip

You could extend the learning cycle on analysing the reliability of information by getting pupils to research a number of facts online and then judge the credibility of their sources.

Equipment

Pupils will require access to the internet for this lesson and appropriate tools to search for and save information they find.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
(Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these is an example of information found online?

a printed textbook
a classroom whiteboard
Correct answer: a video on a website

Q2.
Everything you find on the internet is accurate.

true
Correct answer: false
It depends if it is biased or not.

Q3.
Which best describes success criteria?

a list of instructions that tell you exactly how to complete a task
Correct answer: statements that describe what a good piece of work should include
targets that cannot be changed

Q4.
How many stages are there in the project lifecycle?

three
four
Correct answer: five

Q5.
A is a visual planning tool used to generate, organise and explore ideas around a topic.

Correct Answer: mind map

Q6.
Biased information is ...

information that is accurate and correct
information that is out of date
Correct answer: information that favours one person, group or idea over others

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following best describes reliable information?

information that is the most reviewed online
Correct answer: information that is trustworthy, up to date and unbiased
information that includes images and multimedia assets

Q2.
Which source is most likely to provide reliable information?

a website with lots of adverts
an anonymous social media post
Correct answer: a government or school website

Q3.
Match each term to the correct description.

Correct Answer:asset,text, images, audio or video

text, images, audio or video

Correct Answer:source,where information comes from

where information comes from

Correct Answer:unbiased,does not favour one person, group or idea

does not favour one person, group or idea

Q4.
Which statement about copyright is true?

Editing an image removes copyright.
Giving credit means you can always use content.
Correct answer: Copyright protects creative work from being used without permission.

Q5.
When using AI tools to edit images found online, you should check and licences, and give credit where required.

Correct Answer: copyright

Q6.
Why might a website that is selling a product be less reliable?

It may be out of date.
Correct answer: It may be trying to persuade or promote something.
It cannot include facts.

To help you plan your 7 digital literacy lesson on: Finding reliable information, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...