I then asked, “Do you think we need to research Mountain Walruses a little more and double check this website before we start sharing information about them?” They were quiet, and then someone spoke up and asked “So Mountain Walruses aren’t real?!” I responded “I don’t know…but should we do something to find out for sure before we share this information with others?” They all agreed.įirst, I went back to the Google search page and typed in “ Mountain Walrus“.

“We could move them to a protected area where their habitat will be safe.”Īt this point, I asked them, “Did anyone question whether this article was giving us reliable information?” Things quickly got quiet. “We can get a law passed so it’s illegal to hunt them.”

“We can tell our parents and see if they can help.” “We can make posters and tell other people about how it’s in danger.” Then I asked the kids, “What do you think we can do to help?” and immediately I got suggestions such as:

Then I had everyone come back together to share things they learned about the Mountain Walrus. I gave third graders a few minutes to look over the article in partners. I show them that the first website at the top of the search results was the one I had read, ( ), and the one I wanted to share with them. I make a point of opening a Google search page on the projector for them to see, and explain that I can type in “ Mountain Walrus” in the search box. To teach it for the first time, I tell students that I heard about a new animal that is in danger. While there are many different acronyms that can be used to help kids remember how to check the validity of a website, I like to use the R.E.A.L. Teaching students how to evaluate websites and determine whether they are reliable to use is an important skill, especially these days with the vast amount of information on the internet.

Websites for elementary students