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RAVEN to Assess Your Source

Tags

Social Studies Study Skills & Tools ELA: Writing ^21st Century Skills MS/HS/College Strategy

Skills

Verbal Reasoning Abstract Reasoning

RAVEN to Assess Your Source

If your student isn't careful about selecting sources for research papers

Teach It!

  1. Objective: Students will use the mnemonic, RAVEN, to help them evaluate the quality of their sources when they read and do research.
  2. Instruction and Practice: Work together with students in using the RAVEN mnemonic (next slide) to evaluate sources of assigned texts or articles. Choose a more straightforward example at first and work towards evaluating sources for texts where the considerations are more complicated.

*print* Student Checklist: Using The Raven Mnemonic Sources

  1. Reputation. Is the source known for being reliable? Conversely, does the source have a questionable reputation?
  2. Ability to be balanced. Is the source known for accurately portraying both sides of an issue? Conversely, is it known to be partisan?
  3. Vested interest. Does the source have a vested financial, political or social interest in readers/viewers agreeing with one side of the issue?
  4. Expertise in the area. Does the source have past experience and depth of knowledge in the subject? Does the source cite facts and credible sources when drawing opinions or conclusions?
  5. Neutrality. Does the source take a side on the issue? Does the source let its opinion skew the facts in any way?

Why It Works

Students have an overabundance of sources to choose from and deciding which sources are valid and reliable can be confusing. Providing students with a clear structure to evaluate a source, along with a mnemonic to help them remember, can go a long way in ensuring that they choose good sources.