About This Worksheet
This Grade 7 reading activity teaches students how to judge whether a source is trustworthy and useful. The article discusses whether homework should be assigned during school breaks and includes information from a research council, a professor, and an online blogger. Students compare these sources by looking at their expertise, evidence, and connection to the topic. For example, a professor who studies learning habits may offer stronger support than a personal blog post with no research.
Learning Goals
The lesson focuses on credibility, relevance, and evidence. Students learn that a source is credible when it has reliable knowledge or proof, while a relevant source directly helps answer the question being discussed. They also see that a confident tone does not automatically make a person trustworthy. This worksheet supports CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.8 and CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.8, which involve evaluating claims and gathering information from dependable sources.
Student Tasks
On this worksheet, students will read an argument about assigning homework over school vacations. They will identify the author’s main claim and examine the different sources used in the passage. Students must decide which sources seem credible and relevant, then explain the reasons for their choices. Their answers should consider qualifications, research, personal opinion, and whether the source truly supports the claim.
Common Challenges
Students may assume that every person named in an article is automatically an expert. Others may trust a source simply because it includes a title, a statistic, or a professional-sounding organization. Remind them to ask who produced the information, what experience that person has, and whether any proof is given. It also helps to point out that a source can be credible in one area but not relevant to the exact claim.
Teaching Suggestions
This worksheet can begin with a quick conversation about whom students would trust for different kinds of advice. A doctor may be a strong source for a health question but not necessarily for a question about school schedules. Parents can help at home by comparing a news report, a personal social media post, and information from a university website. Asking “How would this person know?” gives children a simple and useful way to evaluate credibility.
Worksheet Features
The passage includes several clearly different source types, which makes comparison easier for developing readers. The topic is familiar enough that students can focus on evaluating information rather than learning difficult background knowledge. Open-response space encourages them to explain their reasoning instead of choosing an answer without support. The printable format works well for media literacy, research lessons, and argument analysis.