Georgia 3.T.RA.2.b
The Standard
Determine what makes a source text credible and relevant and identify examples. (I)
Georgia's K-12 English Language Arts Standards · Texts (T) · Research & Analysis
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students examine who created a source, where it was published, when it was updated, and what evidence it gives. They decide whether it can be trusted and whether it helps answer a specific question.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given two sources on the same topic, students can select the stronger source and explain their choice. They point to clues such as the author, publisher, date, supporting facts, and connection to the research question.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may trust a source because it looks polished or appears first in search results. They may choose an accurate source that does not answer their question, or assume every .org site is reliable.
How to Assess It
- Give students a museum article and an anonymous blog post about dinosaur diets. Ask them to choose the better research source and give one reason about trust and one about usefulness.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Have groups sort six printed source cards by trustworthiness, then circle details that influenced each choice.
Ask students to write which source they would use to answer a question and explain why another source does not fit.
Play Source Detective by awarding points for finding authors, dates, publishers, evidence, and details tied to a research question.
Compare two websites about local weather safety and choose which one families should use before an outdoor event.
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Printable 3.T.RA.2.b Worksheet
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Related Standards
- 7.T.RA.2.b
Analyze print and digital texts for credibility and relevance, determining whether the ideas and information support the topic under investigation. (I)
- 4.T.RA.2.b
Determine the credibility and relevance of a source text based on known information about the author and/or organization. (I)
- 6.T.RA.2.b
Analyze print and digital texts to identify features of credible, relevant sources and to determine indicators that might signal unreliable sources. (I)
- 5.T.RA.2.b
Determine credibility and relevance by assessing the strengths and weaknesses of source texts to support a topic or message. (I)
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