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Web Wise: How to Evaluate a Website

When you search for information on the Internet, some of the websites you find will be very useful. Others won't have the information you need. Some websites will be easy to use and well organized. Others may be slow to load, difficult to use, or just plain confusing. Knowing how to decide if a website meets your needs will help you use the Internet more effectively. When you evaluate a website, you should look at how well it works as well as how useful the information is.

Imagine that you want to know how people recycle old cars. You might start by looking for a good website about recycling. Follow the steps below to visit and then evaluate a website from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As you explore the website, think about how well it works and whether or not it has the information you want.

  1. Print out this web page to use as a guide.
  2. Go to the EPA's Explorers' Club.
  3. Read the Explorers' Club Homepage. Then click Garbage & Recycling.
  4. Read the paragraph at the top of the page. Then move down the page and click the hotlink for Recycle City.
  5. Read the information about Recycle City. Then click Go to Recycle City!
  6. Read more about Recycle City. Then find the picture of the old car junkyard in the top left-hand corner of the city map. Click the junkyard. You are now in the northwest corner of the map. Click the sign that says Auto Wreckers for a closer look.
  7. Read about Joe Yoshino's Auto Wreckers. Then click different parts of the junkyard to find out about how Joe Yoshino recycles and reuses old cars. When you are done exploring the junkyard, return to the EPA's Explorers' Club Homepage by clicking the words in the blue box at the bottom of the browser window.
  8. Think about the EPA website you just visited as you read the questions below. Then circle your answer to each question.

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How the Website Works
  Does the homepage include an outline of the contents of the website?   YES NO
  Is it clear how to get to the different parts of the website?   YES NO
  If you explore several pages, is there an easy way to get back to the homepage?   YES NO
  Does the website link to other sites with more information?   YES NO

How Useful the Website Is
  Does the website have the information you are looking for?   YES NO
  Is the information stated clearly?   YES NO
  Is there information that you know or think is false?   YES NO
  Does the website have pictures or photographs that help you understand the information?   YES NO

On the lines below, write a few sentences telling whether or not the EPA's Explorers' Club is a good website. Explain why. Some questions you may want to think about include the following:

  • Did you find the information you wanted at this website?
  • Would you recommend the website to a friend?

    ___________________________________________

    ___________________________________________

    ___________________________________________

Return to Web Wise: How to Evaluate a Website by clicking the Close button on the browser toolbar.

Now go to Homegrown Solutions: Making a Plan to Reduce Garbage at Home. In this activity, you will work with family members to figure out how to make less garbage at home.

© Scott Foresman