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When students check materials out from the school media center, the materials have usually been checked by the media center specialist for unacceptable biases and proper authority. Materials on the Web are not subject to such scrutiny; anyone can publish anything and probably does. It's very hard to separate fact from fiction, truth from smoke.
Nowhere is this more true than on the issue of tobbacco. Those who oppose regulation on smoking have some of the most attractive sites on the Web. Smoking regulation proponents also have compelling Web sites (though the "Get Your Butt Out of My Face" did not make it onto the student list of sites).
From a social studies standpoint, it's important for students to understand anti-smoking legislation and who the supporters and dectractors of such legislation are. It's also important for students to be able to form and act upon their their own opinions on this issue.
From a more general educational standpoint, it may be useful for students to be exposed to biased material in a controlled setting so that they learn to recognize and factor in bias in viewing materials both on and off the Web.
Students will explore a variety of Web sites which advocate opposing positions on the regulation of tobacco. These sites have been checked for appropriateness for 5th and 6th graders as of October 23, 1996. Please keep in mind that Web sites can change at any time: You may want to look at the sites on the list yourself before turning students loose on them. Opinions run hot on this issue.
Attached to this page and to the student page is a worksheet which students might use in evaluating the sites they look at. To download it to your computer, click on the icon; a ClarisWorks file will appear on your desktop. Double click on the icon to launch ClarisWorks and open the file. You can make changes to the content and wording to make it fit your classroom and students, then print it out for your students to use.
The attached worksheet gives students space to evaluate three sites. There are thirteen sites on the list contained on the smokescreen student page. You may want to have students spend one period browsing all of the sites without rating any of them. A second period could be spent carefully evaluating three sites. Students could share their findings in small or large groups or might choose to write to the organizations which sponsor the Web pages to express their opinions.
