Most students are asked to “do research” without being taught how to tell a real source from a fake one.
This free resource gives you and your students the CLEAR framework, a structured way to evaluate any website or article.
CLEAR stands for: Current, Legitimate author, Evidence provided, Accurate, Reason for writing. Five short questions students learn to ask of every source.
What’s inside:
- The CLEAR framework explained in plain English: what each letter means and the questions to ask
- An academic integrity snapshot: referencing, plagiarism, and why source evaluation matters
- A blank CLEAR template for students to use with any website
Perfect for:
- A single research skills lesson
- A scaffold for any research-based task
- Library lessons and teacher librarian programs
- Years 5 to 9 classrooms
Why it works
Source evaluation is one of those skills most students are expected to have and few are explicitly taught. The CLEAR framework gives them a structure, gives you a teaching tool, and gives both of you a vocabulary to talk about credibility, bias and trustworthy information.
Ready to take it further?
For the full lesson, including two fully annotated modelled examples, four practice sources with worked answers and multiple CLEAR templates, see the Evaluating Information Sources Workbook. You’ll find it, and my other resources, in my Shareify store.
About Sarah
Made by Sarah Hodgson, teacher librarian, with 12+ years in primary classrooms (Prep to Year 6) as a classroom teacher, curriculum coordinator and teacher librarian. Information literacy is one of the quiet skills I care most about. It underpins how kids think, research and decide what to believe online.
