35 Evaluating Evidence

Chapter & Discussion

This chapter includes a presentation that can be navigated in a classroom setting or independently. You can access the presentation via the link below.

Reading for Science & Social Studies: Evaluating Evidence

Work through the different sections of the chapter and discuss ideas and topics as they arise. If you’re working independently, take notes instead. Notes and active discussion will be helpful in navigating this week’s assignments.

Overview

The GED Reading, Science, and Social Studies tests all have elements where they ask you to evaluate claims and evidence.

• This means looking at articles and determining:
• Whether the author makes a good argument
• Whether the author backs up their argument with good evidence
• Whether you can trust the person who wrote it

Today, we’ll look at these elements and practice skills for evaluating them.

A Good Argument

The first thing you’ll need to figure out is whether the author makes a good argument. The first step is to read it carefully and be able to say what the main idea is. Next, decide if it meets the following criteria.

A good argument:

• Appeals to logic instead of emotions.
• Relies on facts rather than opinions.
• Is clear to the reader. We don’t have to work hard to figure it out.
• Is well organized. The author made it easy to digest and didn’t include unnecessary information.
• Has evidence for everything it claims.

Good Evidence

The next thing you need to do is determine if an article uses good evidence. Here are some criteria.

Good evidence:

• Comes from primary sources (who were there) rather than secondary sources (who were not).
• Comes from peer-reviewed studies from trusted universities and colleges.
• Is easy to fact-check.
• Tells you where it got the information.
• Does not rely on opinions.

A Good Source

The last step towards evaluating a case is to look at the person presenting it. There are a few things you’re looking for here.

• Is this person an expert on the topic? Do they have good credentials to speak on this topic?
• Is the institution they come from trustworthy? This could be their university or their publisher. Any reason not to trust that organization?
• Is there any reason this person might have bias? Do their claims benefit them personally in any way?

Assigned Reading

Here are this week’s readings. Additionally, please read for your own personal enjoyment for 1/2 hour each day. This will be called your “Reading Zone” reading and it will coincide with many upcoming activities.

Evaluating Evidence by John Green (via Crash Course)