Information Sorting
After students have discussed this question for a few minutes, tell them that in either case, you need to start with information sorting.
Ask students what they think “information sorting” is, based on the name and what you’ve discussed so far.
After they have shared a few possible answers, have students access the student chapter Information Sorting or show the video on a screen or digital whiteboard.
Now ask students:
What problem does information sorting address?
- Having access to too much information, and not knowing what to pay attention to or to trust.
What are the two steps of information sorting?
- Companion reading and close reading.
Now have students access the student chapter Companion Reading versus Close Reading or distribute the handout.
Ask students to sort or fill in the graphic organizer by identifying the similarities and differences between the two ideas.
- You may choose to have students do this individually or in pairs, or do it as a whole-class exercise.
- You may also want to show the video a second time before they do this exercise, to give them another opportunity to understand the two concepts and the difference between them.
Now ask students:
Why is it important to do them in order – companion reading first, and then close reading?
- Because the purpose of information sorting is to reduce how much time and attention you need to spend. By doing companion reading first, you know whether or not it’s worth doing close reading of something. In other words, companion reading is partly about telling you which sources you can ignore.
Are there times when you don’t need to do companion reading and can go straight to close reading?
- When you’re looking at something that isn’t trying to be accurate, like a novel or a video game, or when you already know that something is reliable, like a newspaper or a government website.