Net Searching - Y3

Understand why search engines are necessary to find web pages on the Internet, as well as how to use them.

At this age, use 'Kids Safe' search engines. Provide the children with a series of topics to research. For each one, the children identify suitable search terms to use, before entering them into a search engine.

WORKING TOWARDS - Pupils can enter given words into a search engine's keyword field.

MET - Pupils can identify suitable keywords to use with a search engine.

FURTHER PROGRESSION - Pupils make efficient use of keywords when searching on the Internet, rather than entering whole sentences.

Understand that not all websites on the Internet are reliable and trustworthy and that, as a result they should take care when browsing.

Discuss with the pupils the websites they have used before, then rank them according to how trustworthy and reliable the children believe them to be. Repeat with screenshots of potentially reliable or unreliable websites. During the discussion, draw out the criteria that the pupils are using to measure trust.

Search engines calculate how trustworthy a website is through a complex set of criteria. Pupils understand that, even though search engines are becoming increasingly effiecient at returning trustworthy results, they can still be tricked or manipulated. As a result, users should always consider search results carefully, deciding for themselves whether they believe the page to be trustworthy.

BELOW - Pupils understand that some websites are more reliable than others.

MET - Pupils can explain why some websites are more reliable than others.

FURTHER PROGRESSION - Pupils are able to identify a range of factors that they use and decide on the reliability of a site.