Lesson 4--SIRS Discoverer

 

     I looked up armadillos and went straight to the graphics tab as my students would probably do.  There I found several pictures of armadillos, some in their defensive ball position, some as babies, some as adults, and a chart including information about armadillos.

 

     On the main page, I found many articles from various magazines for young people and from reference books.  These offered the option to have the article e-mailed to me and included citation information and a read aloud feature. Lexiles scores were included for each article and the heading at the top allows the reader to learn more about how to research and cite their sources.  I can even feature this information on my Facebook page with a button at the top.  I played with the translate feature and was able to see the same article in Chinese.  Amazing!

 

 

    Something that really got my attention in the "Country Facts" section of SIRS Discoverer was the graphic organizer which came ready to print.  I was impressed by having a direct link to the country's (I chose Bolivia) official government webpage.  I know this is not someone else's interpretation of the information.  Students can make decisions for themselves.  The Fact Monster link there had me lost with so many great activities for students like geography hangman, math flashcards, and even a conversion calculator.  I'm so glad I took this challenge!

 

 

    In checking out "Maps of the World," again I was lost in the treasure of maps available.  Forget about potential use, I'll definitely be using these historical maps on a regular basis for my American history classes.  Specifically, I found a map of Boston in 1775.  Rather than my students having to put up with my crude drawings on outline maps, they can see these beautifully detailed maps made especially for that particular period when we cover Paul Revere's ride, for example.

 

     This adventure just gets better and better!  I decided to look at the "Nonfiction Books" section as my last database feature, thinking that I would find a list of suggested books, but, instead, was able to download the entire DK Eyewitness Civil War book!  This will be a great resource for me in my American history class when I want to find pictures and articles not included in my textbook.  There are so many great books listed, and I'm anxious to share this discovery with my colleagues.

 

 

SIRS Issues Researcher

 

     Genetically modified food was the issue I chose to research.  I found very up-to-date information there, including the very recent announcement in the "LA Times" about Cheerios going GMO free.  I was given two citation options, a summary of the article, a list of many similar topics with live links, and a read-aloud feature.  I already have my opinion, but my eyes were opened by the articles I found in the "viewpoints" link, giving the other side of the story.  Looking closer, I found a timeline, which gave a chronological run-down of food and nutrition history.  The "My Analysis" link gave me a great deal of advice on researching and writing about my topic.  The "Note Organizer" looks like a lifesaver tool as far as organizing my material for my paper.

 

     Under "Curriculum Pathfinders," I chose social studies.  The next page showed me a graphic with many possibilities for research topics (all links for further inquiry).   To the right were two interactives, one entitled "Eyewitness:  American Originals from the National Archives" and the other a nuclear weapons interactive game from the Nobel Prize organization.  Both of these would be sure to get the attention of serious and not-so-serious researchers and maybe even grab the attention of those students who may be protesting the assignment!  Next, I went to the civics link, then to the "Newseum Digital Classroom."  I registered for free and was then able to open up and use many, many valuable resources for the classroom, one being a "Protesting for Right" timeline.  This allowed me to click on various years or events which opened up digital images of primary sources, categorizing them into legal, social, and economic groups.  There was a tab for lesson plans for a variety of civics, history, and media topics.  I had no idea there was so much available to me for free!