Challange 3

Challange 3

SIRS Discoverer

1. Armadillos- Most of the first articles on armadillos seem to be Easy to moderate reading levels. I like to sorting ability by Lexile levels, although I do not know the scale off the top of my head, it makes it easier to find the reading levels for students. With this search, using the date sorting ability is not a top priority so I am glad it is just an optional ability.  I like the way that SIRS puts the ‘file’ tabs at the top of the page to narrow searches by type of resource and that the key for reading levels and article features are always listed at the top of the page.

2. I selected Ireland to explore the country facts in SIRS. I think the country facts chart is very useful in this instance, as they may not be mentioned in various articles. I especially like the Historical maps found in SIRS. I think they could be useful as a backdrop to a historical fiction read or Social Studies lesson as many students may not realize the major changes in our country or others throughout history. The last section I explored was the Biographies.  I like the hint to use the last name as well as the ability to browse by last initial for those who may have trouble spelling. In all the articles I like that ‘Citation’ is listed. As Common Core becomes more natural to us as teachers it will be an asset to have them easily available so students can see the proper format, and for now is a reminder to teachers to remember them.

SIRS Issues

1. One of the first things I like about issues is the alphabetical listing on the page. With the ‘real language’ use in Google and other search engines, students often are frustrated with resources like databases because they are not used to having to think critically about the keywords they use to search. As I look at topics I like that there is an overview to define the subject for those who may not be familiar with the terminology and often magazine or newspaper articles may skip over some of the explanations in order to save space. The Pro/Con section also uses the term essential questions, which is another common core term that will be heard more often in classroom research.  The see also reference is helpful if a student’s questions fall outside the questions posed in the essential questions area.

2. The Curriculum pathfinders are an interesting way to start a project. The when scrolling across the core subjects at the top of the page it shows a list of the course topics along the left and a Wordle type of list of possible topics. For those older students who have a tough time getting started this might help. In the Lanuage Art section I found Fairy tales. Most of the articles were older but ones that may not have showed up in a typical search for fairy tales.