Week #2 Sirs Discoverer and Researcher

1. Armadillos

When I searched for Armadillos in Sirs Discoverer I found 70 articles, but when I looked at the tabs across the top it was neat to see that I could also find newpapers, pictures, magazines, webfind sites and other references. This would be great for doing research where we wanted kids to have multiple types of resources for their research. The lextile levels and the icons by each article made for quick refernces. For instance, if I wanted an article with a picture I could just click on the camera icon. The "Sort by" feature would also be handy to find text at a certain lextile level.

2. Data Features

When I went to the country facts button, I saw many countries and decides to click on Maldives. Their was so much information about the country from population to location to history. What a great and quick way to find a lot of information about any country.

When I went to the maps of the world button, I found many choices for maps. One way I could see using these maps in my classroom is to do a map study with the colored detailed map and then use the outline map of the same country as an assessment.

I also clicked on the Activities button to see what I could find...There were activities in many different categories, from art projects to social issue projects. This would be a great resource for finding activities to fit with lessons that I am planning for my students. There are step by step directions and the plays will be a great resource for reader's theaters in my classroom. Great Resources that never seem to end!

Sirs Issues Researcher

1. In Sirs Issues Researcher I clicked on Character Education and found a quick overview of the topic with more information available. I really liked the table listing the essential question followed by articles supporting and opposing the topic. What a great way to give children (or anyone) the knowledge of both sides of an issue. This was a quick reference with more articles available and a search engine if you wanted to search more information than what was presented.

2. When I clicked on the curriculum pathfinders button and then moused over the course subjects each one had a huge range of courses within them. I chose Science to look at more in-depth and found some great resources. There was a research ideas section, some science interactives, science tools, history about science, a section on science and society, and the main areas of science buttons.