Lesson 4

SIRS Discoverer
1. Look up armadillos (or your favorite animals) and discuss the results. Note if you find pictures and the various reading levels of the articles. (Remember, articles in SIRS Discoverer are selected, so you may not find something from yesterday's news.)

When I looked up armadillos it told me there were 94 articles. It was then broken down by categories:
newspapers, magazines, reference, graphics, webfindsites.
I am able to sort lexile levels from lowest to highest or from highest to lowest.
Information is listed after each title, it lists the reading levels from general to challenging, tells you if the article has a photo or graphic  and some titles have pdf's listed. I think this site would be an excellent resource for the Kindergarten and First grade teachers at my school.


 2. Some of the most useful features in SIRS Discoverer are the "Database Features" located on the right hand side of the window. Explore this section by:

• selecting a country in "Country Facts" and noting the information located there.
• selecting a map in "Maps of the World" and discussing a potential use.
• selecting one other area in "Database Features" and discuss the information located there.

I chose South Asia and then Afghanistan. It listed the basic information for Afghanistan, showed the map and the flag of the country. The listen feature was something that would be beneficial to students and you can select what language you would like to hear it in.

Maps of the world - there are over 3000 detailed, printable maps available. I found the outline map to be an interesting resource for Geography classes. The printable feature would be useful for teachers also.

The next feature I explored was the NEW Animal Facts site. My younger students love to look at animal books and I think they would enjoy exploring this site. The animal list is sorted by name from A-Z. Once you choose an animal it looks like the  Discoverer  page. All the information is listed by lexile level and it tells you if the article has photos or activities to go with it.


SIRS Issues Researcher
1. Select a leading issue and discuss the information located there, noting the topic overview, research tools and articles.

ADHD - Pro/Con Issues
150 source types were listed
topic overview - Mental Health
it gave a timeline, global impact, stats, and a note organizer

 2. Select "Curriculum Pathfinders" on the right hand side of the window and mouse over the course subjects, noting the range of topics covered. Pick your favorite subject and discuss the information located there.

I chose Math Games. There were 14 results. There was a website for Math games that looked very useful for our lower elementary students. Visual sites for grades 9-12 and a website from a teacher for Math lessons.