Getting Ready for the Research Project

Today’s students will be conducting all of their research online. With all of the state standards that need to be taught, how do you teach them how to do the research? Library Learning Commons has developed quite a few good resources to assist you. The site is divided into 14 sections. Some of the sections are geared toward older students will a base knowledge of research, but with the help of an adult younger students can be successful in developing questions, selecting the types of items to find the research, locate the important information and create a project based on their findings.

The note-taking one is where I have found most useful. Under this section, it is divided into 4 areas-reference, book, journal and website source. Below each of the section is a template found in pdf and Word format that allows for modification. The template is something that can be adapted to fit the needs of many students of various ages and abilities.

Another section that caught my eye was Developing Questions section. The available attachments are easy to follow and understand. By following the graphic on the document, students of all ages are able to create their own research questions.

This site does seem to be one that will be an additional piece to help your students. It is not one where the kids can work independently on a computer. The teacher will need to select the items that are most beneficial to their class.

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March 21

Safe Searching

With all of the researching and computer use children are doing in the schools, it seemed appropriate to locate some great child friendly search engines. Below is a list of them that have proven to be safer than some of the more popular ones adults use.

Kidsclick The safe little search engine that could! Conduct a safe search and watch it streamline Google safe search results for kids at home and at school.
Factmonster A free reference site for students, teachers, and parents.
Quintura Kids The first visual and intuitive search engine for children with content filter and safe browsing.
Ask Kids Allows users to ask a question in plain English, confirms the question, then takes them to one web site that answers the question.
Boolify Drag the puzzle pieces to the window and type a word in each piece. When they are place together it creates the search.

If you have others that you use and would like to share, please send me an email using the “thoughts…” field on the right side of the page. I will add them to this list.

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February 23

Jackpot for Writing

Children today are expected to compose online, which includes the entire writing process. The class sits down at their computer, opens a writing program and stares at a blank screen. The direction: write about anything you want. Some children begin writing while others fiddle with their mouse or look around the room while searching for a topic. Story Starter has solved that dilemma if you are looking for a fiction story that’s a little out of the ordinary.

Story Starter is a fun way to help a child choose a writing topic. The screen shot above is how your next prompt will be decided. Click on the “spin” lever to make all four wheels go and will stop at random times. If one section is not desired, simply click on the “spin the wheel” button that is aligned with that section. At the top of the window is the full prompt. Beware that the topics are less than ordinary as the prompt above states Write a letter to a million-year-old cantaloupe who stars in a TV show.

Another feature that is beneficial is that the language of the topics is age appropriate. Before pulling the lever, you will have the option to choose your grade level ( K-1, 2, 3 and 4-6).

The next step is the writing of the topic. The author will select from four options: notebook, letter, newspaper and postcard. Each option will have a text box and an option to add a drawing, using a pencil, various colors, selection of line thickness and an eraser-if needed.

There is not option for the work to be saved making this activity a one class project.

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February 15

Digital Scrapbooking

Whether you are studying famous Americans, characters in a book or a location, Scholastic’s Scrapbook is perfect.

Upon entering the site, the student will be asked to type the title of the book and the character. If you were studying a famous American, you would type in the time period he/she was alive or the name of a battle that he was a leader in.

The next screen will have two sides. On the left is a drawing area. It offers options for humans and animals. The animal options are dogs, pigs, mice, a cricket, fish, a mole, horses, cats, a dragon, a monkey, a bull, a rabbit, a giraffe, an owl, a dinosaur, a turtle, or a gorilla. These images are as is and do not offer an option for additional accessories.

The human images offer more variability. You can change skin color, hair, eyes, nose, mouth and clothes. The completed picture is of the shoulders and head.

On the right side of the screen is a table where students can type in various things regarding this person. Using the arrows, you can scroll through the options that are 10 Words to describe the character, details about their appearance, facts about their personality, challenges faced and accomplishments. Each line holds 60 characters where the students can type ideas or complete sentences.

There is also an option to print out a blank scrapbook page if you want them to draw their own picture. Scholastic has created a teacher guide with lesson plans and ideas for use of the scrapbook with various grade levels that can be found in the lower right hand corner of the screen.

How can you use this in a classroom?

character study in different forms of media
famous Americans, artists, historians
analyzing historical and current structures
whole group or on an interactive white board
independently on student computers

Category: interactive white boards, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies | LEAVE A COMMENT

January 19

Researching the 21st Century Way

A research project is in order. Back in the day, we would go to the library and gather information from the encyclopedia. We may copy pages and then highlight important information or write notes in the margin. Boy have times changed. Now the young researchers will go to the computer and look up information. The challenging part is that while they are trying to refine their skills of locating the important information, the pages are sprinkled with various distractions. Yet this is a task that today’s students need to learn.

Notable Capture allows you to capture a page, select areas and write notes. This will prove to be a valuable resource on many levels. As children begin research on the internet, they need to know how to read a webpage while ignoring the extra items peppering it. The screen shot below shows a webpage where the different areas have been selected. As they are selected, a comment area is available where you can add a description. (The areas inside the yellow boxes are selected. The gray box below Bald Eagle is the comment box.) This would be great for a whole group assignment when teaching students how to read a webpage and locate the information or buttons on it.

The free portion of the site allows you to save up to ten pages in your account. The teacher would locate the resources and add the URL. This would create the screenshot. Once the students log in to your account, they would select the webpage of their group and begin working. If you were to group your students in no more than 4 people per group, you could give them items to look for on a webpage and they could add comments to sections that answer the teacher-directed questions. This would teach them how to read a webpage as well as locate information on it. Until your students are old enough to handle this task on their own, it is highly suggested this is done with adult supervision. Enlist the help of the parent volunteers that offer to assist in the classroom.

One of the best features of the site, as you are learning how to use it, is the chat feature in the lower left hand corner of the screen. Clicking on the tab automatically connects you with someone who can answer all of your questions and will lead you around the site.

How can you use this in the classroom: