Introduction

Research on the Internet can be overwhelming and sometimes frustrating. We created this website so 9th-12th grade teachers have a place to start. There are many more research and content sites that we could have included. We want to help you have some control of the Internet by starting with just enough information to help you take the next step to create your own research projects.

Purpose

to introduce you to search engines and tutorials that may help you find rich content on the web
to find existing web-based activities for immediate use in your classroom
to develop a simple web-based activity using one curriculum site that you can use with your students immediately

Searching Engines and Subject Directories

Choose at least two of the search tools below and search for information on "Shakespeare":

Search Engines	Subject Directories
Google	Librarian's Index to the Internet
Northernlight	Yahoo
Vivisimo	About.com
Ixquick	InfoMine
Using Questions in Search	Ask Jeeves

Fill out the Chart Below with what you found:

Search Tool Used	Number of Hits	Relevance to Topic	Special Attributes of Tool	Concerns about Tool

Open search.doc to type in directly into a Word document.

Try typing in "Shakespeer" in to any of the search tools to see what happens.

Go to AltaVista or Go and do the same search. What you will find is that more search engines are selling services to companies and placing them higher in the search results. This is also a concern for Yahoo and some of the other tools listed above. This is where you need to emphasize good tools for evaluating relevancy and validity of the site. Go to Wolfgram-Memorial Library Web Evaluation Site on your own time.

Searching Tools Chart
Use the tools chart to learn more about Boolean Operators and searching with combinations of phrases and words. Try looking up "chocolate chip cookie recipes". Then try to narrow the choices by eliminating all white chocolate recipes. Share one yummy recipe with another.

Tutorials

To become more proficient with search engines and subject directories, review one or more of the tutorials listed below on your own time.

Tutorials
My eCoach's Searching Strategies
Choose the Best Information for Your Search
Deb Flanagan's Web Searching Strategies
Searching the Internet: Recommended Sites and Search Techniques
Search the Internet - Tips from UC Berkeley

Web-Based Activities

1. With so much content-rich material on the web, spend a few minutes exploring one web-based activity that we have found for you.

Adventures at Dry Creek

Can you use this site with your students?
What do you like about this site?
What are your concerns about this site?

2. Using the collections below of web-based activities, find one or more lessons that you can use with your students right away.

The WebQuest Page

Blue Web'n from Pacific Bell

SCORE CyberGuides

Library of Congress Learning Page

PBS. org

TrackStar

Title	URL	Subject Area/ Grade Level	When and Where Do You Plan to Use This	How with Specific Classroom Organization

Download web.doc to use with activity above.

Create Your Own Web-Based Activity

Find one or two content sites to be used in the activity. Using the content rich sites below, develop your own simple one page web activity that you can use with your students immediately. Advanced students may want to find their own sites based on a topic they are teaching.

History/Social Science	Science	Math	Language Arts	Arts and Other Sites
Timeline of American Civil Rights Movement	Nine Planets	Math Forum	Electronic Beowulf	Music Sites
African Voices	Jason Project	Census Bureau	Online Writing Lab	National Gallery of Art
Three Days at Gettysburg	NASA Home Page	Algebra Tutor	English Forum (ESL/ELL)	Career Planning

Open Microsoft Word so it is in the background behind the browser. You can copy and paste URLs from the browser to your document quickly. At the end of this web Internet research activity, you should have a one page web activity on Word with the following components:

Place for Student Name and Date
Instructions for Activity
Website Title(s) and URL(s)
Questions or activities associated with website(s)

Email the lesson with the Word document attached to Barbara.

Place in email your name, school, grade level, and subject area. If you are really ambitious, put in the email the standard(s) aligned to the activity by checking out the California content standards or search the database for your state standards.

Feedback on this activity is welcome and can be included in the email.
Thanks!
Barbara Bray and the My eCoach team

Introduction	Purpose	Searching Engines and Subject Directories
Tutorials	Web-Based Activities	Create Your Own Activity