Challenge Lesson 4: SIRS

SIRS Discoverer:
1. I decided to research koalas using SIRS Discoverer. I am so impressed by the information I was given and the organization of it all. I love the tabs at the top for weeding out the articles you are given so you can look at specifically newspaper articles, magazines, images, and so on. It makes finding information so much easier! I was given a variety of articles giving general information about the animal to related topics with years of publication raging from 1994 to 2014. I was given 30 different images including actual pictures of koalas as well as tools such as graphic organizers and other worksheets. The reading levels for the articles were mostly rated general or moderate but there were a couple easy ratings. What a great researching tool!

2. a. I chose the country Madagascar in the "Country Facts" section. This section is so nice! I love how it just gives you the basic facts about each country including population, major historical events, and currency in an easily laid out way. This would be so easy for elementary students to navigate.

b. One feature that I really liked in the "Maps of the World" section was being able to choose "Outline" maps which gives you maps of continents and such that aren't labeled. These maps would be great for students learning about the USA and teachers could use it as an activity and/or assessment tool by having students label each state. I also noticed one map that had a space for a capitol of each state too. I know this is something that I learned and was tested on in elementary school and is still relevant today.

c. I chose to look at the "Activities" section and I think it is so cool to have all those resources to add to lessons that teachers may be teaching. One thing I was surprised to see what a section of plays and read a louds that teachers could use in their lessons. What a cool idea and great way to get students involved in their learning.

SIRS Issues Researcher:
1. I chose to look at the leading issue "Vaccines for Kids" and was given a variety of different articles from newspapers, magazines and so on. The topic overview gave resources that showed pros/cons, global impact and statistics, terms that would be beneficial to know, as well as additional resources on the topic. I really like how the articles given are recent and that you have the ability to email it to yourself as well as print. It is also super nice that the citation is included at the bottom which makes creating a works cited page a breeze.

2, Under "Curriculum Pathfinders" I chose the subject Drama and I found a lot of Shakespeare's plays as well as play scripts for one act plays and so on. I was also given information about Greek, Roman, and English plays and different play writers. This is just a snapshot of the information given. I think this is a great research tool for high school/college students and even adults.