SIRS Discoverer

I am once again amazed by all of the available resources that I never knew about before. And the information that is provided is "solid"--as one of the videos indicated. I looked up Shaun White and was impressed by the various resources (Weekly Reader, Boys Life, etc.). The colorful icons for such things as reading level and photos make the navigation easy. Most of the articles were "Moderate" reading level--very easy to understand. With this type of labeling, you wouldn't find yourself reading something that was too complicated (and possibly becoming discouraged with your project). It was interesting to note that Shaun White's nickname was "Tomato"--because of his red hair. The articles really emphasized how young he was when he got started. I especially liked the Classroom Ready Monthly News, which had questions and answers at the end. It serves as a good review of the article.

Under the "Country Facts" feature, I looked up Jamaica. It brings up a very organized outline of information. I especially liked the way the history was listed in order with just brief descriptions. I also noticed that it shows the country's flag. When I clicked on "Country Facts," I was surprised at HOW MANY countries were listed! I didn't realize there were so many.

I looked up a map of the Great Plains for 1600-1750 (under the U.S Historical section). It showed with different colors what areas were forest and woodland, short/tall grass, etc. Maps like this would be helpful in studying U.S. history.

I looked up Shaun White under "Pictures" in the "Database Features" section and found three pictures. I tried clicking on "Dictionary," but nothing would load (probably something wrong on my end).

SIRS Issues Researcher

Because "bullying" is so much in the news, I chose that as my leading issues. I liked the topic overview--a good starting point--and found the "Terms to Know" section helpful. We hear these terms all the time but might not know exactly what they mean. The "Further Research" column on the right side makes it so easy to find out more. How I wish we would have had these resources way back when I was in school. I dreaded doing any type of research project back then. Now it would be actually kind of fun.

Under "Curriculum Pathfinders," I chose Math Games. Under "Figure This--Math Challenges for Families," there were some fun games using numbers. Once again, the information presented is so colorful and appealing, making learning fun.