Team+2,+ref+log+1a

//World book digital libraries; inventions and discoveries//. Retrieved (2010, February 9) from []
 * Team 2, Reference log 1a: Encyclopedias ||  ||<   ||
 * Reviewed by Sarah ||

After reviewing sources from my elementary school library, I decided to turn to resources more suitable to the older student. This one is definitely for older students; mostly those interested in science. At first glance, this really is mostly about inventions. Clicking on the agriculture link on the main page takes one to more links on farm implements. These items are then explained, print encyclopedia style on each page, with illustrations to match. Each entry has such links, and all the information included is enlightening and interesting. I then went deeper into the sight, looking at the “Interactive Features” link. This link provides activities by subject and type. Although the subject listing of activities is interesting, the ones that really caught my eye were the activity-type listing. There are activities for almost every subject listing included. Teachers could use these activities to help enhance their student’s knowledge of many subjects. Also enjoyed were the videos, animations, and additional web site listings. While I had heard of many of the links, some were new to me and would probably be new to classroom teachers. Each item I clicked on gave me more information than I would have thought. All information included was appropriate, useful and informative.

Grades: As I stated above, this is appropriate for the older student. Accelerated middle schoolers (mostly 8th grade) and high school level students would find this useful for science projects and research.

Subject(s): Science and math based students would find this especially helpful. Teachers of these students could use the section of the site that includes lesson plans. Each category includes a lesson plan for that unit. While it may not work with the current standard of learning, with a little tweaking, it would be fine.

Rating: Not expecting to love this resource, I was completely taken aback at its available information. After thorough study, I would give this resource a **10**, based on the information available to both the student and the teacher. Students can ask questions to which video answers are given. Teachers can post and use lesson plans. Other, related, websites are available through a link. This is a wonderful resource and one that I hope gets thorough use each day.
 * ||< //Sabrina's// comment : Sarah, I agree with your comment about liking the activities. Not only will this website be great for research, but also a great tool for teachers. Activities, or performance-based tasks, are a huge focus of standards-based classrooms, so I think this will be great to assist teachers in that. I also like the link for the citation builder. This will help teach students the information necessary to properly cite material.

//Lisa's// comment : Great website for high school students and advanced readers in middle school. I particularly like the ability of the student to save articles to either to "My Research" (a password-protected cyber-storage area) so that he or she may find it later for use in a research assignment, or save articles as pdf files on one's hard drive or flash drive. Citations in MLA format are also provided for students at the end or each article. I agree with the high rating. || Encyclopedia.com. (2010). Retrieve February 6, 2010 from www.encyclopedia.com
 * Reviewed by //Sabrina//

Until I completed the “research” for this reference log, I had never used an online encyclopedia before. I have used the CD-ROM version of World Book, but not a web-based encyclopedia. “Encyclopedia.com is a free online library with millions of current and archived articles from published sources you can trust.” Within the website, users are able to search encyclopedias, dictionaries, and thesauri to find definitions, pronunciations, word origins, facts, biographies, etc. Research categories include Earth & the environment, history, literature & the arts, medicine, people, philosophy & religion, places, plants & animals, science & technology, social sciences & the law, sports & everyday life. There is a basic search option on the home page for quick or general searches, but there is also an option to pick which resource category to use or which reference source to use. Reference sources include newspapers, journals, business magazines, government magazines, academic magazines, health magazines, sports & life magazines, popular publications, and basic reference sources such as dictionaries, news wires, maps, etc. Within each reference source, users can choose specific types or titles and from there find useful articles, archived material, etc. For example, under Newspapers I chose “U.S. Newspapers, local markets A-Dh.” From there I chose the Chattanooga Times/Free Press which includes over 13,000 articles arranged by date and sub-arranged by stories. This feature will be a great tool for school systems who are trying to implement High Schools That Work Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum. Between the reference sources and research options, students and teachers should have no problem finding information to go along with all subject areas. (The only disadvantage is that in order to read the full-text articles found under the reference sources, the user has to have a subscription to High Beam Research. This subscription gives the user access to 80 million articles and archives from 6500 publications. I wasn’t able to find the cost of subscription because they offer custom quotes). If it is feasible, I think this part of the site would be very beneficial for students to have access to. After browsing all of the options available to users, I did a basic search on William Shakespeare. I was supplied with information from The Columbia Encyclopedia 6th editions, World Encyclopedia, and The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. Not only was I given information from three very reputable sources, but I was also given the option to see the information laid out side-by-side. Along with this information, the Essential reading tab provides links to related entries from other sources including newspaper and magazine articles. (Articles accessed under the essential reading tab are full-text articles that do not require a subscription). Grade Level: 7-12 Subject Areas: ALL Quality Rating: 9  ||   ||<  //Sarah's// comment :Having access to more than one encyclopedia is beneficial to all students so they can verify and confirm information. All bases appear to be covered with this site, giving students access to so much information.

//Lisa's// comment : I agree with both Sabrina and Sarah, having entries from various encyclopedias is not only interesting, but very helpful for students conducting research. I was impressed as well to find related articles from newspapers, magazines and other sources listed below the entries, from more reputable publishers, including NPR. Great website, especially for free! || //PebbleGo//. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15, 2010, from [|http://www.pebblego.com]
 * Reviewed by //Lisa// ||

PebbleGo is an online encyclopedia of animals, meant for elementary-aged children. The home page has large, colorful graphics with no need to scroll down because all links are small enough to fit in the view of the screen, a plus for beginner users of the Internet. In the center of this screen, students can choose from a wide variety of animal information options such as amphibians, birds, animal habitats, and animal behavior. On the left-hand side of the home page, one can click on the “Animal of the Day” to see an article about that animal, click on the “Games” link for fun, or place a vote for the question of the day. Below these choices is a link for Resources for Educators, which includes standards, by state, lesson plans, and reproducibles. When the student hovers the computer mouse over any option, a voice reads the words shown (if the volume is on). At the top right corner of the home page, there is a simple search term box students can use to find information.

The great feature of this website is that once an animal’s information is pulled up on the screen, users can choose to hear a voice read the text. There is also an option to view a video of the animal. The child can print a picture of the animal or print the article, which displays in large text format for easy reading by young children. At the bottom of the screen, there is a citation button available with a simple citation provided.

The website is eye-catching and easy to navigate. Children too young to read will have no problem getting around because of the pictures and the options to have text read aloud.

Grades: //Elementary (Primary)// Subject(s): Science (Animals) Rating: 9
 * ||< //Sarah's// comment : Having worked with younger students, I find that they quite enjoy having text read to them. It can increase their comprehension. This site sounds like a good one for all involved as standards are posted, research is easy and citations are available.

//Sabrina's// comment : I agree that this cite is definitely geared towards younger students, but I can also see its uses in middle grades and high school. A lot of our classrooms are equipped with smartboards and the games this site provides would be a great, quick review to gets students interactive. I also really like the fact that information can be heard and seen. This will work great for students with disabilities or who have different learning needs. It is also very well-organized and seems easy to use for any age level. ||