Lesson 4 -- SIRS Issues Researcher and Discoverer

Lesson 4 -- SIRS Issues Researcher and Discoverer

SIRS Discoverer 

1.  I looked up Labrador Retrievers, my favorite animals. A large number of results came back. the "sort by relevance" feature is a nice way to make sure you are reviewing the best match for your inquiry first. The key at the top of the page is easy to follow and understand. I looking at the first article on the page, the ability to print, share, and view the graphics separate from the article are nice features, as is the EasyBib link. I wish they had this when I was in high school/college writing research papers!:) Here's one of the images (with caption) from the article

2. I looked up information on the country of Norway, or as it is officially known, the Kingdom of Norway. The site provides good general information on the country including the capitol, population, size, climate, and language. The information on Norway's government was interesting to me, I did not know they were ruled by a king. I also didn't know that there were two types of Norwegian language, Bokmal Norwegian (official) and Nynorsk Norwegian (official). The fact that I found the most interesting was posted in the "Did You Know" portion of the page and reads, "Norway’s northern regions lie within the Arctic Circle. Nearly 70% of Norway is uninhabitable and covered by mountains, glaciers, moors, and rivers." The links within the context of the information are very helpful too, great way to dig deeper into research quickly. 

I pulled up the British Columbia, Canada map. The map shows basic geographic information, including: capitol, international border, province border, major and secondary roadways, and national and provincial parks. The map is very easy to read and would be a good tool for students looking to get a general lay of the land of a country. With this map in particular, students could get a sense of the province's proximity to the United States and what states border Canada. The roads and parks listed on the map provide information on how people get around and provide options for digging deeper into the landscape and culture of British Columbia. 

I selected the "Biographies" link and pulled up an article on Bella Abzug. This was a name I was not familiar with. I learned from the article that Bella was an avid campaigner for women's and civil rights. She was a served three terms in the U.S. Congress and was among the first people to call for Nixon's impeachment. The article also included this great quote, "There are those who say I'm impatient, impetuous, uppity, rude, profane, brash and overbearing....But whatever I am--and this ought to be made very clear at the outset--I am a very serious woman."--Bella Abzug 

 SIRS Issues Researcher
1. So as to not spark too much controversy (and my goodness there are some controversial issues included) I selected "Cellular Telephones." The "At Issue" topic was specifically "Cell Phones in School." The information provided, for both the pro and con argument, is very thorough and organized in a way that is easy for students to wade through. It provides enough information for students to develop their own perspectives and guiding questions to get them through the reasoning behind their stance on the topic. I clicked on the "timeline" in the research tools section. The basic information and graphics that supplement the information is simple and direct. It is very nice that the articles are relevant and current, I was able to pull on up from January 8, 2015.

2. For the "Curriculum Pathfinders" I clicked on the "Fine Arts" tab. There were a variety of courses, research ideas, and quick links. I selected the "opera" course and pulled up a list of three websites for more information on opera. Through the information listed, I discovered "Opera Glass." "Opera Glass" provides summaries of and information on many operas and reviews of opera performances. The list also included links to an opera foundation and the U.S. Opera, "a web resource dedicated to opera by American composers."