SIRS

SIRS Discoverer
1. When I was looking for solar system information for a third grader who reads below grade level, I went to the advanced search typed in solar system, then you can enter the childs lexile reading level. That way you are assured that you can give the child information that she can read and comprehend.

2. The two ways I searched for volcanoes were hitting the science button on the first page, then on the right side of the next page I clicked on Geography, then volcanoes. Finally I clicked on the graphics tab and came up with 152 images. The second way was a keyword search for volcanoes. I clicked on graphics again and came up with 137 images.

SIRS Researcher
1. The debate between using Google and SIRS website was interesting. I found a PDF that said that only 10% of a Google search would be k-12 relevant or editor/teacher-reviewed. By going through SIRS it would save you a lot of time because you are assured that the web sites are reviewed for content and are accurate. So you are getting higher quality results immediately instead of having to sift through a lot of google sites.

2. Finding information for a civic discussion, I used 2 different searches, water restrictions and water conservation. I think both of these can be helpful with the discussions, although I didn't quite find what I was looking for, but again a lot of good information, including court cases.