Smart+Search+Activities

=Smart Searching=


 * Title: ||< Smart Searching: Getting REAL with Internet Searches ||
 * Subject: ||< Digital Research ||
 * Grade: ||< 5th, or any ||
 * Time Frame: ||< 4 class periods ||
 * Summary: ||< Strategies for thinking critically about information searches on the web; Using the acronym REAL, these strategies have been divided into 4 easy-to-remember approaches, or steps: ||
 * Tasks: ||< Getting REAL about Internet Searching

Class Period 1 1. ** R **ead the URL Ask students to find the extension in the domain names of a range of URLs. Be sure to offer a range that includes: .com, .edu, .org, .co.uk, ac.uk, .edu/~user
 * Do you recognize the domain name?
 * What is the extension in the domain name?
 * What does this the extension mean?
 * What can you tell about the site by simply reading the domain name (without even visiting the site)?
 * Are you on a personal page?

Class Period 2 2. ** E **xamine the Content Ask students to evaluate the content of pre-selected sites. //Optional//: have students use the "//Examining the Content Worksheet//" from November book (see Resources) to work through the websites
 * Is the information on the site useful for your topic?
 * Are additional resources and links provided? Do they work? Are they from a variety of sources?
 * Is the site current? Do you know when it was last updated?
 * Do you think the information is accurate?
 * Does the information contradict information you have found elsewhere?

Class Period 3 3. ** A **sk about the Author & Owner Have students visit a series of sites related to a given topic you have pre-selected. Using an assortment of sites that supply author information, as well as some that do not will be more effective. With each site, have students consider the following:
 * Is the author's name provided?
 * Is there a contact person or an address provided?
 * Is there biographical information provided about the author?
 * Does the author seem knowledgeable? Is he or she an expert in the field?
 * What kinds of results do you see when you do a search on the author's name?

Class Period 4 4. ** L **ook at the Links Have students hover over the forward links to see the URL of the link. What can they determine about that site, just from reading the URL? (see step1 above, //Read the URL//)
 * Forward Links
 * What are the URLs of the forwarded links?
 * Do the domain names change?
 * Back Links
 * What is linked to the Web site?
 * Why are they linked?
 * What do other sites say about the material/content on the site?

Examples: Please identify opportunities for differentiation. ||
 * [|Class Period 1]
 * Class Periods 2-4 ||
 * Objectives: ||< * What GLCE's or other objectives does this activity/lesson project meet?
 * questioning
 * critical thinking ||
 * Assessment: ||< How will you assess the students learning?
 * Resources: ||< * [|http://www.easywhois.com]
 * [|http:///www.archive.org]
 * []
 * some strategies and information taken from [|//Web Literacy for Educators//, A. November] ||
 * Examples: ||< * Links to teacher or student examples. ||

Discussion:
Use the Embed Widget tool to add a Discussion Area widget. Bump the number to 100. This will take the comments from the discussion tab and add them to the bottom of the page. This will encourage teacher reflection and modification.