SIRS Discoverer

1.  Very useful research tool for elementary aged on up classrooms. I liked the fact that you could sort the articles by date, relevance, and lexile.  These adjustments would be very helpful for those learners that get overwhelmed by too many choices. The color coded books for reading level would also benefit those students that struggle with reading. A teacher could add to the rubric that they needed the amount of articles from each category needed (general, easy, moderate, challenging).  Also a wonderful tool to check students resources.

2. I found it very user friendly when clicking on a country. It had all the facts listed, photo of the flag, and a map. Then I clicked on Learn More about Hungary. It brought me to the page we previously visited with all the articles and photos. There was also an Additional Resources section on the bottom left when I scrolled down. It took me to more sites with very useful information on Hungary as well. In my eyes....1 search and all the information just a click away. There is no need to check for authenticity at all!

The Maps of the World link would be perfect for a Smart Board Lesson or if each student has their own iPad or Chrome Book, they could study it, discuss as a class, or even explore the rest of the links attached. In little print there always a link called "show all articles related to this picture". I found that interesting as well for those that are always wanting more information.

I chose Educators Resources for the 3rd exploration. I then clicked Lexile Reading Levels. This would be useful to show parents if you were sending this site home to use as a research tool. It would explain to the parents what each section meant and how to navigate easier. It would also be beneficial to show older students when training them how to properly use the site.