185 information-literacy-research results | sort by:
return to subject listingTeaching Copyright - Electronic Frontier Foundation
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): copyright (46), plagiarism (33)
In the Classroom
Use when teaching essay writing and how to cite sources. Plan a unit on plagiarism using the resources on this site or incorporate them into your existing research units. Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students do the activities on this site independently or in small groups. The culminating activity here is a trial; plan to use this with the entire class with each member having a distinct role.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Vecteezy - Eezy Inc
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): creative commons (28), images (260), search engines (49)
In the Classroom
Users need to be able to use good search terms to find the best pictures possible as well as knowing how to save images on their computer. Use in the classroom any time that an image is needed for projects, even if it is not going to be put on a website for others to see. Be sure students are aware that any time another person's image is used, they must give full credit for it, even if that owner cannot see it. Demonstrate Vecteezy on a projector or interactive whiteboard so students know how to use it. Student groups can use Vecteezy to collectively find the best image to use for a project. Have students create a multimedia presentation using Image Annotator, reviewed here. For example, students studying renewable energy can use Vecteezy to find images of various renewable energy sources, then explain them using Image Annotator. Teachers can collect Creative Commons images for use on their interactive whiteboard for sorting activities (monocots and dicots, producers and consumers, etc). Never assume that your students, even the gifted ones, understand about giving proper credit and only using copyright-safe images (CC or public domain). Vecteezy makes it easier. Be sure to hold students accountable by including a "digital citizenship" category in your project rubric, requiring proper credit for all images. You will want to spot-check a few of the URLs to be sure they are actually correct credits. Share Vecteezy as an important tool on your class web page, wiki, or blog so students can access it anywhere, anytime.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Refdesk - Refdesk
Grades
2 to 12In the Classroom
Use this link in the resources section of your wiki, blog, or website for students to quickly find or use information from the Internet. Build information literacy as your students do research. As a beginning activity, have students use the same search term but use different search engines and identify the differences in the top results. Use Refdesk to find interesting information for writing prompts or discussions/blog posts for the day. Use this site for research projects, homework help, and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Spezify (beta) - Spezify
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Use Spezify on an interactive whiteboard or projector as you introduce a new topic in science or social studies or when the class asks "What is ____?" . With very young students or non-readers, use Spezify to help them find information they can understand and to inspire them to try to read some of the short text excerpts alongside the images. Activate students' prior knowledge as they recognize the images and remark, "I didn't know Edison was the one who invented that!" Visually show the "big picture" on any topic. As you teach research skills, try a comparison of Spezify results with Google results for both functionality of the search engine and reputability of the results. NOTE: Preview any search terms you plan to display in class if the terms could possibly bring up inappropriate images. You may need to adjust your terms. Of course your students know what they are supposed to do if something inappropriate comes up when using a search themselves, right? If you have not discussed this, now is the time!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Video: Web Search Strategies in Plain English - Common Craft
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): search engines (49)
In the Classroom
Share the video clip on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students apply the tips from this video during independent or cooperative learning research projects.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Visual Dictionary Online - Merriam-Webster and QA International
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): images (260)
In the Classroom
Science teachers will love this site. Most of the 15 categories revolve around science terminology that benefit from images. ESL and learning support students who have difficulty with verbal definitions will also find this resource helpful. Speech and Language teachers can use the Clothing and Articles categories to build student vocabulary. Use your whiteboard alongside your science text to clarify terms. Encourage students to study for tests by perusing this site.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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refseek - refseek.com
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): news (227), newspapers (91), search engines (49)
In the Classroom
Use this site to compare the validity of various types of reference material sources. Compare results of searches to teach critical reading skills and 21st century information literacy. Compare info from sources on this site to those in print materials. Encourage your students to use this tool for individual as well as group projects. Encourage ESL and ELL students to find sources with lower reading levels that still give the necessary information.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Art and Architecture Thesaurus - Getty Museum
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): architecture (65), thesaurus (22), vocabulary (238)
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Think Tank - ALTEC at the University of Kansas
Grades
4 to 8tag(s): air (103), science fairs (20)
In the Classroom
Share this site with your students before a new research project is assigned. Have students explore the site on individual computers while you model how to navigate the site on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Use this site to help students narrow down their research topic.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Define It Fast - WordNet 3.0 Princeton University
Grades
K to 12tag(s): dictionaries (48)
In the Classroom
Definitely investigate the free Search Engine download that's available to make this tool even more useful. This may become your favorite dictionary-- bar none. You may want to save this site in your favorites on your class computer(s), but see the cautionary note above about the FULL database of words available.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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YourDictionary - LoveToKnow Corporation
Grades
K to 12tag(s): thesaurus (22)
In the Classroom
Send students to this site to look up those difficult words. ESL and ELL students can use this site to practice the pronunciation of new words. Be sure to mark this site as a favorite or share on your teacher web page for easy access.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Word Reference - wordreference.com
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): chinese (44), dictionaries (48), italian (29), japan (56), japanese (47), korea (20), portuguese (22), russia (35), russian (25)
In the Classroom
Save this site in your favorites on your classroom computers for use by ESL/ELL and foreign language students or for use when studying derivations and word families in English (compare the same word across several languages to see how close they can be!). Students can take an active role in vocabulary preview work by using this site in prior to reading. Be sure to list this site on your class webpage so students can access this information both in and out of the classroom. If you are introducing new vocabulary words to your foreign language class. Have them use this site to find the appropriate translations. Then have the students work in cooperative learning groups to create online vocabulary guidebooks using a tool such at Bookemon. Have the groups share the online books on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Be sure to keep the links for future students to use the guides, as well.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Fact Monster Printables - Education World
Grades
2 to 8tag(s): search strategies (22)
In the Classroom
This site can be used for individual students, in a technology class, or as a parent-and-student together assignment. Be sure to see the Ideas for Using Hunt the Fact Monster in Your Classroom page for tips on using the hunts in your classroom. Before you launch your research project with younger students, use this exercise to solidify research basics or as a pretest to be sure everyone is ready. Challenge your more able students to create their own Fact Monster hunts on individual research topics and share them with classmates. Reading teachers can also use these activities to help students practice skimming and scanning.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Bibme - team exibeans
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): citations (32)
In the Classroom
This is a great tool for students who are both learning to cite correctly and as a helpful tool for those who forget some of the "little" things that count when writing a bibliography. It offers a great example, too, of the difference between what is in a "Works Cited" page and what actually appears in the text as a citation. Teachers can use this on a Smartboard or simply through a computer lab or projector to demonstrate the correct way to cite as well as mistakes to avoid. Be sure to include the link on your teacher web page for students finishing reports in the wee hours of the morning on the due date. Set up a free account for yourself so you can "save" example bibliographies. If you assign independent projects to your gifted students (or any student), be sure to make Bibme part of your instructions so they learn to organize their sources early on. If students are allowed to set up individual accounts, this tool is worth the time! They must be 13 or have parent permission.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Visuwords - Paul R. Dunn
Grades
6 to 12The color-coded word "entries" display like a mind-map or graphic organizer, showing parts of speech in different colors and showing related words and phrases, as well. Be sure to look at the color key at the bottom to understand all the information presented. This site requires FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..
tag(s): dictionaries (48), thesaurus (22), vocabulary (238)
In the Classroom
Introduce new vocabulary before reading or starting a new unit, using this site on an interactive whiteboard or projector. The distinctions, examples, and relationships the site features for new words will help students build better connections and understanding as they read and study the words in classroom context. English teachers will love this as a learning tool for teaching distinctions between similar words. Just remember to use it in a monitored situation (see above).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Douglas Harper
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): vocabulary (238)
In the Classroom
Mark this one in the Favorites on classroom computers or in links on your English teacher web page. Feature a word a week on a projector before you start your lesson to help students think about the evolution of language.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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One Look Reverse Dictionary - Doug Beeferman
Grades
5 to 10tag(s): synonyms (16)
In the Classroom
Customize search results to meet your classroom needs! Make this site available in your Favorites for ESL/ELL students to access as needed.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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English Picture Dictionary - Heinle Newbury House Publishers
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): dictionaries (48), word study (60)
In the Classroom
A great dictionary to bookmark for your ESL learners on your classroom computer for handy reference anytime.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Cook's Thesaurus
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): cooking (30)
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Identifying High Quality Sites - CyberSmart!
Grades
5 to 8Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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