Alright, fellow investigators, let’s discover some of the great elementary-school-level resources in GALILEO. There are often several ways to find what you need, so we have provided hints, tips, and suggestions to point you in the right direction and to help you when working with your students. Now, let’s start hunting…
- Find the GALILEO user view designed specifically for elementary students.
Tip for the Future:You can bookmark this user view or create a desktop shortcut to send your students directly to this page. Check the searchable FAQs for “bookmark” in the Help section of GALILEO for this.
- Find an article in a newspaper or magazine or an encyclopedia entry that discusses honeybees, Georgia’s state insect.
Suggested Databases: SIRS Discoverer, Britannica Elementary, Kids Search
- Adding images or video is a good way to jazz up a science project. Find an image or video on one of the following topics:
- Life cycle of a butterfly
- Solar system
- Fossils
Suggested Databases: SIRS Discoverer, Britannica Elementary
- Find a map of one of the following:
- An outline of the United States
- Georgia (physical and political)
- Four major oceans
Suggested Databases: SIRS Discoverer > Maps of the World, Britannica Elementary > World Atlas
- You need to find a couple of good websites about basic money concepts, but most of what you find in Google and Yahoo! is for personal finance and investing advice. Use GALILEO to find some suitable websites on this subject.
Suggested Databases: Discoverer WebFind (also inSIRSDiscoverer),Britannica Elementary
- Find a reading activity about the jungle for a kindergarten student.
Suggested Database: Britannica Learning Zone
Search Hint: Go to the High School user view > Databases A-Z to see a list of all the databases that you have (including Britannica Learning Zone and more).
Tip for the Future: The Kids page has a limited list of databases to make is easy for young users, but you can see all of the databases to which you have access by clicking the “All databases” link in Databases A-Z.
- Find an old photograph of, an interesting fact about, or a current map of your city or county.
Suggested Databases: Digital Library of Georgia, GeorgiaInfo, New Georgia Encyclopedia
Search Hint: Go to the High School user view > Browse by Subject > Georgia > Georgia History and Culture > Articles and Databases to see a list of resources for teaching Georgia-related topics from the state standards.
Tip for the Future: For databases that don’t appear on the Kids page, you can use Express Links to direct your students to that database. You can bookmark Express Links or create desktop shortcuts with them. To see Express Links, go to Databases A-Z (in High School user view) and click Express Links on the left to see a full list and to build a custom page with the databases you need.
- A 2ndgrade studenthas read the Magic Treehouse books and wants to find more like them. Find some suggestions at his Lexile reading level (300-500).
Suggested Database: NoveList K-8
Search Hint:Search by the book title or author name. In the detailed information about one of the books, click “Find Similar Books” to pick topics and limit to Lexile range. After you get results, click the Series tab.
Tip for the Future: Note the Quick Print feature on the list of book results.
- Find a list of books on the theme ofcourage for younger kids that can be used in the classroom.
Suggested Database: NoveList K-8
Search Hint:Note the Curricular Connections and Grab and Go Book Lists tabs in the search results.
Tip for the Future:For additional information about NoveList K-8 and a link to database tutorials with search tips and other suggestions to help you get the most out of NoveList K-8, click the “more>” link that appears beside the database name in the High School user view.
- You want to read an article called “Literacyand the Changing Role of theElementaryLibrary Media Specialist” by Toni Buzzeo from the April 2007 issue of Library Media Connection, 25(7), 18-19, but you don’t have this publication in your media center. Find the article in GALILEO.
Two Search Hints: The Magazines A-Z tab in the High School user view allows you to find full-text publications in GALILEO databases by entering the publication title in the search box. Also, the Find Cited Article tool allows you to find a specific article if you have the citation information.
- *Extra Credit* Find Educator Resources for classroom activities and professional development in GALILEO.
Search Hint:Go to the Browse by Subject tab in the High School user view.
Tip for the Future: Many databases designed for K-12 students include a section for educators. Particularly, look for these in Britannica and SIRS. Also, see the Help information in GALILEO for items to support librarians and educators.
February 2009