Lesson 1: Common Core Connection

I chose the following standard from the South Dakota Department of Education website. (http://doe.sd.gov/octe/commoncoreStandards.aspx)

2.W.2 Write informative/ explanatory texts in which they introduce
a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.

World Book Online for Kids would be a great resource for kids to gain information before writing for this standard.  I would demonstrate the steps on how to access the World Book information on the Smartboard, pick a topic in the plants and animals section, and then would demonstrate how to gather facts.  I would give the students a graphic organizer to help guide their research. On the back of the organizer I would have an outline of how to set up a paragraph. Again, using the Smartboard, I would demonstrate how to gather facts and put them in written order using “our own” words. Then I would then have them work in groups on the computers to research a different plant or animal together. Once the students had their facts, I would have each student individually write a paragraph about the researched topic.  

Lesson 1: World Book School Edition

                   

    1. I chose to research killer whales, and I learned that they are a form of a dolphin. Even though they have “killer” in their name, they are not known for being harmful to humans.  Killer whales prefer colder temperatures and live in all the oceans.

Credit: © Martin Ruegner, Alamy Images

2. The information presented in World Book Student definitely expanded on the information that was presented in World Book Kids, and also used more scientific terminology.  There were additional features as well, such as a video and a link to hear the sound of the killer whale.

3. I was impressed with the various options with this search in World Book Advanced. I chose to search the country of Italy.  The initial search gave me primary sources, e-books, and groupings of various content from the articles (such as pictures). Once I clicked on the county, an outline of the information was on the left with the expanded information on the main screen.   The format of this is nice because it is designed like a web page and not just an uploaded “photo copy” of a journal article. I like the outline of the information along with the pictures. It provides a thorough overview while still being really easy to navigate and get specific information.  It would be easy to help students narrow their topic and keep it focused when writing a shorter paper.

4. In addition to reading the text aloud, World Book Discover offers the article to be translated in many different languages. This will help patrons and students that might be more comfortable reading in another language.