South Dakota Library Challenge: Lesson 3

SIRS Discoverer

Armadillos

Picture title: Armadillo: Rolled Into a Ball
Caption: (Credit: CMSP Biology)

Armadillos are amazing!  I had a lot fun exploring some of the 84 articles about them.  The articles covered all ranges of reading levels with most of them being at the moderate level.  The picture above is the most interesting image I found among the graphics.  I knew they rolled into a ball as a defensive mechanism, but I had no idea they could be so spherical!  I was a little disappointed that the Ranger Rick articles do not include photographs and illustrations since they are such an integral part of the physical magazine and what make it so appealing to kids.  The meaning of the text looses a lot without them.

Country Facts

I chose the country of Chile.  The fact page provides a good overview of physical, governmental, and cultural details.  A brief chronological history is presented with links to pertinent topics.  The “Learn More about Chile” link takes you to the Subject Headings Search listing of 23 articles about Chile.  Additional resources are provided through links at the bottom of the page.

Maps of the World

This is an extensive resource!  I looked at different maps of India, the homeland of one of my volunteers.  She is always talking about various places and I wanted to familiarize myself with her country.  I also looked at the historical maps.  These would have been fantastic to have when I was teaching – especially the American History ones.  The outline maps would have been very useful two years ago when we were preparing for the “One World, Many Stories” Summer Reading Program.

Science Fair Explorer

This will be a great resource for the 2014 Summer Reading Program!  “Explore a Topic” offers seven choices and within each there are lots of science activities and experiments that can be done with things found in and around the home.

SIRS Issues Researcher

I chose “Gun Control” and was impressed with the vast amount and timeliness of information.  The majority of the articles were from newspapers and magazines.  The topic overview and pros and cons provide plenty of background and the research tools are fantastic.  The Graphics/Media category is great for visual learners.

It was fun to scroll over the Course Subjects in the Curriculum Pathfinders and see all the related courses.  The word cloud of research topics offers lots of ideas and starting points for brainstorming other possible topics.  I was drawn to the subject of Health and was surprised at the range of topics addressed.  I was thinking of exercise, fitness, and nutrition, but also included are mental health issues and interpersonal communication.  Another great resource I didn’t know existed!