EBSCO host

EBSCO is a great resource compiling mostly periodicals (newspapers and magazines). Other resources I have highlighted that are part of Ebsco are: Kids Search, Student Research Center, Searchasaurus, Literary Reference and Points of View.
Besides the general Ebsco search, there are more specialized searching for certain topics and content areas, targeted especially for high school students. Some of these more specialized searches include: “Advance Placement Source,” “ History Reference Center,” “Newspaper Source Plus,” “Science Reference Center,” and plain “EBSCO”. There are links for each of theses through AEA 11 http://www.aea11.k12.ia.us/ under the “Resources and Research Tools.”
All of these searches (General EBSCO and all specialized searches) are also available through Iowa AEA online http://www.iowaaeaonline.org/ and selecting EBSCO as well. After logging in with the user name and password scroll down and you will see links for these specialized resources that are a part of EBSCO. While you can search the general EBSCO and get the same articles, it helps in providing an ease in the search for a particular topic in the subject area.
In searching any of these you can type in a key word in the search box or use some of the advanced search option to include multiple words or the type of article you might be looking for.
Ebsco, can be effective if you are including current events or news articles as a part of your classes. Additionally if you are requiring students to do research on a topic, this can be a place for them to get information from reliable sources.

Kid’s Search, Student Research Center and Searchasaurus

This resource is also available through AEA 11 http://www.aea11.k12.ia.us/ under the “Resources and Research Tools.” You will need to go through EBSCO to access them. While you can get to this through AEA you also can use EBSCO to get to this as well which is linked through Iowa AEA online http://www.iowaaeaonline.org/ and selecting EBSCO as well.
What is it: This helps to find articles and information on topics students might be researching. This searches current newspapers, magazines, books and encyclopedias, animals, biographies, radio and news transcripts, state and province reports, primary source documents, and photos.
A student can search and have all the results or limit the results by clicking on the type of information they want (i.e. just magazines or newspapers). Additionally when students get their list of results on the left they also can narrow their topic down. For example with “Volcanoes” it gave options for “United States” and “Volcanic eruptions.”
One advantage of the magazines is the inclusion of the Lexile scores which helps to give the reading level and difficulty of the text. This way if students do know their lexile range, they can look at an article and know it’s difficulty prior to even opening the article. Reading level is also sometimes included for the state reports. The photo option when selected individually, will give a thumbnail of the photo if it is available. Lastly there is an additional encyclopedia and dictionary that students can search for information. This can be a great addition to Encyclopedia articles that students might find through Worldbook. Searchasaurus - K-5 (left)
Kids Search 6-8 (pictured above) Student reseach center 6-12 (right)

Novelist k-8 plus and Novelist plus

This resource is also available through AEA 11 http://www.aea11.k12.ia.us/ under the “Resources and Research Tools.” While you can get to this through AEA you also can use EBSCO to get to this as well which is linked through Iowa AEA online http://www.iowaaeaonline.org/
What is it: This is a great source when looking for titles of books. It searches both fiction and nonfiction. It additionally provides information on the books. Novelist k-8 is for elementary and middle school while Novelist plus is for middle and high school.
At the top you can do a basic search typing in the title, author, or subject. If it is something that it recognizes, it may prompt you underneath trying to finish what you are typing. On the left hand side there are other searches you can do. These are some of the topics under Browse: Award winners, author biographies, book talks, recommended books, book discussion guides, and curricular connections.
It also allows you to do more advanced searches and search for “alike” books by reading level or genre. Additionally it also allows you to focus on a target audience. You also can focus on fiction or nonfiction.
You can also get additional information on a particular book result that you get in a search including subjects/themes that are covered, a short summary, awards the book has won, book reviews, author websites, and other recommended reads.

Teen Health and Wellness

This resource is also available through AEA 11 http://www.aea11.k12.ia.us/ under the “Resources and Research Tools.”
What is it: as it sounds topics are related to teen health and wellness. Topics are listed and then are narrowed down into smaller topics (tree search). Also some article have related topics listed on the left part of the page.
The major topics include: Body basics; Developmental disabilities and disorders; diseases, infections and conditions; diversity; drugs and alcohol; eating disorders; family life; friendship and dating; green living; grief and loss; mind, mood, and emotions; nutrition, fitness, and appearance; safety; sexuality and sexual health; skills for school, work and life.
There also is a glossary that students can use and refer to. Lastly if you are reading an article, resources (both fiction and nonfiction) are included. If you want to incorporate fiction titles in with units, this could be one possible way to do this. This resource is also great in that it gives the “how to cite this article” at the bottom of each page. Additionally there is a link for how to cite this article that will bring up a new window with just the citation.

Nettrekker

This excellent resource is also available through our AEA website http://www.aea11.k12.ia.us/ under the “Resource and Research Tools”.
This searchers for websites that other teachers have recommended for being age appropriate and having good content. This is a great place to have students start in their research. While this is good for more broad and common topics, it is not as good for more specific and unusual topics. This is especially useful as students want to “use the internet” but making sure that the first information that they find is useful, helpful, accurate, appropriate, and at their reading level. I also have pointed out to students that with Nettrekker, you get 1-10 hits with Google you get 1,000,000. There is quite a difference there.
You can search for a topic two ways. First you can type the subject in the search box. You can also do a tree search by clicking on one of the topics listed on the page. It will then bring up another page and help you narrow down your topic. When you get a list of websites on the right it will indicate the recommended grade level. It also will list features that that website has. You can also toggle between the Middle School, Elementary, and HS level. Even if you log in as one, you can go to a higher or lower level. This is a great feature for special education students or TAG students.
On the right there also is an additional features box which can also be helpful in providing additional resources, while these features may not be available or connected with every topic, the ones that are included, there is great information available.

Living Green Digital Library

This resoruce is also available through AEA http://www.aea11.k12.ia.us/ under the "Resource and Research tools." What is it: This resource, also like the Early People and Inventions and Inventors is also available through Worldbook providing basic encyclopedia information on “Living Green.” It includes how climate change is affecting different areas and how people can better use things in the environment. Additionally there is information on choice people can make in what they choose to buy to use renewable resources and leave less of a carbon footprint.
Areas that are included: consumable goods, durable goods, forests and wetlands, green buildings, green transportation, mountains, deserts, and grasslands, oceans, islands, and polar regions, pollution, and producing and obtaining food.
Other features include- interactive features, activities, lesson plans, videos and animations, glossary, index, and dictionary.
Also like the other World book sites you can toggle between them. There are also links for other related articles.

Early People's Digital Library

This resoruce is also available through AEA http://www.aea11.k12.ia.us/ under the "Resource and Research tools."What it is: This is about ancient and early civilizations. This is great for Social Studies classes. Some of the civilizantions that are included are: African (Ghana, Mali, and Songhai), Ancient Egyptians, Ancient Greek, Ancient Romans, Australian Aborigionies, Aztecs, Chinesse (Shang, Zhou, and Quin Dynasisty), Inca, Indians of Notrh America (Eastern, Northwest, Southwest, and Great Plains), The Maori, Maya, Artic, and Polynesians. There are activities, websites, articles, videos and more related to each of the main topics. Like the invetions and discoveries digital library this is also through world book. You can toggle between the different parts of world book so even if you go to a World book Student article you can then go to a worldbook advanced article (high school level). Worldbook also has a dictionary, additional websites and videos that can be searched.

If you click on one of the main topics in the Center, you then get a list of smaller articles related to the topic (i.e. food, clothing, traditions, women, farming, traditions, rise and fall of the civilizations). Many of the articles include pictures.