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Product Update for SIRS Discoverer
August 2006INFOhio provides this information from the SIRS Discoverer™
and WebFind™ newsletter and is not responsible for the content or the
reliability of Web links. Your INFOhio username and password may be needed to open some
links.
WHAT'S NEW @ SIRS
Our product development team is constantly reviewing customer feedback and making changes
to our learning resources to meet your needs. Several updates to our SIRS family of
products were recently completed and we wanted to bring them to your attention.
SIRS Discoverer Platform Launch Reminder
Our all-new SIRS Discoverer platform went live earlier this
spring, with an impressive set of updates and tweaks! Just login to your subscription to
view the newest changes and additions:
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Expanded results lists to include the Editorial Summary and Descriptors
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Increased results list from 500 to 1,000 |
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Preferences fully implemented |
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Consistent results pages |
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Maps are now indexed and searchable. |
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Added ability to search on plural terms (e.g., searching for dinosaur
will return results with dinosaurs in the article) |
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Improved dictionary/thesaurus navigation |
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Two columns of results for subject search (Try searching on history
and it provides a pageable list of results.) |
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All graphics now display their captions. |
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Custom start pages now fully supported |
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Page navigation changed from next 25 to 1, 2, 3, ... |
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Added ability to Show/Hide search results details |
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Results provide for summary, descriptors, etc. as it does in SIRS
Knowledge Source. |
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Added ability to sort by title and publication |
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Added spelling suggestions, also known as Do You Mean? To see
this in action, search for Nizxon. You'll see: Did you mean Nixon? |
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When e-mailing an article with pictures, the thumbnail images are embedded
within the e-mailed article. |
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If an image is assigned to more than one article, you get the list of
articles to choose from on the picture display page. |
Maps of the World Feature
Don't miss our recently updated Maps of the World feature. More than 3,000
detailed, printable maps are available as an online reference almanac. The maps include
all 50 United States, the provinces and territories of Canada, as well as nations and
regions of the world including Europe, Persian Gulf, Czech Republic, the Baltics and Times
Zones of the World. It also includes U.S. Historical, World Historical and Outline Maps.
Political Cartoons in Discoverer
Did you know that Discoverer now offers political cartoons geared for
the younger researcher, from noteworthy sources including Junior Scholastic, Scholastic
News, New York Times Upfront and Current Events?
Students can learn how to read and decipher political cartoons, as well as understand
the writing devices employed in them (satire, irony, metaphor, etc.). In a hurry? The
quickest route to all of our political cartoons is Database Features, Activities,
Editorial Cartoons.
Here's just a few timely examples to get you started:
Map Activities in Discoverer
Travel -- with Discoverer! We provide map activities geared for the
younger researcher, from noteworthy sources including Scholastic News, Junior
Scholastic and Current Events.
With these new resources, your young students will learn how to read and decipher varied
types of maps and answer discussion questions based on their observations. Visit a
sampling of the following articles to learn more:
Current Events
Our editorial team updates our SIRS products every day with new articles and resources.
Here's a short list of the timeliest and most topical articles added to your product this
month. Publication dates may vary due to the editorial selection process.
Suggested Research Topics
Tens of thousands of students mine SIRS resources for the latest information on the
leading issues of the day. To help maximize their research time, our Suggested
Research Topics feature offers instant access to relevant articles and resources on
many of the most popular research subjects.
Here's this month's list of hot topics and timely issues in Discoverer:
Caffeine
Cloning Animals
Global Warming
Iraq
Ocelots
Phillis Wheatley
Stepfamilies
Synesthesia
Tennis
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
August includes several food-based observances like National Watermelon Day; Sneak
Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night; National Catfish Month; More Herbs, Less
Salt Day; and National Peach Month. Why not have students do research on the
origins and nutritional values of these foods, as well as recipes that involve them?
Activity: Assign different students to one of the foods listed in the
themes above. Using SIRS Discoverer, have them make oral reports on three
topics relative to the food assigned:
- Where do these foods primarily come from and why?
- What is a recipe for using this food that you like and why?
- What type of nutritional value does this food provide?
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Type the name of the food in the Keyword/Natural Language box and
Search. |
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Select an article that answers the first question. |
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Type the name of the food and recipe in the Search box
(example: peaches and recipe). |
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Select an article that answers the second question. |
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Type the food source and nutrition in the Search box. |
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Select an article that answers questions three. |
TOP THREE WEB SITES - Each month, our SKS WebSelect™ and Discoverer
WebFind™ editorial teams scour the Internet for top-quality sites that help
teachers teach and students learn. Although no Internet site can supplant a quality
research database, these vetted resources offer unique resources that are sure to be of
interest. |
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Climate Change: I'm Alright Jack
"I'm Alright Jack is a game of dilemma and consequence to discover how
environmentally conscious you are. In the four stages of Jack's life, you will be asked to
make decisions about his lifestyle." (BBC) Make environmentally friendly choices at
various stages of Jack's life. Organization: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) |
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Story
Strips
"Like to make a scene? Here's your chance! Use characters and dialogue to create your
own story." (PBS) Choose one of six situations, write your comic strip and submit it
to PBS. Organization: Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) |
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What Happens During a Heart Attack?
A heart attack is the result of a reduced or blocked oxygen supply to the heart. But how
does it happen? This page briefly explains and illustrates heart attacks. Organization:
The Cleveland Clinic |
Questions? Contact INFOhio at webmaster@infohio.org. |
