A friend and I were talking this past weekend about how we did research when we were in high school. Both of us have fond (and not so fond) memories of using the Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature.... Times have changed! Now we can click our way through SIRS Issues Researcher and have all the information we need to present our side of almost any debate!
The issue I investigated was Alternative Education: homeschooling, vouchers, and same-sex schools. By looking at the Pro/Con Issues and Essential Questions I can learn both sides of the issue, and either form an intelligent opinion or gather facts to support the opinion I already have. The Overview article and Timeline give good background information as well as critical thinking questions to ask and answer.
The Curriculum Pathfinder I chose was Language Arts. I looked at articles on American Literature including websites, magazine articles and even government documents. I also perused Creative Writing and English Literature articles. I did a little tutorial called Hints About Print, which shows how to evaluate a book for usefulness to your topic. I thought the tutorial, while containing good information, was a bit elementary for the intended audience.
SIRS Issues Researcher has been an interesting lesson, but I personally don't think it was as fun as Discoverer!
You're right, Miss Nancy, Discoverer is much more fun. When you're older, you have to explore all these difficult, serious topics! Thanks for your good comments. And I am glad times have changed enough that we don't really need Readers' Guide anymore!
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