The ABCs of Research

Website Evaluation and Critical Thinking

A–Author

 *Who created the page?
-How do we know that they’re qualified to write about this topic?
-Are they connected to any organizations that might make their information biased?

B–Believability/Bias

*Does the information on this site make sense?
-Can you back it up using information from other sources?
-Does this site link to other sites or ads?
-Does the author seem to present both sides of an issue?

C–Currency

*When was the site created?
-Has it been updated recently?

Website Suffixes

Sometimes, knowing the suffix of a website can help us learn more about the site as well.
.edu = educational institutions (schools, universities, and research institutes)
.gov = federal government agencies
.org = service-oriented, nonprofit organization
.com = commercial business (might try to promote products or sell you something)
.net = network organizations (could be anything–commercial site, nonprofit, or something else)
But be careful of tricky sites like this: http://monstersuniversity.com/edu/

Filter your search

Use Symbols (Search Operators)

Use symbols like -, *, @, and more to strengthen and refine your searches.  Click here to find out how.

Domain Checking:

We can also visit domain-checking sites like DomainTools and BetterWhoIs to learn more about the owners of website domains and see what authority they have to publish the site. This can also help us discover biases in the information.
Snopes:
Check out Snopes if you have questions about some of the emails you’re received–this is a great site to check out various urban legends, myths, etc.

REMEMBER–websites aren’t the only place where you can find information:

If you’re not finding the information you need, check out a book or try some databases. If you’re still not finding what you’re looking for, think about the search terms you’re using and consider changing the topic you’re researching if possible.

REAL OR NOT?

 Look at these three websites and decide if you believe they are real or not using the ABCs and the information above.
Thank you to the Denver Academy Library for ideas for this page.

How to access One Drive From Home (or school)

1. Go to www.sd44.ca – click on Portal

 

 

2. Log in using your username and password

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Click on “MY MAIL”

 

 

4. Click on the grid icon on the top left

 

 

5. Click on One Drive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Click on the file you want to work on. It should open in a new browser window. It will save automatically when you are done. If you want to add a file from your home computer, use the Upload function and select files, then navigate to the file you want to add.

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to a new school year! I am excited that I have more time in the library this year to help students with literacy and learning.

Our school looks awesome, thanks to our custodial team who worked hard over the summer.

I am looking forward to seeing how the year shapes up with our new restored language, as well as a new principal and some new staff members too.

 

 

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Poetry Month

April is poetry month!  I’m excited for another month of poems, stories and fun activities.

Cove Cliff Students will be hearing, practicing and reading poems all month long.

Poem in your pocket day is April 28th!

Teachers can check out my links on the Resources page for Poetry ideas from K-7.  If you have other sites you love let me know and I’ll link them!

-Mrs. F.

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New Library Software – Destiny

The new library automation software has arrived and it is fabulous.  If you want to have a look at what you can do with it, please follow this link which will allow you to search our catalog, the resource lists that I have created for different curricular areas, and Destiny Discover which will give you links to the databases that our district subscribes to.

Go to:  https://sd44.follettdestiny.ca and select Cove Cliff from the list.

Happy Searching!

Mrs. Fraenkel

The Big Weed

We are in the process of weeding out books that have not been checked out of the library for several years to make room on the shelves for all our new books.  If there are any parents with time to help, this will be an ongoing project for the next few weeks. Please drop in to the library or leave a comment below if you can help out.