Big6 Skills

This six step process for problem solving will assist students with research.

Discovery Homework Help

BJ Pinchbeck's Homework Helper moved to the Discovery site. The helper pages are categorized by topics like math, science, English, and social studies. Each section features videos that explain different concepts and annotated links to content area Websites.

How Stuff Works

Have you ever wondered how a microwave heats food or why a phone can still work when the electricity goes out? Find the answers to these questions and more at How Stuff Works. Marshall Brain, author of ten books, writes illustrated explanations of complex subjects. In addition to Brain, other writers have been enlisted to add articles to this growing collection of interesting subjects.

LibrarySpot

Selected as Forbes magazine Best Reference Site, LibrarySpot is a gateway to many reference resources.

NoodleTools

NoodleTools is a dynamic site that students will love. One of the goals is to instruct students how to be smart researchers and use information effectively. There are four parts to the Noodles Suite. NoodleQuest is an interactive wizard that allows students to fine tune search strategies by answering a series of questions. NoodleBib is an absolutely awesome tool for creating and storing bibliographies. First create a login and password. This allows you to save your bibliographies. Next create a new bibliography by giving it a name. Then, using pull down menus, select the type of entry to add. Fill in the fields with information and create the citation. A list of Works Cited will be returned in the correct MLA or APA format. NoodleNotes and NoodleProbe are tools for student research. Noodle Tools is subscription based, but has an area of free tools.

RefDesk

An astonishing array of links to information can be found on the front page under Facts-At-A-Glance. The Facts Search Desk includes quick access to Webster's Dictionary, a Thesaurus, Britannica, weather, stock quotes, and the RefDesk site. Clicking on an index item will return an annotated list of Websites related to that topic. Current News contains links to news organizations within subcategories. Although there are daily top stories and a calendar, it is not clear how often the site is updated. Younger students may the choices a bit overwhelming, but high school students will find the site very useful.

WebQuest Home Page

A Webquest is a framework for research and exploration on specific topics utilizing Websites as resources.