Teaching Research Skills to Fifth and Sixth Graders

I teach fifth and sixth graders once a week a class on research and study skills. We meet in the school’s computer lab. Lately, I have been hooked on showing kids how to find information outside of the traditional “Google search.”

I love how kids know how to “google,” but they typically don’t know how to go deeper than the first page results of a search engine. So I have introduced them to Britannica School.

So, you don’t have to dust off those old copies of Encyclopedia Britannica. In the State of New York, residents with a computer and access to the Internet can get their hands on of Britannica School online. In our weekly and bi-weekly Research classes, kids have accessed the site through NOVELNY (New York Online Electronic Library). After creating individual accounts, we explored the online database’s many features - including full-text articles, images, and fun, engaging videos. It is expert content right at our fingertips - and students can research by adding materials to a digital folder. Look out world! Life-long learners are out and about.

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