What is the tallest building in the world? How many school are there in the United States? How many students are there? What is the population of Chile? These questions and many others are addressed on the Web. The question is, how do you find the answers?

In this lesson students will learn the basics of using Internet Search Engines. The Yahoo and Lycos sites are used (with screen captures from each) to demonstrate how to "burrow" for information. An article excerpt from the PC Novice Guide to the Web is included, giving tips for increasing the effectiveness of your searches.

Subject:              Technology
Topic:                 Use of Search Engines
Grade Level:      7-12
Student Lesson name and URL: ctap295.ctaponline.org/~mikek/student/

The California Challenge Standards

BUSINESS CAREER PATHS: COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
STANDARD 1:
Students will understand information processing concepts necessary to gather, create, and analyze data. They will perform multiple tasks required to process data effectively and prduce usable information.

APPLIED LEARNING STANDARDS
STANDARD 7:
Students will understand information technology tools and techniques. Students will use information technology to collect, analyze, organize, and evaluate information from a variety of sources.

1. Objectives? We don't need no stinkin' objectives! (read this with a sneer in your voice!)
2. Using a teacher-provided article the student will be able to identify techniques to increase the effectiveness of Internet searches. The student will identify a minimum of 8 out of 10 techniques. 
3. Using an Internet search engine and a set of teacher-provided questions, the student will locate the correct answers to 100% of the questions.
4. Using three different Internet search engines and a set of teacher-provided queries the student will locate and list in a comparative table, the top three listings for each of the search engines, broken down by queries. The class will then analyze the differences between the obtained results. 
5. The student will produce a research paper of at least 10 pages in length (word processed, double-spaced, standard manuscript formatting), utilizing at least 10 Internet-based resources. 

Student Activities

Introductory Activity

The Introductory Activity is a Word97 document asking a series of questions related to the reading extracted from the PC Novice Guide to the Web. This document/activity is designed to reinforce the major points necessary for efficent use of Internet search engines. 

If Microsoft Word is on your computer, the students can open the file and fill in the information, working directly in the document. 

Enabling Activity(ies)
text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text

Culminating Activity
text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text
 

Assessment

Pretest for Using Internet Search Engines

Results
After implementing your lesson (sometime between January & March), insert a chart of your pre-test, post-test, and culminating assessment data.
 

Web Resources & Supplementary Materials

Introductory Activity
How To Make Your Searches More Effective (from PC Novice Guide to the Web). This contains a link to an Activity Sheet at the end of the article.

Enabling Activity
List and link the web resources for your learning activity(ies) here. Also link supplementary materials such as PDF files and /or document files.

Culminating Activity
List and link the web resources for this activity here. Also link supplementary materials such as PDF files and /or document files. 

Armijo High School
824 Washington Street, Fairfield, CA 94533
Mike Keisling, mikek@fsusd.k12.ca.us
Last Revised: 06/20/2000