#4

SIRS Discoverer
I looked up armadillos on the SIRS Discoverer database. I was impressed with the colorful graphics which made finding what you are looking for easy.  If the article had pictures with it or what reading level, if it was a reference, magazine or newspaper article were all very easy to tell. I then looked up Ireland under the countries tab. I discovered a brief but very informative facts as well as a map and picture of the countries flag. With just a click the map and flag both enlarged. Clicking on the learn more link took me to many different articles relevant to the country. Next I looked up the map of the United States under the maps tab.  I was suprised to find it not only had all the states individually but contained maps such as Earthquake Hazard Map. All in all it was a very good resource, especially if kids need articles from somewhere other than the internet.

SIRS Issues Researcher
I would just like to say first, I wish I had something like this to help me when I was in school! I know my parents would have appreciated it too! Especially my father who came up with most of my paper topics for me :) I thought the current issues was absolutely fantastic. I picked teen automobile drivers because my twins are newly 14 and taking drivers education this spring.  There was a great pro/con question, overview of the topic, and many many articles. It was also easy to distinguish between newspapers, magazines and reference. The lexile scores were readily available to help with what article would be best for the grade level. After this I looked at the research tools. Of course I picked English Lit my favorite topic. There were several articles available to look at all with lexile levels and easy icons to let me know if it was on the web or from a newspaper or magazine.  I especially liked the ithink tutor! How easy for a kid to have help writing a paper!