Kids InfoBits

Parent TutorialBy

Mary Gaeta LBS 710

• This lesson will be accessed through the school library website and the target audience is the parents.

• The lesson will help the parents become familiar with how to search this online database with their child. This lesson may also be used by the teachers who would like to learn how to use this database.

• Students will have a separate lesson in class on how to use the database and students will also have access to short introductory tutorials such as http://www.screencast.com/t/I4N7OFXs

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Kids InfoBits is a on-line database (information resource) designed for younger students. It features a graphic interface, reference content, and magazines for elementary students. “Kids InfoBits organizes an amazing number of resources into a database that addresses the different ways that kids conduct research – and makes it fun in the process.”http://www.gale.cengage.com/pdf/service_packet/infobits_packet.pdf

Introduction

Kids InfoBits is recommened for children in Kindergarten through grade 5. “Kids InfoBits opens with lively, icon-rich topic tree that encourages young children to drill down from broad to more narrowly focused topics. Older students can type a keyword or phrase in the subject search box. The results page divides content into six tabs, allowing students to easily find the type of information they need.”http://www.gale.cengage.com/pdf/service_packet/infobits_packet.pdf

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• Kids Infobits cover topics such as “current events, sciences, health, people, government, sports, history, and more.” http://www.gale.cengage.com/InfoBits/quick.htm

• Kids Infobits is a great resource for any assignment, homework, or projects for students in grades K-5. This tutorial will focus on examples of an animal project, a city project, and an inventor project (in Jing).

Accessing Kids InfoBitsFrom Home

Go to www.noblenet.org . This is the home page for the North of Boston Library Exchange. Click on Reference Databases.

Click here for reference databases

Opening Screen

Three Ways to Search

Students may search for a topic by a:

• visual search;

• search box; or an

• advanced search.

Example Topic

The 2nd grade class is assigned a research project - an animal. The student may select the animal of his or her choice under the animal category in Kids Infobits. He/she needs to find five interesting facts about his/her animal (or anything under that category) and answer the following question – Now that you know some facts about your animal, what type of sports would your animal excel in?

Visual SearchOur first step is to select the

broad topic Animals

Narrow the topic by selecting Bugs & Worms

You can select any of

these categories,

but I like bugs.

Visual Search

Select fireflies

Visual Search

There are 11 reference articles on

fireflies.

Visual Search

There are 17

magazine article on fireflies.

Visual SearchThere are 6 images

of fireflies.

Visual SearchNotice the topic tree search. You can

click on any of the

words to go back to any

of these levels .

Visual SearchTo save article or image that maybe helpful, check the box to put the article or image in “My Backpack.” The articles and images will be saved only for this one session.

Visual Search

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Select a reading level. The Easy reading level is geared towards

grades K-2 while the More Difficult level is geared towards

grades 3-5.

Listening to a Document

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If you would like to have your whole

article read to you click on the listen icon. If you only

want a section of the article read to you,

highlight the section you want read and

click the listen icon.

A number of great resources were found on the animal/fireflies project using a visual search. Now the 4rth grade class is learning how to make a travel brochure and your son or daughter has been assigned to find information on Boston, Massachusetts for his/her travel brochure. To search for information on Boston, Massachusetts, try the search box.

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Search Box

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Enter a search term in the white

search box. It helps to search with one or two words at a time and enter the

most important word first.

Search Box

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A list of subject terms that most closely match you search terms will appear. Click on Boston, Massachusetts.

Search Box

Here are the results

Search Box Tips

• Apostrophes are not recognized when searching. Enter Salem Lot for Salem’s Lot.

• You may use truncation (a wildcard). – An asterisk * may be used to replace any number

of characters – if you enter faith* in the search box, the database will look for the words faith, faithful, or faiths.

– A question mark ? may be used to replace a character – if you enter wom?n in the search box, the database will look for the words woman or women.

Search Box Tips

• You may use the Boolean search operators – AND, OR, NOT.

• The Boolean operator AND will search the database for articles that have both search words. When you enter the search term dog AND cat, the database will return articles that mentions both dog and cat.

• The Boolean operator OR will search the database for articles that contain either word. When you enter the term dog OR cat, the database will return articles that mentions dog, cat, or dog and cat.

Search Box Tips

• The Boolean operator NOT will make sure that an article does not contain a word. If you enter the search term dogs NOT cat, the database will return articles on dogs and the articles will not contain the word cat.

• Boolean operators search for the words in the order in which they appear. For example, dogs AND cats OR rabbits will be searched as (dogs AND cats) OR rabbits.

• With parentheses and Boolean operators you can refine your search - (dog or cat) and fleas.

Search Box Tips

• Proximity operator also help to refine your search.• The W helps you find articles with one search term

within so many words of another search term. If you enter the following search “dog w4 cat”, the database will search for articles that have the word dog followed within 4 words by the word cat.

• The N helps you find articles with one search term within so many words of another search term. If you enter the following search “dogs N4 cats”, the database will search for articles that have dogs and cats within 4 words of each other. By using N, the order of the search terms does not matter.

Advance Search

With Advance search, you can conduct a search on a particular field.

Click on Advanced

Search

Advanced Search

Opening screen for Advanced

Search

Advanced Search

The ability to search a particular

field from the drop down

menu

Advanced Search

The search maybe limited to particular

dates.

Advanced Search

The search maybe limited to a document

type.

Advanced Search

The search maybe limited to a particular reading level.

Student’s Tutorial

This link will take you to the students’ introductory tutorial on conducting a visual search using Kids Infobits:

http://www.screencast.com/t/I4N7OFXs

If you have any questions on how to use this database, please do not hesitate to contact me at mgaeta@olalynnfieldschool.com or gaeta3@comcast.net .