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About Julie Coiro

Science, New Literacies, and Higher Level Thinking In Grades 4 and 5:
Preparing Clinton's Students for the 21st Century

Facilitated by members of the
New Literacies Research Team from the University of Connecticut

Julie Coiro and Donald J. Leu
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OTHER TIPS
What's the best way to find information on the Internet?
Special search tips for teachers
What are some suggested readings for followup?
What's the best way to find information for students on the Internet?
Here are some tips for locating relevant, appropriate, kid-friendly websites for your classroom:
  1. Try Yahooligans or KidsClick to see kid friendly sites and get associated with terminology related to your topic.
  2. Then use Google to search for term and main sites, reading annotations to build your own background knowledge.
  3. Use Topic Plus strategy and add grade level for grade specific resources
  4. Considerations:
Special Search Tips for Teachers

Use a search engine like Google.com designed for adults.  In the search  box...
  • Indicate the subject area or specific topic.
  • Use quotations to group two or more words together as a phrase.
  • Indicate Internet project, lesson plans, webquest, quiz, or class project using quotations as needed.
  • If level not appropriate, include the grade level or grade range in quotes (spell it out e.g. "third grade")
  • Connect all items, including the first, with a plus sign.  If search is too narrow, remove plus signs.
  • Look for keywords in annotations of links located from a similar search.
  • Follow links on one web site to locate other related links.
Begin with:    "type of web site" +topic    OR      “title of book” +topic
Narrow down with:   + "grade level"  + topic   + "type of web site"

SEE THE EXAMPLE BELOW...
 
For information and activities about whales:  (use any of these) 
  • whales
  • "lesson plans"+whales
  • "second grade" +whales
  • webquest +whales
  • Mr./Mrs. class webpage
  • quiz +whales
  • cyberhunt +whales
  • -"pilot whale"  +whales (to not get pilot whale sites)
Or use a kids search engine like Yahooligans, KidsClick or Ask Jeeves for Kids and ignore all of that!  Just use a keyword or browse through the categories.
Research-Based Readings for Follow-Up Discussion
Carroll, M. (1999, November). Dancing on the Keyboard: A Theoretical Basis for the Use of Computers in the Classroom. Reading Online.

Carroll, M. (2001, September). Internet surfing in an elementary classroom: Students and teachers negotiate the waves. Reading Online, 5(2).

Coiro, J. (2003, February). Reading comprehension on the Internet: Expanding our understanding of reading comprehension to encompass new literacies [Exploring Literacy on the Internet department]. The Reading Teacher, 56(6). Reprinted in Reading Online.

Coiro, J. (2003). Rethinking comprehension strategies to better prepare students for critically evaluating content on the Internet.  New England Reading Association Journal, 39, 29-34. (download pdf)

Eagleton, M.B. (2002, July/August). Making text come to life on the computer: Toward an understanding of hypermedia literacy. Reading Online, 6(1).

Leu, D.J., Jr., Castek, J., Henry, L., Coiro, J., McMullan, M. (2004).  The lessons that children teach us: Integrating children’s literature and the new literacies of the Internet. The Reading Teacher, 57, 496-503. (download pdf)

Leu, D.J., Jr., Kinzer, C.K., Coiro, J., Cammack, D. (2004). Toward a theory of new literacies emerging from the Internet and other information and communication technologies. [Article reprinted from R.B. Ruddell & N. Unrau (Eds.), Theoretical Models and Processes of Reading, Fifth Edition (1568-1611).  International Reading Association: Newark, DE.] [Online Serial]. Available: http://www.readingonline.org/newliteracies/lit_index.asp?HREF=/newliteracies/leu

Leu, D. J., Jr., Leu, D. D. & Coiro, J. (2004). Teaching with the Internet: Lessons from the classroom (4th ed.). Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon. 

Tancock, S.M. (2002, April). Reading, writing, and technology: A healthy mix in the social studies curriculum. Reading Online, 5(8).

Teclehaimanot, B., & Lamb, A. (2004, March/April). Reading, technology, and inquiry-based learning through literature-rich WebQuests. Reading Online, 7(4)


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Designed by Julie Coiro, January, 2005