Finding the best text to build steps to a complex anchor text can be time-consuming. First, it is important to consider the quantitative and qualitative features of text. They must also ensure the text and instruction meets the needs of the reader and task. finally, educators text-set choices must align with the topic or standard.
INFOhio's quality digital content provides Ohio schools and families with text and media at no cost. The lessons in this module will help adults find the right text and media for teaching and learning.
ISearch is INFOhio's advanced research and discovery platform. It allows educators to search many of the premium content licensed and purchased by INFOhio in a single search. Using ISearch, educators can find magazine and journal articles, encyclopedia entries, eBooks, videos, and other media. Ohio schools using the INFOhio Library Services Platform also can access their school's library catalog and find local materials. Learn more about ISearch by completing the ISearch for Librarians or ISearch for Teachers classes found in the INFOhio Learning Pathways.
ISearch's tabbed search interface and advanced filters help educators find the right text for text sets. Beginning a search with ISearch enables busy educators to find multiple INFOhio resources at once, including:
Searching for Content in ISearch
ISearch uses a tabbed search feature. Schools that do not use the INFOhio Library Services Platform will find videos and eBooks, including the BookFlix titles from the INFOhio collection in the eBooks & Videos tab. The Encyclopedias tab provides articles from World Book and Research Starters.
For more accessible text at a lower Lexile level from databases like Middle Search Plus and TOPICsearch, the Basic Sources tab is a good place to look. The Advanced Sources tab has content from Academic Search Premier and other databases with denser text, including professional journals.
The STEAM tab shows results from those databases that contain content to support science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math. The final tab, Open Access, includes a variety of quality content from various professional organizations and their publications.
The limiters on the left will help searchers narrow their results, enabling a precise search for a Lexile level, published date, specific publisher or publication, or language.
Sharing Content from ISearch
It is easy to share content from ISearch. The Basic Sources, Advanced Sources, STEAM, and Open Access tabs have a permalink option. Clicking this will generate a URL that should be used when linking the content in a text set or sharing it directly with students.
ISearch text comes from authentic sources, including magazines, journals, transcripts, and eBooks. According to Scholastic, it is "real, living language written to engage readers and draw them in; it may entertain, inform, or persuade". ISearch produces results from a variety of sources and multiple types.
In the Third Grade Text Set: Soil and Soil Scientists, the fourth text, She Digs her Dirty Job, was found using ISearch. This article from Time for Kids has a Lexile level of 940, a complex, above-grade read for third graders. ISearch streamlined finding this authentic text.
Start by conducting a general search using "soil" as the keyword. Note the difference in results for the first tab (My Library or eBooks and Videos) based on whether your school uses INFOhio's library services. INFOhio library services users may find a print book to add to a text set as well as other media included in the school library. Users who click the eBooks and Videos tab may find that one of those media types contains the appropriate text for a given text set.
The Basic Sources tab often contains materials at a lower Lexile level for third-grade readers. Click the tab to switch to the Basic Sources results. Once there, look at the limiters to see which will focus results.
The Lexile level limiters are perfect for finding complex text. Use the limiter for reading levels 901-1100 to find text just above third grade. Use the filters to choose a specific database as well. Primary Source includes publications for younger readers.
There are 189 results using these limiters when searching for soil. Adding keywords and additional limters to your search can help narrow the results even more. Read through the results, click the title to get an abridged record with the subject, or click View/Download to see the article. This is where your role as the informed adult supporting readers and the task is most important.
To find a text that is complex, meets quality characteristics, and is appropriate for the reader and task, consider exploring several pages of results. She Digs Her Dirty Job is on the fourth page of the results.
This article can be printed, but reading it online provides an option to read aloud if students need support. In addition, the text features a soil scientist talking about the process used to sample and test soil and rocks.
There are several characteristics that meet the needs of this text set focused on the third-grade science standard.
For older students or those preparing for college or the workforce, explore results found in the other tabs. Challenge them as readers with texts such as peer-reviewed journal articles, conference transcripts, or dissertations.
Starting with ISearch is a good way to begin to explore the texts that are best for your students and meet the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of quality text.
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For more information about Fetch, please visit the Fetch information page or contact INFOhio support at https://support.infohio.org.
