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Authenticating Online Information Unit for Grade 4-6 Students

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Authenticating Online Information Unit for Grade 4-6 Students

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3 hours (can be broken into segments) Includes: Lesson plans, activities, handouts

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Beginning, Acting, Telling Template

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Grade 5/6 Lesson: Introducing Search Strategies

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Grade 5/6 Lesson: Introducing Search Strategies

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Includes: Lesson plans, handouts

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Self-Directed Break the Fake Workshop for Students

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Self-Directed Break the Fake Workshop for Students

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Students will learn about authenticating and evaluating information found online.

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Learn Alberta - Inquiry-based Learning Guide

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Learn Alberta - Inquiry-based Learning Guide

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The Points of Inquiry | BC Teacher-Librarians' Association

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The Points of Inquiry | BC Teacher-Librarians' Association

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Posters

Elementary Resources

Middle/Junior Secondary Resources

Secondary Resources

With thanks to teacher-librarians Michele Farquharson (Vancouver), Julie Robinson (West Vancouver), Lynn Turner (Terrace) working with Heather Daly (Library and Information Coordinator, Coquitlam; President, BCTLA) and Moira Ekdahl (Teacher-Librarian Mentor, Vancouver; Liaison Chair, BCTLA). Adapted, with permission, from article by Barbara Stripling, Director, NYC School Libraries: "Using Inquiry to Explode Myths about Learning and Libraries" in CSLA JOURNAL ( 28:1. Fall 2004. 15-17).

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The Points of Inquiry: Inquiry-based Learning for Classroom and School Libraries (2011) Integration of Technology screencast Top Ten Research Skills for University Students Note: Further French translation of the documents is planned. Posters Points of Inquiry model graphic: English Poster (8.5 x 11) | English Poster (11 x 17) French Poster (8.5 x 11) |...

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Fact Checking Unit Plan: Break the Fake: How to tell what's true online | MediaSmarts

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Fact Checking Unit Plan: Break the Fake: How to tell what's true online | MediaSmarts

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Here are four quick and easy steps to find out the truth and share good information. Sometimes you only have to do one of these things, and most steps take less than a minute.

Using Fact-Checking Tools

Sometimes a single search can break the fake, if a professional fact-checker like Snopes has already done the work for you.

Find the Source

Because it's so easy to copy and share things online, it's important to find out where something originally came from before you decide whether or not to trust it.

The easiest way to find the source is usually to follow links that will lead you to the original story.

Use a search engine. See if you can find any information about where the story originally came from and do a search that includes that.

Verify the Source

Whether you're looking at a website, a photo or video, or a news story, what really matters is whether or not the people who originally created it are trustworthy. You can't always confirm that something is false, but if the source isn't reliable you have no reason to believe it.

To find out if a source is reliable, ask three questions:

"About Us" pages and profiles are easy to fake, so use a search engine or Wikipedia to find out if other people say they really exist. Pay the most attention to things that are hard to fake.

It's easy to pretend to be someone else online, so once you know the source really exists, you need to find out if what you're looking at really came from them.

For sources of general information, like newspapers, find out if they have a process for making sure they're giving you good information, and a good track record of doing it.

For more specialized sources, find out whether they're experts or authorities on that topic. Do a search and make sure that they are an authority in the right field.

Check Other Sources

This step may sometimes be the last one you do, but it could also be the first. It's a quick way of finding out if a source might be biased, or if a news story is true.

The News tab is better than the main Google search for this step. While not every source that's included is perfectly reliable, they are all news outlets that really exist.

Our custom news search, bit.ly/news-search, searches ten Canadian and international sources of reliable news.

You can also use this step to find out whether something fits with what most of the experts on that topic agree - what's called the consensus view. Use our custom search bit.ly/science-search to find the consensus on specialist topics like science and medicine.

Make sure to take at least one of these steps to double-check before you share anything you see online, every time. Because only youcan break the fake.
This tip sheet is part of the Break the Fake project. This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada

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Break the Fake: How to tell what's true online

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Here are four quick and easy steps to find out the truth and share good information. Sometimes you only have to do one of these things, and most steps take less than a minute. Using Fact-Checking Tools Sometimes a single search can break the fake, if a professional fact-checker like Snopes has already done the work for you.

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Infoplease: An Online Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, and Thesaurus

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Infoplease: An Online Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, and Thesaurus

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Online Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, and Thesaurus

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Infoplease is a free, authoritative, and respected reference for Internet users that provides a comprehensive encyclopedia, almanac, atlas, dictionary, and thesaurus.

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Modern Language Association CITATION MAKER Use this tool to create a bibliography or works cited page, which is a list of sources used for a research project, that follows the MLA 8th edition citation guidelines. Have your sources or notes about them ready for data entry. Click on MLA above.

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easyWhois: Lookup Domain Whois Records and Research DNS Information

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easyWhois: Lookup Domain Whois Records and Research DNS Information

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DomainHelp / easyWhois beta

Sender Framework Policy (SPF) is a tool to you can use to advertise what sources are legitimately allowed to originate email for your domain names. It is useful for distancing yourself from forged email with your domain and can help protect recipients of real email from you (such as your customers and members) from some forms of phishing attacks.

It works by publishing a "blob" of data about your domain over DNS, this wizard is to help you create that blob.

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DomainHelp (formerly easyWhois): Domain Name lookups, whois, DNS tools and simple, handy Domain name debugger

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DomainHelp / easyWhois beta Sender Framework Policy (SPF) is a tool to you can use to advertise what sources are legitimately allowed to originate email for your domain names. It is useful for distancing yourself from forged email with your domain and can help protect recipients of real email from you (such as your customers and members) from some forms of phishing attacks.

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7 min

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Use powerful openers to jumpstart student research projects | ISTE

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Use powerful openers to jumpstart student research projects | ISTE

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Rebecca Larson is using current event topics, like school safety and gun control, to inspire her student's argumentative essays. A high school English teacher from Sunset High School in Beaverton, Oregon, she knows that passion will make all the difference in their writing.

Using the format of a socratic seminar, Sunset High history teacher Jason Lowery asks his students to think critically about the impact of teen activists leading school walkouts in protest of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

And secondary students across the nation are examining position statements by the NRA, writing passionate letters to their elected officials and making public service announcements in support of their political views.

Current event topics have long been used as powerful openers to inspire curiosity and propel students to conduct research. A hallmark of inquiry-based learning is when students choose the topics to investigate while their own questions propel their research forward. Learners steer the direction of their inquiry as they consider the best way to uncover facts or unexpected ideas.

There are many ways librarians and teachers can use powerful openers to engage students in critical thinking and stimulate their interest in a research project. Observing a problem firsthand is one way. Watching a documentary, listening to a guest speaker or reading about a challenge in their community might be enough of a jumping off point to involve students in civic engagement. Social justice issues and current events are powerful openers.

Not sure how to bring current events to your classroom but leave your own political views at the door? Here are some resources and lessons that inspire inquiry:
Current events
Newsela offers daily articles grouped by theme (war & peace, money, kids, science, law, health, arts, sports, opinion) and scaled at five Lexile reading comprehension levels. Another excellent resource is CNN10, a daily 10-minute news show from CNN that explains global news to a global audience.

Another Sunset High history teacher, Andrew Brown, begins every class with some type of news segment, infographic or current event topic. As students watch news clips, he asks them, "What additional questions do you have about this topic? Whose story is missing?" Brown wants his students to research and think critically about the news and not just take everything at face value.

Another activity involves looking at newspapers from around the world from World Newspapers to see how different countries present current events and notice any differences.
Literary openers
Powerful openers are not limited to current event topics but extend to all disciplines. Examining art, music, science, poetry and literature before diving into inquiry inspires curiosity and engages students in a different way of thinking.

Literary themes from novels can provoke big picture questions about human existence, explore coming-of-age issues or address chaos and order. Discussions surrounding themes in books are powerful openers because the stories are timely and relatable. If students don't have the sophistication to recognize and articulate literary themes on their own, consider reading excerpts from published teen writers who explore their own identify and write about their world through first-person essays, spoken-word poetry or editorials. Online magazines like Rookie Magazine and Teen Ink are written by teens for teens are great openers.
Documentary films
Language arts teacher Stephanie Lalley uses documentary films from Independent Lens to inspire her 11th grade writing students before an argumentative essay unit. She shares excerpts from documentary films and encourages students to notice how these films pose a question and then dive deep into the topic. TED Talks are inspirational talks on a wide variety of topics that educators use to inspire, educate and engage students in deeper thinking.
Experts from the field
Also consider using Microsoft's Skype in the Classroom community to bring an expert into your classroom. Nepris connects industry professionals with classrooms to bring real-world relevance to what students are learning. Astronomy teacher Katherine Kraft invited subject-matter experts to help her students understand how astronomy topics apply to various industries. Presenters can help students with their projects, offer feedback, and or just make learning authentic.

While this list presents many great ideas for opening activities for inquiry, educators should constantly be on the lookout for engaging stories to inspire curiosity. Whenever you come across an interesting phenomenon, a clip from a movie or read about a crisis in your community, bring it to your students and ask, "What do you think of this? Why should we care?"

Sometimes the inquiry-based lesson is spontaneous and organic, other times the teacher and librarian can craft experiences that present opportunities for students to think critically and solve problems. The goal is to inspire curiosity and to move students toward authentic inquiry-based learning.
Colette Cassinelli is a librarian and instructional technology teacher at Sunset High School in Beaverton, Oregon. She's is as a lifelong learner who is always on the lookout for great information literacy or technology integration lessons to share with faculty. Colette is a Google Certified Innovator and has presented at local and national library and technology conferences including the Northwest Council for Computer Education (NCCE), the ISTE Conference & Expo, EdTechTeam Google Summits and the Oregon Association of School Libraries (OASL). She has master's degrees in educational technology from Pepperdine University and in library/media from Portland State University.
Find more ways to inspire curiosity in your students with inquiry based-learning in Colette's new book, Inspiring Curiosity: A Librarian's Guide to Inquiry-Based Learning, available now for pre-order.

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Use powerful openers to jumpstart student research projects

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Rebecca Larson is using current event topics, like school safety and gun control, to inspire her student's argumentative essays. A high school English teacher from Sunset High School in Beaverton, Oregon, she knows that passion will make all the difference in their writing.

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Includes: Lesson Plans & Handouts

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How podcasts are making students better researchers | ISTE

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How podcasts are making students better researchers | ISTE

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How podcasts are making students better researchers

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We help educators around the world use technology to solve tough problems.

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Provide your students with information directly from experts!

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About Digital Human Library

Digital Human Library is a new kind of library designed for modern learners. We are a social enterprise providing connections-based learning opportunities for K-12 teachers and students across Canada. #Learn2Connect and #Connect2Learn with hundreds of industry leaders, experts and organizations in all curriculum subject areas who are delivering interactive curriculum-based content and programs using video conferencing and live streaming technology, or explore the world without leaving your classroom through the largest collection of educational multi-media virtual tours and virtual reality on the web.

Mission

Deliver authentic experiential learning to K-12 students across Canada

Vision

Canada's premier digital experiential learning library

Goals

Create a community-based scalable modern digital library

Support relevance & reach of community content partners in schools

Remove barriers of geographic location to expand and diversify learning

Enhance the K-12 curriculum

Create conditions for students to develop transferable skills & digital literacies

Foster increased collaboration among districts, schools, students & communities

Provide a service that is economical & easy to use

Create equitable experiences of learning for all

Values

RESPONSIVENESS AND AWARENESS

dHL connects learners with people, ideas, tools and resources using technology to empower our members, provide a platform for education, and an awareness of global perspectives and world views.

ACCESSIBILITY

dHL provides K-12 teachers with free and equitable access to our library resources and our Video Conferencing Catalogue so students can connect with industry experts anytime, anywhere at no cost.

DIVERSITY

dHL has a shared responsibility to support an inclusive environment within the organization, within Canadian schools, and throughout the community by providing a collection of library services and resources that meet the needs of all learners.

LITERACY AND LIFELONG LEARNING

dHL supports and cultivates a broad range of new literacies and the pursuit of professional, academic, and personal learning, thereby improving one's ability to participate meaningfully within an information-rich society.

INNOVATION

dHL is dedicated to learning, promoting and supporting continual advancements in education and library services, and staying current with new trends in education and educational technologies.

ACCOUNTABILITY

dHL believes in open and transparent business practices that clearly demonstrate responsible use of organizational resources for effective and efficient educational library services, programs and systems.

This post is also available in:

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About Digital Human Library Digital Human Library is a new kind of library designed for modern learners. We are a social enterprise providing connections-based learning opportunities for K-12 teachers and students across Canada. #Learn2Connect and #Connect2Learn with hundreds of industry leaders, experts and organizations in all curriculum subject areas who are delivering interactive curriculum-based content....

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Using Technologies to Support Diverse Learning Needs - YouTube

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Using Technologies to Support Diverse Learning Needs - YouTube

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Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium - ERLC

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Using Technologies to Support Diverse Learning Needs

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PDF

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Speech Recognition - Learning Technologies

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Speech Recognition - Learning Technologies

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Speech recognition, also referred to as speech-to-text and voice recognition, is a technology that recognizes speech and can transfer spoken words into digitized text.
Learn More

What is speech recognition?

Some technologies initially designed for use by people with disabilities have transitioned into mainstream technology, becoming something that we have all come to rely on in our daily lives, often without thinking about it. With speech recognition, for example, automated phone menus and directories, voice activated dialing and other integrated voice commands on cell phones have become part of everyday life.

Speech recognition, also referred to as speech-to-text or voice recognition, is a technology that can transfer spoken words into digitized text, allowing students to communicate ideas more efficiently and effectively. Through training and ongoing use, speech recognition software that allows for individual user profiles learns about the user's voice and word-choice habits to increase accuracy of written output.

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Speech Recognition - Learning Technologies

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Speech recognition, also referred to as speech-to-text and voice recognition, is a technology that recognizes speech and can transfer spoken words into digitized text. Learn More Some technologies initially designed for use by people with disabilities have transitioned into mainstream technology, becoming something that we have all come to rely on in our daily lives, often without thinking about it.

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Text-to-speech, often written as TTS, is a technology that converts digital text into speech, allowing the student to have highlighted text read back to them.
Learn More

What is text-to-speech?

Text-to-speech is a technology that converts digital text into speech, allowing students to have selected text read out loud. Text-to-speech is becoming more of a common feature on web sites, providing users the option to read the text on their own or have it read to them. For students who have difficulty decoding text, text-to-speech software can be used to support reading of digital text including but not exclusive to Word documents, email, accessible PDFs, and information on the Internet.

Text-to-speech can also support students during the writing process by allowing them to have their text read out loud as often as they like so they can use that oral feedback to revise their writing.

Text-to-speech capability is included in both the Windows and Mac operating systems. This can provide a simple and convenient way to try out a basic version of text-to-speech. However, the built-in tools may not be robust enough to offer all the features that individual students with more significant reading difficulties may require.

Learn Alberta

Learn Alberta is a digital repository that supports teaching and learning in Alberta schools. As part of the Learn Alberta collection is a set of digital resources to support the learning of students with identified print disabilities.

The digital repository contains grade 4 to 12 student textbooks for language arts, mathematics, social studies and science. These digital resources are available for students with disabilities in Alberta and many can be accessed with the use of text-to-speech.

To access these digital resources, log in to Learn Alberta, choose Resource Search, scroll down to Learning Resource Type, and choose Resource for Students with Disabilities. Access to Learn Alberta can be gained through individual school districts or by contacting Learn Alberta through www.learnalberta.ca.

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Text-to-speech, often written as TTS, is a technology that converts digital text into speech, allowing the student to have highlighted text read back to them. Learn More Text-to-speech is a technology that converts digital text into speech, allowing students to have selected text read out loud.

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Top 10 sites to help students check their facts | ISTE

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Top 10 sites to help students check their facts | ISTE

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In a political climate where sharing fake news has become commonplace, it's more important than ever to rely on trustworthy and dogged fact-checking services to vet information.

Our job as digital citizens requires more than just being informed. We must also be vigilant about verifying information before posting it online. Being able to evaluate the acurracy, perspective and validity of digital media and social posts is one of the five competencies of DigCitCommit, an initiative designed to prepare students to stay safe, solve problems and become a force for good.

While taking a second look at claims made by politicians and even journalists is a start, we still can't outsource our brains and our judgment, says Tessa Jolls, president of the Center for Media Literacy. "In my view, we have to look as critically at the fact-checking sites as we do the news articles themselves," she says.

A good fact-checking site uses neutral wording, provides unbiased sources to support its claims and reliable links, says Frank Baker, author of Media Literacy in the K-12 Classroom and creator of the Media Literacy Clearinghouse. He adds, "Readers should apply the same critical thinking/questioning to fact-check sites."

Here's a rundown of 10 of the top fact- and bias-checking sites to share with your students.

While not a fact-checking site, AllSides curates stories from right, center and left-leaning media so that readers can easily compare how bias influences reporting on each topic.

This nonpartisan, nonprofit project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by U.S. political players, including politicians, TV ads, debates, interviews and news releases.

This nonprofit and self-described liberal-leaning research center monitors and corrects conservative misinformation in the media.

This nonpartisan website where Internet users can quickly and easily get information about eRumors, fake news, disinformation, warnings, offers, requests for help, myths, hoaxes, virus warnings, and humorous or inspirational stories that are circulated by email.

This nonpartisan, independent and nonprofit website run by the Center for Responsive Politics tracks how much and where candidates get their money.

This Pulitzer Prize winning website rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials. Run by editors and reporters from the independent newspaper Tampa Bay Times, Politicfact features the Truth-O-Meter that rates statements as "True," "Mostly True," "Half True," "False," and "Pants on Fire."

This independent, nonprofit newsroom has won several Pulitzer Prizes, including the 2016 Prize for Explanatory Reporting. ProPublica produces investigative journalism in the public interest.

This independent, nonpartisan website run by professional researcher and writer David Mikkelson researches urban legends and other rumors. It is often the first to set the facts straight on wild fake news claims.

This nonpartisan, nonprofit organization uses public policy data-based journalism to make politics more transparent and accountable.

Although the Washington Post has a left-center bias, its checks are excellent and sourced. The bias shows up because they fact check conservative claims more than liberal ones.
Jennifer Snelling is a freelance writer based in Eugene, Oregon, and mom to two digital natives. This is an updated version of a post that originally published April 18, 2017.

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Top 10 sites to help students check their facts | ISTE

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Students need to be vigilant about verifying information before posting it on social media. You can help them by teaching them to find trustworthy sources and doggedly fact-check and vet information.

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Using Fact-Checking Tools | How to tell what's true online - YouTube

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Using Fact-Checking Tools | How to tell what's true online - YouTube

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Using Fact-Checking Tools | How to tell what's true online

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Finding the source | How to tell what's true online - YouTube

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Finding the source | How to tell what's true online - YouTube

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Finding the source | How to tell what's true online

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Verifying the source | How to tell what's true online - YouTube

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Verifying the source | How to tell what's true online - YouTube

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Verifying the source | How to tell what's true online

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Checking other sources | How to tell what's true online - YouTube

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Checking other sources | How to tell what's true online - YouTube

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Checking other sources | How to tell what's true online

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Snopes.com - The definitive fact-checking site and reference source for urban legends, folklore, myths, rumors, and misinformation.

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Snopes.com - The definitive fact-checking site and reference source for urban legends, folklore, myths, rumors, and misinformation.

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The definitive Internet reference source for researching urban legends, folklore, myths, rumors, and misinformation.

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Fact Checking Game: Reality Check: The Game | MediaSmarts

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Fact Checking Game: Reality Check: The Game | MediaSmarts

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FactCheck.org - A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

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FactCheck.org - A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

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TinEye is an image search and recognition company. We are experts in computer vision, pattern recognition, neural networks, and machine learning.

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Find additional information on any YouTube Video

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Action Reporter Tool | Amnesty International USA

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Grade 5/6: Lesson 3: Applying Search Strategies

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Grade 5/6: Lesson 3: Applying Search Strategies

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Grade 5/6: Lesson 4: Search Scavenger Hunt

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Grade 5/6: Lesson 4: Search Scavenger Hunt

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4 ways to teach students to find the gems in YouTube

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4 ways to teach students to find the gems in YouTube

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Today's students constantly seek help from the all-seeing, all-knowing YouTube oracle, much like Dorothy did in the Wizard of Oz. Therefore you, the teacher, are no longer seen as the ultimate subject-matter expert. YouTube is.

And that's not necessarily a bad thing.

As practically any adult or child can attest, YouTube can be an excellent tutor, adviser, trip planner, mentor - and, of course, comedian. But it comes with landmines that can be avoided as long as educators and parents know how to find them.

YouTube does not actively monitor videos that are uploaded to the site. They are automatically scanned for copyright infringement, but not inappropriate - or grossly inaccurate - content, unless flagged by a viewer.

Therefore, YouTube allows people to post inaccurate information and gain an audience for baseless views and conspiracy theories. The burden is on the viewer to evaluate the quality of the content.

Almost anything goes on YouTube

Think about that: YouTube, the subject-matter expert in the eyes of students, is a resource that expects the user (a student) to determine the quality of the content. This is a skill that requires students to be Knowledge Constructors as defined by the ISTE Standards for Students. That is, they need a deep understanding of research, curation and critical thinking skills.

Parents have long relied on educators to help their children develop those skills. Along those same lines, colleges/universities and the workforce expect high school graduates to arrive having already developed critical, analytical and evaluative skills.

But students today have 24/7 access to a vast amount of good - and bad - information that requires strong critical thinking skills, and teachers aren't always going to be right behind their shoulder to help them vet content.

Shifting the teacher's role

Therefore teachers must switch from the primary role of subject-matter expert to curriculum facilitator. It is now more important than ever to teach the media literacy skills of analyzing and evaluating.

Learning to think for oneself rather than being told what to think has always been an invaluable skill. As the facilitator, you should encourage your students to take the lead - no more explaining! - and allow students the experience of evaluating. Here are some ways you can do that:

Allow opportunity for controversy. Use YouTube videos to spark thinking and discussion. Teachers have long relied on debate between students as a means of examining arguments and fostering critical thinking. Even a video lacking in depth may be turned into a classroom asset.

English Language Arts - YouTube is full of reviews and criticism of literature that you can use to spark a discussion. For example, after you finish teaching a text such as Lord of the Flies, show students video book reviews and criticism. You can begin a discussion by asking students to brainstorm criteria for judging whether or not the text should be taught in school and at what grade level.

Social Studies -YouTube offers many, many videos depicting differences in perspectives on current events. Search for commentary by ordinary people as well as from media organizations, such as The Blaze, Fox News and CNN. You can trigger interesting discussions relating to viewpoints, voices and groups that are often ignored. Students will be able to recognize that interpretations are influenced by individual experiences and sources selected.

Let students choose the content. Assign students to find YouTube videos they believe will best contribute to understanding of the subject being covered in class. This will allow students to develop skills in discernment that will lead them to become lifelong learners and it will help them address the Knowledge Constructor standard within the ISTE Standards for Students.

Math - Give groups of students a complex word problem or an equation than can be solved a variety of ways. Then ask students to find YouTube videos that explain math concepts that can help to solve a word problem or balance an equation. Show the video clips to the class as a whole and allow students to discuss how and why they would or would not solve the problem using the information from each video.

Science - Ask students to find YouTube videos demonstrating experiments related to the scientific concepts being covered in class. Show the experiments to the class and have the students make connections, analyze, synthesize and evaluate the experiments based on the unit of study.

Your role as an instructional facilitator may be even more valuable than your previous role as subject matter expert. When YouTube is your students' wonderful land of Oz, you need to help each student become a Dorothy who can pull the curtain on the wizard.
Adrienne Smith is an educational technology specialist for Pearland ISD (Texas), and a doctoral candidate at the University of Houston in curriculum and instruction with a focus on learning, design, & technology. Follow her on Twitter @asmithedtech.

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4 ways to teach students to find the gems in YouTube's perilous terrain

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Today's students constantly seek help from the all-seeing, all-knowing YouTube oracle, much like Dorothy did in the Wizard of Oz. Therefore you, the teacher, are no longer seen as the ultimate subject-matter expert. YouTube is. And that's not necessarily a bad thing.

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Media Literacy Starts With SEARCHing the Internet | ISTE

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Media Literacy Starts With SEARCHing the Internet | ISTE

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Media literacy starts with SEARCHing the internet | ISTE

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The acronym SEARCH can be a tool to guide young students through the steps of the internet search process.

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Smithsonian Open Access | Smithsonian Institution

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Smithsonian Open Access | Smithsonian Institution

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Welcome to Smithsonian Open Access, where you can download, share, and reuse millions of the Smithsonian's images-right now, without asking. With new platforms and tools, you have easier access to more than 4.5 million 2D and 3D digital items from our collections-with many more to come. This includes images and data from across the Smithsonian's 21 museums, nine research centers, libraries, archives, and the National Zoo.

What will you create?

#SmithsonianOpenAccess

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Smithsonian Open Access | Smithsonian Institution

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Learn more about Smithsonian Open Access

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DPLA provides free digital access to banned books

DPLA has launched The Banned Book Club to ensure that all readers have access to the books they want to read. The Banned Book Club makes e-book versions of banned books available to readers in locations across the United States where titles have been banned via the free Palace e-reader app.

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The Digital Public Library of America brings together the riches of America's libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world.

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ZoteroBib: Fast, free bibliography generator - MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard citations

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Free, accurate citation and bibliography maker for APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA, and 10,000 other styles. No ads, no downloads, no account required.

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SweetSearch - A Search Engine for Students

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SweetSearch - A Search Engine for Students

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SweetSearch - A Search Engine for Students

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A search engine for students that emphasizes high quality resources evaluated and approved by educators, librarians and research experts.

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Enter the Access ID and Passcode provided by your school to access Britannica School.

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Grade 4-6 Google Lesson: evaluating sources

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Grade 4-6 Google Lesson: evaluating sources

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50 min

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Beginner & Intermediate 5: Evaluating credibility of sources 

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Google Lesson: Picking the right search terms

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Google Lesson: Picking the right search terms

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Grade 4-6 (50 min)

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Beginner 1: Picking the right search terms

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Fact Monster - A Trusted Reference Site for Kids

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Fact Monster - A Trusted Reference Site for Kids

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Fact Monster - A Trusted Reference Site for Kids

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Fact Monster is a free reference site for students, teachers, and parents. Get homework help and find facts on thousands of subjects, including sports, entertainment, geography, history, biography, education, and health.