Link to Bonnycastle Library Catalogue

Science Resources for Middle School

Introduction:

This is a general science guide for Middle School Science classes. The resources below provide credible, accurate, reliable, and trustworthy (CART) information. Remember, if you are searching the open web for resources, it is your responsibility to ensure you have checked that the source you use meets the CART test.

CART criteria

CART form

NoodleTools information

Searching databases

Introduction to Databases

Databases can include a variety of sources brought together in one source to meet the general needs of students. Different databases are created to meet the needs of different levels of students. The databases we have at St. John's-Ravenscourt are intended for students in Middle School and High School.

Types of searches

Most databases allow searching in a variety of methods. The most common search is a keyword search. A keyword search will search all the documents for the search term. Although it will provide the greatest number of results, it may not provide the best results as it will gather any resource that has the words in the search.

A subject search will provide you the smallest number of results but the article will be about your topic. Remember, the database is looking for the words you use as search terms. Spend some time thinking about alternate ways of searching for your topic.

Encyclopedias

Britannica School and World Book Student are general encyclopedias. They are great places to start a search for an overview on a topic. They also provide links to other sources, including websites, to broaden the scope of your search.

Use the search boxes below to start your search. Remember, if you are at home, you will need the usernames and passwords to the databases.

Britannica School and World Book

Most pages will include more than just an article. Make sure you use all the information provided.

Look at the related images, videos, and suggested websites.
Email or print the document.
Save the citation.

Subject specific databases for Science

The Science Reference Center

The Science Reference Center is a an EBSCO database. The Science Reference Center includes science magazines, journals, encyclopedias, reference books, and images.

Science Online

Science Online is an Infobase database. It is intended to support students in the classroom. It includes experiments, diagrams, encyclopedias, books, and videos for the Middle School student.

Today's Science

Today's Science is an Infobase database. It focuses on science in the news and how it is being used in the world. In other words, it focuses more on the application of science.

Use the tools the database provides to find more information or to save the article to your computer.

Click "Find Similar Results" or look at the subject terms provided to see if there is another way to search for the information you want.
Email the document to yourself, add to your Google Drive, or copy the Permalink to access the file at a later date.
Click on "Citation" to copy citation of article.

EBSCO - Middle School Plus Search

Designed for middle school libraries, Middle Search Plus is a full-text database providing articles from magazines and reference books. Middle Search Plus will provide more information than the Science Reference Center because it is a general periodical database, which means it includes articles from all disciplines.

With Middle School Plus, you can choose to search more than one database at a time. Click on "Choose Databases" and select the databases you are interested in.

Middle School Plus has all the same tools to help you locate information and save information as the Science Reference Center.

Destiny - The Library Catalogue

Searching the library catalogue is not the same as searching a database. The library catalogue searches the main subjects of a book. If you cannot find your term you may need to broaden your search. Once you have found the books, look in the index and/or table of contents for your topic.

Ebooks can be opened directly from the catalogue. You can search within an ebook or move to a specific page.

Choosing Search Terms

Start with the term you are researching but be prepared to narrow or broaden your terms depending on your search results. Always check the tags/subject headings of articles you find to see what other terms the database/catalogue may be using. These will help you decide on additional searches. Use the helps provided by the database - click "Related resources."

To broaden your search, think about what larger area your topic might be found in. Also think of synonyms or different ways to explain your topic.

Optics - what are you interested in?
"climate change" AND arctic
"climate change" AND "sea level"

Searching on the open web

If you are going to search for information using a browser, please remember to verify your sources using CART.

Things to pay attention to:

Look at the URL: Is it a .com or .org site? What are they selling? What is their bias?
Can you find an author/creator/publisher? Who are they? Are they trustworthy?
When was it updated last? Is it still current?

Some great websites to check out:

use site:.nih.gov subject to find resources on your topic from the National Institutes of Health.
National Institutes of Health
Mayo Clinic is a reputable site for information about diseases and conditions.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a government site that provides medical information to the public.
Science News for Students is an online publication dedicated to providing age-appropriate, topical science news.
Science.ca focuses on Canadian scientists.
Science Daily includes news about current research. Intended for adult readers.
Encyclopedia of Life is one of the best open source online science encyclopedias. Intended for adult readers.

Report abuse