I enjoyed searching through the topics found in SIRS Discover and Researcher. I would use the Discover site more due to the age level I work with. I typed in armadillos and found several interesting magazine articles. I even found one explaining how you can get leprosy from these hard-shelled critters. ( YUCK) The articles were geared toward young children with fun facts, descriptions, and pictures. I would definely show this site to children to get magazine references on topics they are researching. This is an interesting and cool site for learning and reading about non-fiction. Kids love to read and see things that are real. Definitely a keeper!
In SIRS Researcher I looked up topics and people that were in the past and present. The information is very detailed and aimed for higher readers. I think this site would be a good site for teachers to get more information about a certain topic or individual and then share it with their students. I looked at how you can match them up with the curriculum and what resources where available. Although the printouts were geared for higher grades, I feel you can pick and choose facts and topics to work into the lower grade levels.
Mrs. Thompson, you have a great grasp of how to adapt material for different age/ability levels. Thanks for your comments on SIRS. Though SIRS Discoverer is mostly non-fiction, notice that Fiction is one of the Database Features on the right side of the home page. This can lead you to short stories to help students improve their reading or as curriculum support for a content--or just for fun!
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