NC WiseOwl
http://www.ncwiseowl.org
Handouts/Powerpoints at www.ncwiseowl.org/handouts/
Resource Overview
Britannica has become one of our most popular resources, with over a million hits
per month by North Carolina students and teachers. Each article has three reading
levels available, and the “Tools” feature includes functions that translate an article
into various languages as well as a read-aloud option.
Grolier Online includes encyclopedias, an atlas/almanac, and several specialty
resources for science, animals, the United States, and Hispanic culture. The Grolier
home page is in magazine format, with featured articles on high interest topics.
The “backbone” resources are Kids Search, Student Research Center and EBSCOhost.
These databases contain articles from magazines, newspapers, and reference books.
The content extends from titles such as Ranger Rick and Highlights for Children at
the elementary level, to professional journals and general consumer magazines at
the EBSCOhost level.
Numerous specialized databases provide research tools in the fields of business,
science, health, literature, auto and small engine repair, careers, and a host of others.
Get a complete list by selecting the “Resources” link at the bottom left of the
Professional Zone page.
The Featured Web Sites link provides access to collections of vetted sites on timely
topics each month, saving teachers from “re-inventing the wheel” when events such
as Black History Month occur. A list of topics is provided in the Professional Zone.
An Art Gallery in each of the student zones includes student work from around the
State.
Advanced Search Interfaces
Most of the WiseOwl databases offer an optional advanced search function that
provides access to special features via pop-down menus and/or check boxes.
Results may be refined based on criteria such as Lexile reading level, particular
magazine or newspaper titles, photographs, primary source documents, and more.
Copyright Information
The official DPI copyright support page is linked at the top of the WiseOwl home
page, with information on fair use and copyright-friendly resources as well.