SIRS WORKSHEET
Name_______________________ Period______________________ Date___________
1. Go to web browser. At location type the following address: http://sks.sirs.com
2. On the homepage under Pro vs. Con, "Leading Issues", select global warming. What
are the suggested keywords for this topic? ___________________ _________________
_____________ __________________ _______________ ___________. Under
Pro/Con, read the opposing viewpoints about global warming. Select a position and write
a "thesis statement" in your own words for a paper supporting your selected position.
3. There are eight different varieties of sources of information on the topic. What are four
of them?
_________________________________
__________________________________
_________________________________
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4. Select Newspaper articles and open to the first article.
Give the title of the first article. ____________________________________________
List at least 3 descriptors associated with the article.
______________________________
_____________________________________ _________________________________
5. Return to article and click on Source. What does n. p. indicate? __________________
What is the correct MLA abbreviation for this? ____________________________
6. Return to the list of articles. Choose WebSelect Sites. Notice the large number of
descriptors attached to each site.
Give the URL and name of one of the sites.___________________________________
___________________________________________
7. Would the above activity give a researcher some direction for Graduation Exit
Research? ________ Please remember that the more descriptors/keywords you can think
of the more you can either broaden or narrow your search.
8. At the SIRS Homepage (see icon in left corner at top of page), select Sirs Researcher.
In addition to the Quick and Advanced Searches and Topic Browse options, note and
select the Database Features at the top. Select World Almanac Excerpts. Choose States
of Union, North Carolina, and then select history.
When North Carolina was a province, its congress was the first in colonial America to
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vote for what? _____________________________________ Select Famous North
Carolinians and pick one person whose profession you do not know. You may have to
Google this! Whom did you pick? ______________________________ What is his/her
profession? __________________________________________
10. At SIRS Homepage, select Sirs Government Reporter. Under Domestic Affairs select
Census 2000. Select Census 2000 Basics. When was the United States Census first
taken? ___________ How many people did it count? ____________. Scroll far down
the page to Census 2000 Briefs. Select AGE: 2000.
What percent of the 2000 Census population was under 18? ((It's a lot of you!)_______
11. Continuing in Sirs Government Reporter, under Database Features select U. S.
Congress. Under State select North Carolina. Under Office Held select Representative.
How many representatives does N.C. have? ______________ This is why the Census is
important. Our correct representation is dependent upon a correct census!
12. At the Homepage, select SIRS WebSelect. Select the browse topic Literature. How
many topics are listed under Literature? ____________________
13. Select Literary Criticism. Select Quick Search and type in Abraham Cowley, poet and
essayist. What did he introduce to English Poetry? _______________________________
14. Go back and select Authors and Poet. Do a Quick Search of Carl Jung searching only
In SIRS Renaissance and SKS WebSelect. Check and View Checked Subjects. Select
Reference and click his name.
What was Jung’s nationality? _______What was his profession? ___________________
With what other famous practitioner did he collaborate? __________________________
(They eventually became antagonists.)
Go to Mrs. Mann or Mrs. Purtill and properly pronounce Carl’s last name after you log
off. (You want to be able to do this before you go to college!)
15. Return to the SIRS homepage and log off the computer.
Competency Goal 1: The student media assistant will demonstrate proficiency in the EXPLORATION of
primary and secondary sources.