Powerful+Keyword+Search+Strategies+for+Teachers

=**Powerful Keyword Search Strategies for Teachers**= Teaching Search Engines to Think Like Teachers: Using Keywords
 * __Why Keywords Are Not Enough: Using Quotation Marks__**
 * The most effective way to force a search engine to search for a whole phrase and to not separate words is to enclose your search phrase in quotation marks. This works for two-word phrases as well as longer phrases such as the title of a book or the name of an historical event. Try it with phrases you commonly use and notice how quickly you can narrow down the number of items in your search result list.**
 * By combining keyword strategies with the use of quotation marks, we can quickly narrow the results of a search. You first need to decide what kinds of teaching materials you are searching for related to a certain topic. **

• If we type “simple machine” and “lesson plan,” we narrow our search to 2,140 results, and all of the first ten results are exactly what we want.

• If we type “simple machine” quiz, we narrow our search to 3,900. Twelve screens later, we are still finding only quizzes about simple machines!

• If we type “simple machine” simulation, we find 2,270 examples.

• If you want to narrow your search even further, try adding the grade level in quotation marks to search for “simple machine” + “lesson plans” + “fifth grade” to narrow your search to 82 lesson ideas for your fifth graders. Using The “Topic and Focus” Keyword Strategy
 * You can narrow down a general thematic topic to focus on one particular aspect instead of pairing up a topic with a type of instructional resource. This is helpful if you are looking for background information about a certain topic you want to teach in class. If you wanted to locate information about the causes of the Civil War, you might use the search strand “Civil War” + causes, or if you wanted to find out more about the mummies of Ancient China, you might use the search strand “Ancient China” + mummies.**

Information and Links gathered from "[|Teaching with the Internet K-12: New Literacies for New Times]", 4th Edition, Donald J. Leu, Deborah Diadium Leu, and Julie Coiro