Scott Foresman Reading Street

Reading Online

	Examine features of online directories.
	Compare and contrast across texts.

Preview

As students preview "Women Athletes," discuss the information shown in each screen image. After they preview, ask:

What is one reason you might use an online directory such as the one shown? (Possible response: To find out more information about a topic you are researching for a paper.)
What links do you think you would find if you clicked on a listing for computers and games? (Responses will vary; look for responses that would be logically, such as computer name brands, types of computers, names of video games.)

Link to Social Studies

Help students use the library and the Internet to find out more about women athletes. Tell them to keep the poster short and to include only the essential information.

Whole Group Discuss the Question of the Day.

Group Time
Differentiated Instruction

"Women Athletes." See
pp. 86f–86g for the small group lesson plan.

Reading

Language Arts
Use pp. 111e–111h and
111k–111m.

Whole Group Use pp. 111a
and 111j.

Grouping Options

NEW LITERACIES: ONLINE

DIRECTORIES

Use the sidebar on p. 108 to guide discussion.

Traditionally, a directory is a book which lists related information, such as a telephone directory (a listing of the residents in a city and their telephone numbers) or a member directory (a listing of the members of an organization). An online directory is a listing of related information on the Internet. An Internet directory is used like a table of contents or an index.
Most large search engines provide their own directories, such as Yahooligans! Directory. There, you can look under general listings, such as Science and Nature, Computers and Games, Sports and Recreation, and so on. You can also do a more specific search, for example, by clicking on "Countries," under the topic Around the World.
Discuss with students which directories they use most often and the kind of information they look for.

AudioText

If you get lost while trying to use a directory, ask for help from someone who has more experience with them than you do.

Activate Prior Knowledge Most students are familiar with the Internet, and many students may have access to search engines and directories in their home language. Explain what a directory is and discuss with students which directories they like to use and why. They may share the names of directories in their home language and the topics they can search under, which may or may not be similar to topics students can access in English.

You can use an
online directory or
a search engine to
find Web sites.

Here are some of the topics you might
find listed there. The closest general topic is
Olympics, so you click on this link.

Online directories
group Web sites
by topic.

Genre

Online Directories

Online directories list
topics as links on their
home page. You may
click on any topic link.

Text features

It takes you to
a page of specific
categories about
this general topic.
Here are some of
them. You click on
Female Olympians.

Next, you’ll see a list
of Web site links on
that topic.

Use the library or the
Internet to find more
information about
women athletes. Make
a poster to display
your information.

Link to Social
Studies

If you have trouble understanding, ask an expert to help you.

Monitor and Fix Up



	Close
	click on Use the computer mouse to get information on the Internet. directory a listing of topics of information link a connection to another Web page with more or different information Online Directories Remind students that when using online directories, they should follow certain rules that can help them save time and avoid untrustworthy sites. Look for information in the text of the link that identifies the sponsor or organization publishing the information. Generally, well-known names, such as names of institutions, government agencies, or large commercial names, are more trustworthy than unknown sponsors. To save time, only click on those links that look like they might have useful information. Keep focused on your topic; don't get sidetracked by other links until you have the information you need for your assignment or class work.