At a glanceWeb Search Lesson Plan: The Search Summit
Exploring Advanced Search Tools
Table of Contents


Developed by:
Google Certified Teachers
Cheryl Davis
Kathleen Ferenz
Lucy Gray

Overview

Help students to understand additional advanced operators, language tools and other interesting Google features so they can dive further into research topics.

Objectives

Inquiry questions: How can I specify where in the web page I want my keyword to appear? How can I easily find related resources to a topic or web page? How can I search in another language? 
  • Students will be able to use and apply various advanced search operators. 
  • Students will be able to identify and verify world wide search trends

    Materials

    • Computer with display for classroom (or 1:1 computing)
    • Google Presentation "The Search Summit"
                    
    Instructions

    Use the "The Search Summit" Google Presentation provided with this lesson to take students through the lesson.  Slides that go with each section of this lesson are indicated by number [Slide #1].

    1. Open the lessons by showing students Google's Search Options panel [Slide #2]. Conduct a search for Shakespeare and then click on "Show Options". Discuss the tools available, what they do and when they can be useful. Close with the video on [Slide #3] which presents a quick overview of this functionality. 

    2.  Next, move on by showing students the Advanced Search page [Slides #4 and #5].  As a class, try several different keywords using the exact wording or phrases, the "or" boxes and the unwanted words box. Discuss the results.  

    3. On the Advanced Search page "Need More Tools" section [Slide #6] show students the Language option drop down menu, the File type drop down menu and the Search within a site or domain box.  Have students try searches using these menus.   Conduct a class discussion on the results they found.

    4. Explore with the class the "Date, usage rights, numeric range and more" section of the Advanced Search page by clicking the "plus" to open the menu. [Slide #7]. Divide the class into teams, each with access to the Internet. Each team should do one search that would use all the features.  When they have completed the search, each team shares out what was searched, what they put in each drop down box and the results of their search.

    5. Next have students do another search for a topic.  When they have their search results page have them search again for the same topic and use the search operators "inurl" and "intitle" [Slide #8].  Students compare results with the search they made without the operators.  Discuss the differences in the search results with the class.

    6. Now demonstrate Language tools [Slides #9 and #10]. Show students how they can enter a search in English and have Google translate the search to another language, search for it and then translate results back to English. Do an example with the term [french revolution] and search pages written in French. When is this feature useful? What interesting searches can the class do in other languages? 

    7. Trend setting assignment [Slide #11]:  In teams have students brainstorm a trend that they have noticed in the news or in society that people would be searching for.  Each team will select one "trend topic" and see what Google Trends shows about searches for that topic. Have students vary the regions, years and ranking of their trend.  Students take notes on what search trends they see about their topic.  Next students hypothesize about the trend and trend searches by answering these questions:  
    • Why do they think the search for that topic varied over the time they selected? 
    • Why did the search over that topic vary over region?
    • What makes a trend a popular search topic?
    • What might be the benefit of looking at search trends? 
    Students do further Internet research to find out more information on the topic they selected for their trend search.  Students draw a wall chart or use graphing software to replicate what they think is the most significant trend search graph and explain this trend to the class in an informal presentation.

    8. Have students work in teams and compare trends for two or more different terms of their choice. For example, ask them to consider entering  [ski, beach] into the Google Trends search box (that is enter the word ski first, then comma, and then beach). What do they see? Can they explain the differences in search volume? 

    Related Links

    What you need to Know about Search: Part 2
    Advanced Google Search Help 
    Google Search Options video
    Google Search Wiki video
    Language Tools
    Google Trends 

    Evaluation

    Each student team evaluates the work of another team. Then teams report out their findings in an informal presentation and critique the trend reports based research and answers to the questions. 

    Extension activity: To further understand advanced search, students can also explore Google SquaredGoogle SearchWiki and Google Experimental SearchThis extension activity requires the user to be logged into Google with a Google Account. Per the Children's Internet Protection Act, students must be thirteen years of age to create their own Google Accounts. 

    Standards

    4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
    Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.
    Students: c. collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.

    1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
    Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. 
    Teachers: b. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.