Introduction to Resources
Selected by Mrs. Brandt
For Grade 8 Social Studies Research Paper
The Blanchard Learning Commons website is a great place to start all research projects!
It now has its own button on the Blanchard Home page.
Britannica Middle School - browse
If you are looking for topic ideas that fit your interests, try the “Article Browse”.
This is also useful if you have an idea of a general topic and not yet sure of the list of keywords to search.
Britannica Middle School - Features
Britannica Middle School is primarily an encyclopedia (like wikipedia) - but it has additional features.
I like that it allows you to pick an article level and then will recommend websites that are also at that level
Research in Context- Browse
This database searches content that isn’t available on the free web. It includes ebooks, newspaper and magazine articles, audio and video.
Tip: Limit the content level to “Basic” when you are first learning about your topic
World History in Context- Browse
For topics in “World History”, I like this better than Research in Context.
Remember that it finds all different types of sources. “Reference” is good for an overview, but you will want other types for details.
World History in Context- Features
Tip: “Sign in with Google” so you can save content to your Google Drive.
You can also add notes and highlights.
Citation information is provided for all articles.
PBS LEarning Media (student view)
Another source of information that might get overlooked by a Google Search.
A Browse of topics often works better than a search on this site.
Login with your school Google account.
Nonfiction articles and news stories, adapted for a variety of reading levels (you choose what works for you)
A good place to find educational videos about your topic
If you do a Google Search from a school computer, you will get a sidebar with content from Britannica School.
If it asks you to login:
Username = blanchard
Password = bms
Tip: Have your browser save this information.
Use DestinyQuest to find books that are available at the Blanchard library.
The JV Fletcher library has a larger collection and can get you books from the 36 libraries of the Merrimack Valley Library consortium.
There are many fabulous resources on the free web, but there is also a lot of misinformation!
I have put together some resources to help you determine if the site you found is reliable.