Your Organization

Simply Put
Use the fewest words possible. The more search words you use, the more likely you will get no results.

Use only keywords. For example, search for "the Declaration of Independence" by using only "declaration independence." Do not use "the," "of," "and," "or," "+," "-," or other words not essential.

Use the shortest form of each word. For example, do not use plurals, "ing," or other variations.

Use no punctuation, such as colons, commas, question marks, semicolons, dashes, or capital letters.

Simply put, simple works. Try these suggestions on other search engines too.

Introduction
Greetings! This library will help you with your searches on the World Wide Web. If you are trying to find information about a topic, start below with "Exploring a Topic." If you must have a specific document, then go to "Finding a Specific Document." If your main interest is in getting to your resources more quickly, go to Speed Tips.

You can make more focused searches using the library's Advanced Searches instructions. The library's Index provides an alphabetical list of major topics. If you want the criteria by which sites are included in the library, please see the Ratings page.

If you are interested in our star ratings, please visit our Star Ratings page. Tips to improve Web pages can be found here.

Exploring a Topic
You can use several methods to search the contents of this library:

1.) Word Search. Go to the search box on the Home pages or at the bottom of most other pages inside th library. Enter one or two keywords in the blank provided. For example, you can search for The Declaration of Independence with the keywords "declaration independence. " Try it.

No Matches If you get no matches, try using just one word. Also, use the shortest form of the word. For example, if you are looking for something related to "teens," use "teen" instead of teens, teenage, or teenagers. If that does not work, try another word.

If you still do not find what you need, select "Search the Web" near the search box at the bottom of pages in the Awesome Library. This takes you to additional Web libraries or search engines.

Too Many Matches If you get too many "Specific Results" on your "Search Results" page, simply add an additional keyword in the search blank to narrow the search. Since the contents of the Awesome Library are already the result of a search for K-12 education resources, no more than two or three keywords are generally necessary.

Too Many Matches, Too Few, Then Too Many Again Searching the Internet is a skill that takes time to develop. It can be frustrating at times, even for experienced researchers. If you feel stumped, try "Who Can Help Me?" at the end of this page.

Search by Grade Level within a Subject. Authors of Web pages often provide grade level information within a range, such as "Grades 4 - 6." The most effective way to conduct a Word Search by grade level within the library, therefore, is to search for the word "grade" plus a subject. For example, "grade geometry" will provide the materials that are classified by grade level in geometry.

Search within a Page. Once you have the resource you want, you can find specific information on the page by going to "Edit" at the top of your screen in Netscape or Internet Explorer and selecting "Find."

Homework Helper - A Search Version for Kids. Within the "Search" page is a link to Homework Helper. On the Kids Home page of the library, the Homework Helper is called "Search the Web" and is near the search box at the top of the page.

Search for the Stars. Less than 2% of sites receive a "star" rating, indicating that the site is either one of the most comprehensive sources for the topic or has essential information for the topic. Go to a search box in the Awesome Library and type in the subject you are pursuing plus the word star. For example, social studies star will provide you with the sites in Social Studies that have a star.

What if you want the stars for just one type of resource, such as Lesson Plans? No problem: lesson plans star will provide you with lesson plans that have a star.

2.) Subject Search. Another way to search is to select a subject, such as "Social Studies." To find The Declaration of Independence, go to the page designed for you, such as "Teacher," select "Social Studies," then "History," then "Colonial America." Try it. You can also search for "Titles" or "Authors" from our main or Home page.

3.) Index Search. A third way to search the library is to use the alphabetic list of topics, the "Index." This provides the major topics and sub-topics, not detailed sub-headings within sub-topics. For example, you can expect to find a major topic within "Biology," such as "Insects," but not a detailed topic, such as a specific type of insect.

4.) Type of Resource within a Topic. If you need just one type of resource within a topic, such as lesson plans, you can find it by typing one or two keywords within the search blank at the bottom of most pages in the library. For example, the keywords history lesson will provide the lesson plans within the "history" section and history discussion will provide the areas in "history" that have contacts. "History projects" will result in a list of history projects; and "history standards" will provide curriculum standards for history classes.

Some types of resources were assembled for you below. "Curriculum Standards" were assembled for you and lesson plans were also organized for your convenience. "Lessons" are also available on the main page of the library for teachers. A few "Projects" were assembled for you below as examples. "Projects" are also provided as a category of the library for students. You can ask questions of experts under "Ask a Question." If you are a teacher you can find kindred spirits under "Discussions" assembled below and if you are a student you can find friends in "Making Friends" below or in the library for students. If you are looking for information about the Internet, such as how to design a Web page, try the selection of resources available below under "Guides," under the subject of "Technology." For example, if you need help with downloading a program from the World Wide Web, try the resources assembled under "Internet for Beginners" in "Guides." You could also start out with the article "Downloading Files." Keeping children safe on the World Wide Web is also discussed in a separate paper with links under Parental Controls.

- Curriculum Standards
- Lesson Plans
- Projects
- Ask a Question
- Discussions (for Teachers)
- Making Friends (for Kids)
- Guides
- Web Page Design
- Internet for Beginners
- Downloading Files
- Parental Controls

5.) Geographical Search If you are looking for information related to a particular place, such as a city, state or country, look in "Your Town" on the Home Page. If you are trying to find a phone number or an address, you will find the information inside of "Reference" on the Home Page. If you already have an address and need a map surrounding the address, try "Maps."

City, State or Country
Phone Number or Address
Maps

Who Can Help Me?
If you are just starting and find this too complicated, or if nothing seems to get you where you need to go, try one of the experts in Ask a Question. The IPL Reference Librarian and AskERIC are good starting points for teachers. A good starting point for students is KidsConnect or Homework Helper for Students.