Lesson Plan Archive
This archive was constructed by the outstanding teaching staff at Walnut Grove Secondary. Use these resources to develop new lesson plans or as inspiration for new ways to approach teaching!
Beyond
Websites and search engines recommended for locating quality information
Googlitis: is an affliction that stalks students and adults who rely on this search engine wholeheartedly and fail to question how it generates results! - Alan November
When we begin to look for information, our first stop is usually a search engine such as Google. Just don't rely too heavily on the list of search-engine generated results, which are not ranked by relevance. Be sure to locate your information from a variety of sources. It is good to keep in mind that there are other places that you can find information that are free to use and easy to access. Below are some other great search engines and other websites where you can also find quality information.
Search Engines
SweetSearch
Tired of getting poor results from your search engine? SweetSearch allows you to quickly search through over 35,000 websites that have been hand-selected by a team of research experts as credible resources for students.
WolframAlpha
WolframAlpha is a computational search engine that actually figures out the answer to your factual questions by searching reliable data sources. That's very different from your average search engine which sends you off to websites and makes you look for the answer. WolframAlpha can help you with your Science, Math, History, and Technology-related queries. Want to know the current population of Nigeria? Or proof your chemical equations? Watch the introductory video to become familiar with the different features of this amazing tool!
Creative Commons Images
Flickr's Creative Commons
Search thousands of images that can be reused for free! Flickr explains the different types of Copyright Licences, to help you understand to what extend you can use each image.
Find images, media, music and video that you can share, use, and remix! This set of search engines, such as Google, Flickr, and Pixabay , helps you find free content you can use legally online.
Makerbook (SITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION)
Royalty Free Stock Images, Videos, Audio, Fonts and more! Here you find a variety of media that can be used for free and does not need a link to where you found it!
For the first time in its 174-year history, the Smithsonian has released 2.8 million high-resolution two- and three-dimensional images from across its collections onto an open access online platform for patrons to peruse and download free of charge. Featuring data and material from all 19 Smithsonian museums, nine research centers, libraries, archives and the National Zoo, the new digital depot encourages the public to not just view its contents, but use, reuse and transform them into just about anything they choose.
Other Resources
Snopes provides fact checking for many different popular news articles, memes, and other information you may come across online. If you come across something online that seems outrageous, too good to be true or just plain weird. Try putting it into Snopes to check if it is true.
Charity Navigator
(a charity itself) is the place to obtain background on various charities. Enter the name to access quick info-graphics that show ratings and financial accountability. Perform side-by-side ratings of up to 5 charities at a time, view up to the past 3 years of financial records, peruse the Donor Advisory list, and determine which charity deserves your support this Christmas.
Debatepedia
Your one stop guide to creating a debate and building a credible argument. The site covers an array of topics to help you develop your debate.
NationMaster
Offers current Global statistics and facts covering topics such as cost of living, crime, education, government, health, military, religion, terrorism, and much more.
One Look - Dictionary Search
Search 1000+ dictionaries all at once! You can look up definitions, find synonyms and rhymes, or even browse the dictionaries by language or topic.
Poem Hunter
Search hundreds of famous authors or topics to find some great poems. Create a personalized list of your favourite poems.
TED
TED Talks are short videos that show case Professionals, and Educators sharing ideas, and information freely.
The World Factbook (CIA)
Provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military and transnational issues for 267 world entities. Maintained weekly by the US Government, this site's goal is to share information openly between people of all nations.
Word Reference
A bilingual dictionary that can translate over 20 languages including Spanish, French, Italian, German, Russian, Polish, Greek...Some languages also provide you with the option to view definitions and look up synonyms.
