In general, teachers can use PebbleGo's databases to teach kids about research, reporting, and citing sources. For beginning researchers, give students a chance to explore topics according to their interests and come up with two to three fun facts to share with their classmates. As their skills mature, challenge kids to use the biography database to research three people they've never heard of, and play a guessing game with the facts they submit. For a more structured activity, have each student complete one of the report templates available on the site; put the reports together to create a reference wall for your current unit of study.
Students can do research on their own or in small groups, in the classroom or at home. Younger kids might benefit from more guided searches and specific assignments, while older students might enjoy more freedom to search according to their own interests. Kids can also share their reflections on their research process and contribute to a class list of "pro tips" for using the site. Helping students develop effective research skills can be overwhelming, but PebbleGo's colorful design, easily navigable topics, and just-right amount of information make the process less daunting for teachers and learners alike.
PebbleGo is a kid-friendly, searchable database that covers a variety of research topics in both English and Spanish. Five main modules -- animals, science, biographies, social studies, and dinosaurs -- are divided into topics and subtopics. For example, students can narrow their biography search to women scientists or their dinosaur search to long-necked titanosaurs. Every subtopic presents a five-part report with text, photos, media, links to similar topics, printable assessment sheets, and a correct citation. As kids navigate across the images, they'll hear the topic described. Each module also includes some simple games, an article of the day, a search field, and a question of the day related to article topics. For example, in the science database, there's a poll titled "What is your weather today?"
Kids can read on their own or choose to have text highlighted and read to them. The modulated speech can help students improve reading fluency, but since students can't change the speed, some might find it too slow or too fast. Teacher resources on the administrative side include comprehensive lesson plans, printable activity sheets, and some basic overall usage statistics that include login frequency and popular articles.
PebbleGo is a wonderful, fun introduction to the world of database research, where students can search, learn, and explore in a safe, kid-friendly environment. The topics vary enough that most kids will find something of interest, and the multiple modes of presentation such as text, read-aloud, images, and videos make it all easily accessible. Kids don't log on with individual accounts, and while this helps keep the site safe and private, there's no way to assess learning online or track kids' search paths. Teachers can use the printable assessment sheets to gauge what kids are learning, and the blog offers lots of creative ideas to make research engaging.
Giving kids practice conducting research and then reporting on it is an important exercise; it's something they'll certainly do a lot in their academic lives. Younger kids, though, will likely need lots of scaffolding from teachers. The games, while engaging, may not do much to spark critical thinking. They seem more likely to keep kids occupied with related educational material than to immerse them in embedded research skills. Taken as a whole, however, the intuitive user interface and wealth of standards-based content make PebbleGo a solid engagement tool for foundational research skills.