Finding Search Words

Refining Search Words Exercise

Once you have your assignment/topic and have a general research plan, think about the specific words and phrases that you will use as you search encyclopedias, library catalogs, magazine databases and the Internet.  Where do you find the "right" words to begin your searching?  Remember this is a process, so you may do the steps more than one time to gather more/different information.

Objectives for students:

Use more than one word and synonyms to refine your search term or keyword
Adjust terms in order to get satisfactory search results

 Students need to know...

Where to begin??  Expand what you know!
Start by activating your background knowledge.
Look for new words that are related to your topic. 
Verify what you think you know by exploring the following sources:

Be a Power Searcher with Search Box Strategies
Synonyms help!  

District 88 | Addison Trail | Academics | Athletics | Calendar | Map | Resources