Lesson 3 - SIRS Discoverer
   I selected penguins to research and found lots of information.  There were  photos and maps to choose from along with the reading levels.  I could see using this to followup with younger students after watching a movie like Madagascar.  They could find out real facts about animals they saw in the movie.
   Using the "Country Facts" was easy too. I selected Seychelles after first hearing about the cruise ship that was stuck by Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. Lots of facts, maps, and a timeline were available.  This could help students connect more with current events,
   I used the "Database Features" under skills - language arts to look up Dr. Seuss information.  There were games and books available. Another handy tool to use to celebrate special days.

           SIRS Issues Researcher
   Should the U.S. government continue to fund manned space flight missions was my topic of interest.  After going through the overview, I especially liked being able to see terms to know, additional resources, and the ability to change into a different language.  Under research tools, the note organizer for reasons for each viewpoint would be very handy.
   Curriculum Pathfinders had lots of interesting choices.  Math games were challenging and gave explanations to amaze your friends with how fast you can reach the answers.  Under the health section, there was a portion/distortion calories/burn off quiz.  This was fun to guess how much work you would have to do to burn off the food you eat.
   With both of these I could see lots of potential uses within a classroom, homeschooling, or for homework help at home.