Web Search

Grade Level: 9

Materials: Computer with program that can access web sites, pen, paper, ruler.

Objectives: Students will be able to:

(1) access websites and input address to find particular websites.
(2) search a particular website for specific information, and record findings.

Mathematical Concepts: addition, subtraction, square, area, conversion, multiplication.

NCTM Standards: Standard 1: Problem solving, Standard 2 : Communication, Standard 3: Geometry.

Procedure: Students will be given information about what is a 'website', what is needed to access a website (e.g. software, modem), how to do general searches on websites and how to find particular addresses.

What is a Website? A web site is the "totality of a company's or organization's information presence on the World Wide Web, in other words, the sum of all its hypertext documents, images and how they are arranged. It may contain multiple nested sub-sites, as in the case of a Cyber Mall's site".

What is needed to access a Website? To access a website, the following are needed: a personal computer with a modem, an efficient software package (e.g. Netscape), and an internet provider (e.g. America Online, CompuServe, AT&T, etc.).

How to do general searches on Websites. Through internet providers, users will have access to different search engines (e.g. Yahoo, Lycos, etc.). Each engine provides help as to how to find information on particular topics. Users will follow instructions as they are given for the particular engine.

The teacher will demonstrate to students how to search for information on a particular topic using one of the search engines.

Students will be given the following address to go to:

http://www.tourist.com/miami/attract/mia_attr.htm

Students will be asked to find the information on the attached worksheet.

Answers: 1. 12x12=144; 2. 52; 3. 500; 4. 196; 5. 30 sq. inches; 6. There are two primates on the page. Answer will depend on the date the problem is given; 7. 2, 5, 10; 8. 52x100 = 5200 sq. meters; 9. 6pm; 10. 47.5 mph

Assessment: The students will share their findings.

Follow-up: Students will be asked to search for and record five websites about summer camps and five websites about their favorite pastime activity (e.g. sport, a hobby, etc.). They will be instructed to do their search in one of the search engines available through the internet provider.

References: Information on websites from http://www.yahoo.com

Legrand Decius, Academic Computing, Barry University
Paul McIntosh, Systems Engineer, Barry University

Contributors: Major: Kimberley Collie
Minor: Prof. Carol Marinas, Corrina Hubbard

Instructions to Students: Go to the following website and record the information asked for below. Website: http://www.tourist.com/miami/attract/mia_attr.htm.

1. On Adventure Island, square the number of volleyball courts available to visitors.

2. How many hours is Butterfly World opened weekly?

3. About how many years do the furnishing at Vizcaya span?

4. If the items in the Museum in St. Augustine, Florida created at the beginning of the century mentioned, approximately how old would they be today?

5. What is the approximate area of the picture of the Parrot Jungle? Use your rulers to measure the length and width as they appear on the screen.

6. If the primates on the Monkey Jungle homepage were born on September 18, 1987, add up the number of years, months and days they were alive. What is the total for all the primates on the page?

7. Which numbers between 1 and 20, when divided into the number of figures at the wax museum in St. Augustine, Florida, will give quotients that are whole numbers?

8. In meters, what is the size of Caribbean Gardens?

9. In order to return before midnight, what is the latest hour Europa Seakruz can set sail.

10. If you live 95 miles away from Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park, how fast must you travel to get there before the ticket counter closes if you leave home at 2 p.m.?