Effective Google Searching

Students use Google all the time. They use it because they are trying to find an answer. Researching is an important skill to teach students. It aligns with the common core standards, so it is a skill that must be taught.

During my science, social studies, or  reading lessons we are constantly using the internet to find information. I align researching skills to our content in class. Also, my students have been working on their genius hour projects, so before they start on that it's important to build foundational research skills before letting them lose.

If you aren't familiar with Genius Hour here is a quick video that explains it!

Not only are resarching skills important, but also knowing the features of a Google search!

So here are some researching tips to help keep it more efficient and effective:

1. Use quotation marks for an exact phrase. This allows the search to find only resources that have the words exactly in the quotation marks.


2. Use a hyphen to omit certain words form a search

3. Go to books.google.com to search words in books rather than online resources.

Here is a great cheat sheet about different Google search shortcuts and tools!
Google Search Cheat Sheet

Here is a great video that demonstrates some of these tips and tricks: