High school and adult learners understanding how to construct effective search queries.

1. Web Search Strategies
Lesson 2: the Search Query
Topic: Internet Literacy Time: 45 mins. Class Size: 5 - 15
OVERVIEW: When learners research unfamiliar topics on the Internet, understanding how to construct
an effective search query can both save time and lead to richer information. This curriculum is meant to
be a module in a larger Internet Literacy curriculum, and is based upon information and curricular tools
produced by Google for Educators.
OBJECTIVE: Upon completion of this lesson learners will be able to:
● Learn to construct an efective search query.
● Brainstorm search strategies and plan before searching.
MATERIALS: Basic search facts and search query construction strategies. See Atachment
1.
Rules for brainstorming. See Atachment 2.
Atachment 3 (1 printout per learner).
Printouts of the search tools handouts. (1 per learner). See Atachment 4.
ACTIVITIES: 1. Review Appendix 9, Basic Search and Search Qery construction Strategies
with your class.
2. Launch into a brainstorming activity to construct a search query to look for
the following“What is the litle dangling thing in the back of your throat
called ?".
‣ Divide your learners up into groups of 4 - 6.
‣ Briefly go over Appendix 10, Brainstorming Rules, if needed.
‣ Ask the groups to brainstorm possible query ideas, and write them out on
paper.
‣ Ask the learners to form a pair, and pick 6 queries they find most relevant.
‣ Ask them to input each of these queries in a computer and analyze their
results.
‣ Re-group and have some of the learners summarize the results with the
class.
ASSESSMENT: Do learners understand the relevant terms and concepts?
Do learners understand how to construct efective search queries ?
‣ Are they considering the search query before they enter it in the search
engine ?
‣ Are learners brainstorming efectively ?
Web Search Strategies Lesson Plan by Darryl Sherman is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial Share-Alike 3.0 United States License

2. Attachment 1:
Basic Search Strategies
For the purpose of this appendix square brackets have been used to reference a query [ ]. For example
[apple and orange] is one query, whereas [apple] and [orange] are two queries.
Some Basic Facts
1. Generally all the words you type into a query will be used by the search engine.
2. Some exceptions to this rule are commonly used terms like ‘the’, ‘a’, ‘for’ etc.
3. Some words in your query may be replaced by synonyms.
4. A particular word may not appear in your results page if there is other sufficient information to find
the relevant results. For example [a front view of the white house] may give you some pictures of the
front view of the white house which do not include the words ‘front view’.
5. For the most part punctuation marks are ignored. Here are a few exceptions to this rule :
Punctuation in popular terms that have that have particular meanings like [C++] or [C#] which‣
both names of programming languages, are not ignored.
The dollar sign ($) is used to indicate prices. So [Samsung 400] and [Samsung $400] will give you‣
different results.
The hyphen is used to indicate that the two words around it are strongly connected and hence is not‣
ignored. For example [part-time]
If there is a space before the hyphen and no space after it, then it may be considered a negative‣
sign.
The underscore symbol is not ignored when it connects two different words. For example‣
[english_forum]. Underscores are for the most part used in computer technology to name objects.
GUIDELINES FOR BETTER SEARCH:
Keep it simple. If you're looking for a particular company, just enter its name, or as much of its name as
you can recall.
If you're looking for a particular concept, place, or product, start with its name. If you're looking for a
pizza restaurant, just enter pizza and the name of your town or your zip code. Most queries do not
require advanced operators or unusual syntax. Simple is good.
Think how the page you are looking for will be written. A search engine is not a human, it is a program
that matches the words you give to pages on the web. Use the words that are most likely to appear on the
page. For example, instead of saying [ my head hurts ], say [ headache ],because that's the term a
medical page will use. The query [ in what country are bats considered an omen of good luck? ] is very
clear to a person, but the document that gives the answer may not have those words. Instead, use the
query [ bats are considered good luck in ] or even just [ bats good luck ], because that is probably what
the right page will say.
Describe what you need with as few terms as possible. The goal of each word in a query is to focus it
further. Since all words are used, each additional word limits the results. If you limit too much, you will
miss a lot of useful information. The main advantage to starting with fewer keywords is that, if you don't
get what you need, the results will likely give you a good indication of what additional words are needed
Web Search Strategies Lesson Plan by Darryl Sherman is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial Share-Alike 3.0 United States License

3. to refine your results on the next search. For example, [ weather cancun ] is a simple way to find the
weather and it is likely to give better results than the longer [ weather report for cancun mexico ].
Choose descriptive words. The more unique the word is the more likely you are to get relevant results.
Words that are not very descriptive, like 'document,' 'website,' 'company,' or 'info,' are usually not
needed. Keep in mind, however, that even if the word has the correct meaning but it is not the one most
people use, it may not match the pages you need. For example, [ celebrity ringtones ] is more descriptive
and specific than [ celebrity sounds ].
REMEMBER:
1. What is it I’m looking for? (Think about common keywords)
2. How would someone else talk about it? (What words would they use? How would THEY describe it?)
3. Which of those terms would be most common?
4. Which of those terms would be very specialized to this topic?
5. What kind of thing would make me happy? (Do I want a single web page, a definition, a collection, an
image...or?)
Web Search Strategies Lesson Plan by Darryl Sherman is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial Share-Alike 3.0 United States License

4. Attachment 2:
Brainstorming Rules
Here are some basic rules for brainstorming that learners should be aware of:
1. Capture all the ideas
2. Defer all judgment
3. Use a headline
4. Build on the ideas of others
5. One conversation at a time
6. Stay focused on the topic
7. Be visual
Web Search Strategies Lesson Plan by Darryl Sherman is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial Share-Alike 3.0 United States License

5. Attachment 3:
Activity Worksheet
You will now launch into a brainstorming activity with your team to construct a search query to find out
what the following is called:
Please refer to the brainstorming rules, if you need to before you start.
Write out your brainstorms on a white board or paper or post-its. Once your teacher indicates that you
should stop, pair up with another learner, and pick 6 queries you find the most relevant.
Input these queries into the search engine. You can jot down any relevant queries or links in the
discussion points section below. Analyze your results and summarize the points you want to present to
your class after you have finished.
Web Search Strategies Lesson Plan by Darryl Sherman is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial Share-Alike 3.0 United States License

6. Attachment 4:
Search Tools
Search images, video:
images.google.com
video.google.com (or click the links at the top of the page)
Maps:
maps.google.com
Exclude words:
[salsa -tomatoes] searches for salsa without tomatoes. Might also find pages about salsa dancing,
or music!
Find entire phrase:
["I have a dream"] Looks for that exact string of words. Use sparingly, as this limits your search
results.
Definitions:
[define:moa] finds definition for moa (its an extinct flightless bird)
Restrict search to certain site:
[Maybach site:cars.com] search for Maybach just at cars
Find a type of file:
[brainstorm filetype:PDF] finds PDF's with brainstorm in them
Find information on a specific website:
[site: apple.com iphone]search for information about iphone only in the apple.com website
Find information in sites of a specific domain:
[ASVAB site:*.mil] Finds information on the ASVAB exam only on U.S military websites.
Find sites that link to another site:
[link: paly.net] what are the other websites that have a link to the site you are looking for?
Synonyms:
[~car]searches with similar words
Restrict results, with choices (either/or):
[ vacation (london OR paris) ] find vacations in London or Paris
Price range: (special note: only 2 dots, NOT 3… )
[ DVD player $50..$200 ] find DVD players that cost between $50 and $200 (note the double
period between the pricess)
Web Search Strategies Lesson Plan by Darryl Sherman is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial Share-Alike 3.0 United States License

7. Find databases:
[algae database] searches for databases about algae
Weather:
[weather 94306] the weather in palo alto, ca
Stock Quotes:
[GOOG] (stock ticker name)
Time in another city:
[time athens, greece] enter time, city
Sports scores:
[Indiana Pacers] shows latest games scores
Calculator:
[34+678=] does the calculation
Book:
[Jane Austen] finds books by this author
Unit conversions:
[seconds in 5 minutes] does the conversion
Spelling:
[conciet] asks "Did you mean conceit?"
Local information:
[Thai food 29142] shows a list of Thai restaurants in the zip code
Movie information:
[movies 94306] lists movies playing in the area
Flight Status:
[American Airlines 817] gives flight status information
Convert Currency:
[100 dollars in pesos] does the conversion
Enter area code to find location:
[650] tells you the geographic location
Web Search Strategies Lesson Plan by Darryl Sherman is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial Share-Alike 3.0 United States License