1. Choosing and Using Keywords Technology Class Grade 6Ms. PirtleOctober 2011

2. Vocabulary Query A question that you ask a search engine Keyword Any word that is used to query a search engine. 2 Common Sense Media. (2011). The Key to Keywords. Retrieved from http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/lesson/key-keywords-6-

3. Keyword Rules You don’t need capital letters Choose the best combination of words based on their usage in a sentence (parts of speech) Avoid: One word searches Non-essential words Stop words Small parts of speech—”and,” “it” “you,” “then,” “for” Use no more words than are necessary Common Sense Media. (2011). The Key to Keywords. Retrieved from http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/lesson/key-keywords-6- 3

4. Power Words Proper nouns Numbers Words that explain WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, and WHY Use a thesaurus! Common Sense Media. (2011). The Key to Keywords. Retrieved from http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/lesson/key-keywords-6- 4

5. Search Operators A search operator is an instruction that joins keywords to form a new, more complex query. Common Sense Media. (2011). The Key to Keywords. Retrieved from http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/lesson/key-keywords-6- 5

6. Double Quotation Marks “ ” Narrow your search down Example, try: soccer fans How many “hits” did Google return? Now, try: “soccer fans” How many “hits” did Google return this time? Common Sense Media. (2011). The Key to Keywords. Retrieved from http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/lesson/key-keywords-6- 6

7. Inclusion Operator (+) or AND Search engine to look for certain terms together Put a plus sign or the word AND in front of the word you want to appear with the first word Try pumpkin pie How many “hits” did Google return? Now, try: pumpkin +pie How many “hits” this time? Common Sense Media. (2011). The Key to Keywords. Retrieved from http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/lesson/key-keywords-6- 7

8. The Exclusion Operator(-) or NOT When you don’t want results that include that particular word Put a minus sign or the word NOT in front of the word you don’t want to appear Try: Searching dolphins But what if you don’t want football? Now, try: Searching dolphins –football Tip: be sure to put a space only after dolphins! Common Sense Media. (2011). The Key to Keywords. Retrieved from http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/lesson/key-keywords-6- 8

9. Wildcard Symbol Use an asterisk to search for part of a word or a whole word that may have several endings Try this: Search for legislator How many “hits” did Google return this time? Now: Search for legis* How many “hits” did Google return this time? Common Sense Media. (2011). The Key to Keywords. Retrieved from http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/lesson/key-keywords-6- 9

10. Conclusion Powerful keywords create an effective query Use a thesaurus Operators help to focus your search Common Sense Media. (2011). The Key to Keywords. Retrieved from http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/lesson/key-keywords-6- 10