GoalChoose key words and write a search phrase that fits my question.
New words
key word · an important word that tells the search engine what you wantresult · one page in the list that a search engine showsphrase · several words that go togethertoo general · so wide that you get too many answers that do not help
Explanation
The words you type in a search are your key words. One single word is often too general. If you type only “mouse”, you may get pages about the small animal and pages about the computer mouse mixed together. A longer phrase works better, such as “pet mouse food” or “how to use a computer mouse”. First think: what do I really want to know? Then pick the important words. Ask yourself: who, what, where? Many search engines also let you search with a picture instead of words. With a teacher or a family member, you can add a photo of a plant, and the search engine looks for pages about something like it. If the results are confusing, change your key words or ask a grown-up to help.
What you type
What you may get
mouse
the animal and the computer part, mixed
camel
everything about camels: far too many results
pet mouse food
pages about feeding a pet mouse
how long can a camel go without water
pages that answer this question
Worked examples
Farida wants to know what plants need to grow. She types “plants” and gets pages about gardens, shops and jokes. Her teacher says: try “what do plants need to grow”. Now the first results answer her question.
Marwan wants facts about the stars in the sky. He types “star” and also gets pages about film stars and football stars! He changes it to “stars in the night sky”. Now the results are about the sky.
Seif finds a flower in a park and does not know its name, so words are hard to choose. With his father he takes a photo and uses it to search. The search engine shows pages about flowers that look like it. Seif checks them in a book too.
Class activity
Key word cards. Take three questions: (1) How tall is the tallest building in the world? (2) What do pet rabbits eat? (3) Where do flamingos spend the winter? For each question, write its words on small paper cards, then take away the cards you do not need. Keep only the key words and make a search phrase from them. Compare with a partner: did you keep the same key words?
Practice
1
Why is the single word “camel” a poor search?
It is too general: you get far too many results about everything to do with camels.
2
Which is the better search for finding where pet rabbits sleep? Say the letter.
Search
A rabbit
B where does a pet rabbit sleep at night
B. It has more key words, so it fits the question.
3
You see a plant and do not know its name. What could you do, with a grown-up?
Search with a photo of the plant.
4
The word “mouse” has two meanings. Look at the picture and write a search phrase for each meaning.
Answers differ, for example “pet mouse food” and “how to use a computer mouse”.
