NebraskAccess DISTRICT/ESU: Omaha

Name: Primary Schools Public Schools

Explora Name: PebbleGo
Pick one topic from your focus curriculum area (content area/grade level) to explore in
your 2 online resources.
ENTER YOUR Content/Grade Level HERE: 3rd Grade ELA / Create a Wildlife Blog
Content & The database covers animals, arts This database covers animals,
Appearance and music, biographies, biographies, science, social studies,
What kind of
content does the geography, language arts, math, and health.
database cover? science and health, and social
studies. It has an advanced search
The homepage is mainly a medium
What does the option that helps narrow down blue with shaded white lined
homepage look the search by multiple keyword graphics with books, animals,
like? If applicable,
explain differences fields, publishing month and dinosaurs, suns, plants, weather,
by grade level. year, if it includes image quick and more. The top is a light blue
view types, as well as Lexile with a sear bar at the top and a
Is there an Reading Level. PebbleGo logo. There is also a
Educators’ or For purple capstone option to click on
Teachers’ section?
The homepage has a white that allows eBook Library and
If so, what is background with a blue bar at the whether to talk sounds when you
included in that top of the screen and a search bar hover over the pictures. There is
section? at the top as well. It includes a also an option for PebbleGoNext for
couple of featured pictures such higher elementary levels but for
What stands out as
most helpful? as animals, space, grammar, an this assignment I will just focus on
artist, and a dinosaur. PebbleGo for younger grades.
What could be
included to make It then has the different subjects What stands out as helpful is it
this easier for in the database available to click reads all the information to the
educators to
use/learn/teach? on with images that match the student, should that student not
title of the subject, such as a have a high enough reading level or
poisonous tree frog under not able to read that well in English
‘Animals.’ yet. I like being able to click on
videos within the subjects, a
In the top right corner, it can citation option, .pdf’s available to
allows users to sign in, store some print and view, and maps available
items of information in a with certain subjects such as
customized folder made by you, animals. It includes timelines with
change the language of the some biographies.
website to match your native
language if you speak English, It could include a ‘For Teachers’
Spanish, or French. It also has a section to help supplement learning
Help button that takes you to a specifically on PebbleGo. It could
separating page that gives also include different citation
tutorials and FAQ’s about options labeled or offered. If you
 searching, translating, browsing,
using folders, as well as citation
styles.
There is no page labeled ‘For
Teachers / For Educators’ as it is
targeted for K-12 students.
However, if you go to the Help
button in the right corner and
type in ‘educators’ in the search
bar, the following helpful articles
will pop up: Curriculum
Standards, Glossary, and Lexile
Reading Levels.
look hard enough and look into
PebbleGo’s publisher,
CapstoneConnect was created in
2020 to help educators find and
“share standards-aligned content
from a comprehensive collection of
PebbleGo modules, eBook bundles,
and compilations of instructional
materials.”

What stands out as most helpful

is the advanced search option, the
‘Listen’ text-to-speech option for
the most robust and most used
articles in the database, as well as
the homepage where you can click
on a picture of a subject you’d like
to dive into such as ‘Animals’,
‘Biographies’, ‘Social Studies’, and
more.

To make this database easier to

use could be having an exclusive
link or page strictly for teachers
and educators with tutorials or
ways to fully use this database to
its full potential or by grade level
and developmentally
appropriateness. To use for
students, the results that come up
after searches could be tailored to
younger students with more
specific pictures and bigger titles.
I also think it could benefit from
having a read text-to-speech
feature already available on the
website so students who don’t
speak or read enough English
Authority, Primary Schools Explora is PebbleGo is owned by Capstone.
Accuracy, and owned by EBSCO, another “Capstone is a trusted children’s
Currency
research interface that is designed publisher and interactive content
Who owns and specifically for students and producer rooted in education. Capstone
distributes the educators. creates fun learning experiences to
database? Give a
background of EBSCO is the leading provider of support literacy in a variety of digital,
this company/ research databases, e-journals, print, and blended media formats for
provider. How magazine subscriptions, and school libraries, classrooms and homes
do you know ebooks that designed for including the award-winning PebbleGo
they are academic libraries, colleges, and
trustworthy?
research database for elementary
universities. schools. Capstone is passionate about
Who provides the I know EBSCO is trustworthy inclusivity, equity and accessibility in
information in the because it only contains sources support of all kids. Visit
database? Is it from credible sources that is www.capstonepub.com to learn more.”
created in house or accurate, current, and reliable.
by other
providers? If The information provided is from Other fun facts about Capstone is:
other providers, partnered libraries as well as “a family-owned company publishing
how do you Education Source includes “open engaging content for children Pre-K-
know they are access journals which has Middle school, established in 1991
trustworthy? resulted in a growing collection of with a list of 48 titles, and now its
Does the 533 global OA journals. Once publishing content includes over
information validated and certified for 10,000 print titles and 9,000 digital
appear accurate? inclusion, these OA journals are eBooks with over 5,000 of those
How do you treated with high-quality subject
know? What
including audio. It also employs 250
indexing and sophisticated, people.” I know it’s trustworthy
makes you think
that? precise/accurate full-text because it contains a wide variety of
linking.” reliable sources and has been in
When was this The information appears to be business since 1991. To start their
information very accurate. I know because I
published? Look company, a lot of their articles were
used it myself in college, EBSCO created in-house. Today, PebbleGo
for a copyright
date. that is, and my college professors goes directly through Capstone
accepted the sources that I found Publishing’s Pebble imprint
through EBSCO, especially peer- specifically and as it seems to all be in-
reviewed sources. house.
It is not clear when Primary It was the first database of its kind
Schools EBSCO was created. designed specifically for younger
Information inside Primary children starting from kindergarten up
Explora is published as far back to 3rd grade.
as 1991 all the way up to 2020.
The information does seem to be
reliably and consistently accurate. I
know this because the information
inside many of the different subjects
lines up with what’s taught in schools,
what’s in nonfiction books inside
libraries, and matches with other
databases such as Kids Britannica.

It does not say specifically when each


Search Features I search in the search bar at the
How do you top of the homepage. I can select
search?
adavanced filters in different
What are the basic fields, based on keyword, titles,
and advanced and more. There are basic and
search features advanced search features such as
(e.g., keyword, keyword, titles, authors, and
truncation,
Boolean operators) more.
The search results page looks
What does the more like the adult EBSCO page.
search results page It really depends on what is
look like? included in the search results, as
What is included it can span from periodicals,
in the search audio, articles, and more. You can
results? limit results with the advanced
search engine. You can sort by
How can you relevancy, how current it is, and
limit/sort results?
more.
Developmental I would say this grade level
appropriateness targets high level grade 4 to 6th
What grade levels grade. I think that because it’s a
does this database bit more distanced search results,
target? very little pictures, and little
details and a caption with each
What makes you title that some younger children
think that?
(design, reading might find confusing as the title if
level, content) forget. Young children may also
Give multiple not now what periodicals are and
specific details not every source has a picture
that make it a with the title. The reading content
good fit for
certain grade is harder to read and it’s not
levels. always text-to-speech. The design
is harder for younger children so
Difference in it’s more suitable for older
content across children in elementary school.
grade levels.
The homepage is white, there’s no
pictures to click on, there’s lots of
labels, captions, author’s names,
it would take a lot of practice for
individual article is published but
according to Capstone’s timeline,
PebbleGo was launched in 2009 so by
that point, it is updated with factual
and current information and is updated
as needed.
You can search by typing in the
search bar at the top of the
homepage.
There are no advanced search
features, just basic search features
– keyword.
The search results will go down
from the search bar so you can click
from the drop-down menu. The
search results will only include
accurately spelled content.
You cannot limit or sort results as
the database is already limited to
specific and generic species of
animals and subjects.
This database targets Kindergarten
through 3rd grade. I know this
because my students love to use it,
when I was teaching summer
school, my kindergartners loved it,
and very easily knew how to
navigate the platform with limited
help. Also the design, reading level,
and content is very easy to
understand for younger kids. It also
says so on the website that it’s
appropriate for K-3rd grade, mainly
K-2nd grade but it truly is. When the
content is read to the student, every
word lights up as it’s read, the
vocabulary does not use words they
won’t understand as they can pick a
highlighted or red word and it will
be located up in their in-house
dictionary to give a definition.
These words are selective such as
 younger children to understand naming animals for their scientific
how to use the search results generic name such as amphibians
page. Older children would still would be defined.
need guidance and tutorials but it
would be easier to read because of
their higher reading levels.
Differentiation There is little support for reading In 2019, PebbleGo made itself
levels, except for the advanced compliant with Section 508 and
Are there supports
for: search level where it starts the WCAG 2.1 AA standards. This way
reading level at mid 500’s Lexile the database is “accessible to
Reading level (Are level. Yes, you can switch between children with vision, cognitive,
they accurate?) different Lexile levels, but ‘grade physical, and hearing disabilities.”
(Can I switch levels’ is not an option. I feel the It has “text-to-speech on all
between levels?) If
switching grade Lexile levels are accurate with the articles, transcripts for all
levels is not info in the articles. videos..screen reader support.. and
offered, look at color contrast design to support
the Lexile levels students with color-blindness and
if available. Do low vision.”
you feel they fit
with the grade
level identified? The reading level is already taken
Does the info in down to a generic young kid’s level,
the articles fit no specific Lexile level. It cannot be
with the Lexile moved up or down to certain Lexile
levels?
or reading levels. Even though
Reading aloud (Is Not every source is text-to- Lexile levels are not offered, I still
it of good quality? speech. However, for the sources strongly feel that the database
Does it highlight it includes that do read to the matches with the grade levels
words as it reads? student, it does read aloud. It identified. The information on the
Can you change
speed or accent?) does highlight words as it reads. articles do fit with younger
You can choose what color to children’s reading levels.
Vocabulary (Is highlight the word and what color
there a dictionary? to highlight the sentence. You can When it’s reading aloud, it is of
Is it grade level even change the text color. good quality. It does highlight as it
appropriate? Will
it read words Normally if it reads aloud, it is reads. No, you cannot change the
aloud?) already set on ‘Automatic speed or acent.
Scrolling’ so it scrolls for you as it
Language (Does it reads to you. You can change the There is an in-house dictionary that
offer translations?
speed or the accent. You can even defines selective highlighted and
Are there different
language texts or change the font. If you wanted to, red words. It is grade level
speech? Which you could download the .mp3 file appropriate and the words can be
languages does it of the audio text-to-speech. read aloud.
offer?) It does not offer a translation
unless you pick a different It does not offer translations to
Text size
language in the corner for the other languages, it is English-only.
Citations entire website. Those other The text size is good and large
languages are Spanish and enough for students to clearly read
Anything else? French. There are no different while still leaving room for pictures
language texts or speech as to be and other content.
consistent site-wide.
It does offer a citation button to
The text size is a good size that is copy and paste.
good all for sitewide. It does
include citations should you click
on the ‘Cite’ button. It also has
different buttons such as ‘Add to
Google Drive’, ‘Add to Folder’,
‘Email’, ‘Save’, ‘Export, ‘Create
Note’, and ‘Permalink.’
Curricular The find the information matches The information included very
Connections the needs of most focus areas well much matches the needs of my
How well does the for elementary subjects. focus area of third grade animals
information As for 3rd grade ELA and wildlife, and wildlife.
included match the it would take some heavy hand
needs of your focus holding to guide them through It has an entire subject solely on
area? the website but there is a lot of animals and another subject solely
Include specific
information adequate information on wildlife on science if it wants to go into Life
about your animals, John Muir and Gifford Science. The animal subject even
topic/grade Pinchot, as well as United States includes Animal Classification and
level. What did National Parks. When I searched Animal Habitats, dinosaurs, and
you find when the topic, I found different invertebrates, as well as pets and
you searched
that topic? How articles covering the main farm animals.
many results National Parks inside the U.S., I When I searched the topic, it gives
did you get? found periodicals and references a wide variety and different types of
What kinds of about John Muir and Gifford animals from mammals to birds to
results did you Pinchot. I also found an entire fish to insects. I get hundreds of
get? Will the
information page dedicated to animals that results under animals. The
included in the would have to be narrowed down information included does match
results match to United States animals and the my 3rd grade level because the
your grade level wildlife. The information content matches my kid’s reading
needs? included in the results would levels, especially in a pandemic and
Why/why not?
match my grade level’s needs learning loss.
What if any, because it includes lots of great
important information about animals, the
information is men who led the revolution of
missing? What do conservation and preserving
you need for
this lesson that nature in the United States.
is not included?