Teacher Stuff
Today, students will use databases to search for particular information and to sort information in both ascending and descending order. This is the perfect opportunity to help students draw inferences by combining the facts they uncover in the database with their own background knowledge and opinions. Encourage students to take on the role of a detective, using clues from the database to draw conclusions, make reasonable predictions, establish connections, and form opinions. Print and reproduce this activity sheet to help students organize their thoughts and reflect upon the facts.

Feel free to use the following suggestions to extend the activities in Step 2.

  • Use the Roller Coaster Database in Math Class! Switch from using English to Metric measurement. Simply click on Metric at the bottom of the left column in the Record Holders Report Options screen.
  • Use Xpeditions Atlas: Maps Made for Printing and Copying to enhance the database graphing activity with Nation Master (Compare Nations). Students can find and mark the countries they are comparing in the database, recording the country's population on the map. You could also ask students to use the database to identify the 5 countries with the most people, then locate those countries on a map for a visual comparison of population to land mass. Further encourage students to use the database to discuss possible relationships between richer countries and life expectancy or population size and income differences, while noting the location on the map.