Resources for Parents
In today’s information age, middle school and high school students must learn how to efficiently and effectively do research online.
The Internet offers a chance to find out about anything in the world, from literature to cutting-edge science. But students need to know how to navigate the online world in order to gather information that is non-biased, truthful, and useful.
Project Stepping Up to SOAR (S-SOAR) aims to help your child learn this important skill.
With federal funding from the U.S. Department of Education, Project S-SOAR is conducting a study with middle school students. Your child, or your child’s school, may participate in this study. Or, if your child’s school is not participating, you are still welcome to use these free resources with your child. To learn more, please contact Dr. Fatima Terrazas-Arellanes (email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; phone: 541-346-3798) directly to receive a free login.
Benefits for Your Child
Benefits of the Strategies for Online Academic Research (SOAR) for your child include:
- Preparation to meet the Common Core State Standards, which are aligned to the strategies
- Learning valuable Internet research skills for use in school, college, and future careers
- Receiving immediate online feedback for students, and summative feedback for teachers
- A confidence boost in using the Internet for professional and personal online research projects
Accessing Strategies for Online Academic Research
It is easy to access the Student Toolkit website with your child. If your child’s school is part of Project S-SOAR, ask your child or his/her teacher for login information; if your child’s school is not participating, please contact Dr. Fatima Terrazas-Arellanes (email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; phone: 541-346-3798) directly to receive a free login.
To get started with Project S-SOAR:
- Explain to your child why it is important to learn how to conduct effective and efficient online research; for example say that this helps with answering questions such as: “How do plants grow?”
- Show your child the website, and how each feature works, such as videos and Try It! exercises). Explore the website on your own before showing your child.
- Explain how the strategies are relevant to your child’s academic or personal interests. You can even use the strategies to research a topic about family or daily life, or a topic your child is curious about (for example, Do all my family members have the same DNA and genes?).
- Monitor your child’s progress through the website. You can see what videos and practice exercises your child has completed and see how s/he is learning to conduct research online.
Project S-SOAR would be happy to help you as your child learns through our website. Please feel free to contact Dr. Fatima Terrazas-Arellanes (email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; phone: 541-346-3798) if you have any questions or need any support.
