Find out about:
Entering a Search Term | Selecting Source Types | Reading Level | Using the Advanced Search


Entering a Search Term
Type a word or phrase that you want to search for, and click START .

When you go to the search page, the search is defaulted to Natural Language Search. This means that you can enter a phrase or question as you would normally ask it. For example, "the distance from the earth to the sun" or "What is the distance from the earth to the sun?"

You can select to do a Boolean Search by clicking the button under the search field. Then enter multiple key words connected by Boolean Operators like AND or OR. For example, "distance and earth and sun."

Find out more about doing an effective search.

Selecting Source Types
You can select different source types for your search. By default, all search types are selected.

If what you need is only, for example, newspaper and magazine articles, you can select just those types to get faster, more focused results.

To select or deselect a source type, check or uncheck the box under a source type. You can also click "Select All" or "Clear All" to choose all source types at once.

Reading Level
bigchalk offers three reading level measurement systems. Your school or district administrator has configured your account to display one of them. All three are described below.

Reading Level (generic)

This is bigchalk's default reading level, which is based on the Gunning Fogg Fleisch-Kincaid Index. This index provides a number on a scale of 0-21 that reflects the number of syllables, words and sentences in a document. Documents containing paragraphs with longer words and sentences should be harder to read, and will therefore result in a higher reading level number.

You search by reading level range ( elementary = level 0 - 6, middle = level 4 - 10, high school = level 8 - 14 and beyond = level 12 - 20). A reading level will be displayed for each document on the results page. You may also sort the result list by reading level so that the less-difficult documents appear at the top.

Lexile Reading Level

You will see reading levels expressed in Lexile units if your school, district or state has selected Lexiles. The Lexile system was designed to place documents and students on the same scale. Both student and text Lexiles are determined by standardized testing, and the scale ranges from 200-1700.

Lexiles are based on sentence length and how often specific words are used in the English language. While elementary school students typically read in the 200-750 Lexile range, many high school students read at levels near the top of the scale. It is recommended that students read at a level that is 100 points below and up to 50 points above their personal Lexile score. For more information on Lexiles in eLibrary, retrieve this set of PowerPoint files. One contains a broad overview of Lexiles, while the second focuses on Lexiles within eLibrary.

You can specify your own Lexile score in the advanced search fields. Documents consisting primarily of pictures, audio or video will not display a Lexile value but will still appear in the results list. If a Lexile score is specified, the query will only retrieve results 100 points below and 50 points above the specified score. For instance, entering a Lexile value of 950 will return results between 850-1000. You may also sort the result list by Lexile so that the less-difficult documents appear at the top.

California Reading List Numbers (CRL #)

You will probably see reading levels expressed in CRL numbers if your school or district is in California and your administrator has selected this option. The state of California has adopted the California Reading List as the standard reading level measurement. All California students in grades 2-11 are tested for their CRL number using the Lexile test (see above).

Obtaining a CRL number involves rounding each student’s Lexile level and then chopping off the last two digits. Parents receive notification of their child’s CRL number as part of an annual assessment known as a STAR report. It is recommended that students read at a CRL number that is one point below or one point above their tested CRL number. Elementary students typically read texts with CRL numbers between one and seven.

You can specify the CRL number recommended for you in the advanced search fields. Documents consisting primarily of pictures, audio or video will not display a CRL number but will still appear in the results list. If a CRL number is specified, the query will only retrieve documents that are one CRL number above or below the number. You may also sort the result list by CRL number so that the less-difficult documents appear at the top.

Note: Pictures are listed at reading level 0, but will be included in the results when a reading level range is specified, e.g. middle = level 4 - 10, but includes reading level 0

Advanced Search
Use these fields to narrow your search.

Note that searching with too little detail can flood you with information that you don't want. On the other hand, a search that's too specific may cut out results you do want.

To use the Date Range field, select from the pull-down menu and enter the start date and, optionally, the end date of the range you want to search.

To use the Document Title field, enter all or part of the document title (for example, newspaper article or video title) you are searching for.

To use the Source Title field, enter the name of the source you want to search. You can enter more than one source name, and can enter just the names or you can use Boolean phrases to narrow your search. You must enter the full name of the source you are trying to search. For example, if you are looking for an article from The New York Times, you cannot enter only "Times."

To use the Subject field, enter names of subject areas you want to search.

Additional Options
Using more search options can give you very precise control over your results. Select more ways to limit your search from the drop-down menus, and enter a word or phrase written as a Boolean expression. You can use both additional option fields at once. Choose from: