Gale Databases

Gale Databases (Grades 8-12) is one of the world leaders in research and educational publishing. This subscription includes full-text magazine and newspaper articles and articles from over 600 online databases with up-to-date subject matter. Gale Databases are accessed through Focused Education Resources and the BC Digital Classroom.

Focused Education Resources is a not-for-profit, shared services organization that supports excellence in K-12 education in British Columbia. It is a consortium of BC public school districts and independent schools that work together to create accessible learning resources for BC schools. Within Focused Education Resources is the BC Digital Classroom, which houses many of the subscriptions available to HCOS and Flex families.

Read below to learn more about the specific databases available through Gale.

Gale in Context: Canada

Gale in Context: Canada contains information on various Canadian topics, people, places, and events. Students can access content written from a Canadian perspective, including full-text magazines, academic journals, news articles, primary source documents, images, videos, audio files, and links to vetted websites organized into a user-friendly portal experience.

Gale in Context: Global Issues

Gale in Context: Global Issues offers international viewpoints on global issues, topics, and current events. Resources may be a springboard for critical thinking and analysis of social, political, military, economic, environmental, health, and cultural issues. Students can access articles, references, periodicals, primary sources, and statistical information.

Gale in Context: Science

Gale in Context: Science provides information on hundreds of today’s most significant science topics. Note that the Science in Context site also includes some Math topics.

Gale Power Search

Gale PowerSearch is a periodical, reference, multimedia, and primary source information search platform.

Logging In

Start editing here Wed June 12

There are two steps to log in to Gale CengageDatabases.

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Step accessed1: through the Focused Education site. GoNavigate to BC Digital Classroom, then select the Searchicon Portalfor the Gale Database you wish to access.

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Step 2: Enter the username and selectpassword for Gale Databases from the Subs/Passwords tab to findin the usernameSearch Portal.

Navigation & Use

Gale Databases are designed to function intuitively like other search engines.

The Advanced Search feature underneath the search bar allows users to add filters and password.generate Selectmore thespecific Subscription that you wish to use and enter the username and password.

You may see this login area at the top right of the page as you move between Gale Cengage resources. Do not log in again at the top of the page. Scroll down and begin using the resource.

Once you have logged in to one of the resources on the Gale Cengage page, you can easily move to another resource title without having to sign in again. Gale Cengage will allow you to move between resources after having signed in only once. Each new resource that you open will open in a new tab.

Using the Subscription

Advanced Search

Limit your search results by using “Advanced Search.”results.

Topic Finder

 

Searchinvites a topic such as “First Nations.” “Topic Finder” buttons can then be usedusers to bringfind upinformation helpfulorganized suggestionsby fortopic. further searches.

Topic FinderResults can be visualizedformatted as tiles or a wheel. Below is the result of a search for “First Nations.”

Resources

Select the Gale logo at the top of the page to return to the desktop. Scroll to the bottom of that page to find helpful resources.

The Educator Resources tab, seen above,tab has a greatresearch “Research Toolkit”toolkit with manytips “tipand sheets”strategies for students to help your student fine-tune their research skills.

Differentiation

Content

NoteLevels thatand eachLexile Measures allow readers to determine whether an article hasis written at an iconappropriate which will indicate the contentreading level andfor Lexiletheir measure,learning and the Advanced Search offers search by Lexile measure.  E.g.needs.

OnceThe youTranslate havebutton invites students to translate articles into a listdifferent oflanguage. searchOnce resultsa inlanguage advancedhas search,been youselected, can limit your search by content level from the navigationclick on the left"Complete side:

Translation"

button.

UsingThe article's text will be translated, and the "Tools" menu above the text, students may choose to translate the article into any one of many languages., change font size, or access the "Listen" toolbar.

The "Listen" toolbar allows articles to be read aloud or downloaded as an .mp3 audio file.  This toolbar has a 'gear icon,', which opens up the option to highlight words and sentences or change the colour of the text.  There is the option for "Enhanced Text Visibility", which is helpful for students with autism.  The speed at which the article is read can be adjusted, as well as automatic scrolling and popups.

Learning a new language?

Once you have opened a document, the translatespeaker button will allow a student to pick a different language in which to read a document.

Once the language has been chosen, the student can choose the "complete translation" button. This allows the speaker button to be used to hear the documentarticle spoken in the languageselected that has been chosen. Each word is highlighted as it is spoken.language. This could be very useful when learning a second language.

The Listen toolbar features read-aloud options and downloadable mp3s. The settings icon ⚙️ provides assistive technology options, including highlighting words, high contrast mode, speed adjust, and enhanced text visibility. Click on it to learn more and apply these features.

Then, a student can use the gear button to slow down the audio for easy listening.

Troubleshooting

Questions

You can contact Margaret Basaraba by email for help with any questions.