Using Topic Browsing to Power Pathfinders and Lesson Planning

• Topic browsing gives students clear, curated starting points that reduce research frustration and build confidence.
• Smart Panels provide instant, authoritative context that supports pathfinder design, lesson planning and student learning.
• Topic Discovery Pages bring articles, reference content and multimedia together in one place, making it easier for educators to support differentiated instruction.

School librarians and classroom teachers are constantly looking for ways to guide students toward trustworthy sources while also simplifying their own planning process. With curriculum demands growing and digital content expanding by the day, it’s essential to have tools that make research easier, faster and more engaging. That’s where the topic-browsing experiences in EBSCO’s Ultimate Databases for Schools come in — specifically Topic Explorer, Smart Panels and Topic Discovery Pages.

These three unique features work together to help educators design effective pathfinders, support meaningful research, and enhance lesson plans with reliable, age-appropriate content. If you’re looking to boost student success while saving time, EBSCO’s topic-browsing tools are worth exploring.

Guiding Students with Organized Starting Points

One of the biggest hurdles for students conducting research is knowing where to start. Topic Explorer solves this challenge by offering browsable, librarian-curated categories that provide structure and clear direction. Students can explore broad subjects — such as science, social studies, the arts, or current issues — and then select more focused topics that match their interests or project needs. For librarians building pathfinders, this feature acts as a ready-made menu of research-friendly starting points.

Because Topic Explorer helps students narrow their focus before they begin searching, it reduces the trial-and-error frustrations common in database searching. It also allows educators to design pathfinders around topics they know students will encounter in the curriculum or choose frequently for independent research.

Enhancing Instruction with Smart Panels

While students browse or search within EBSCO’s Ultimate Databases, Smart Panels appear alongside results to provide quick, authoritative overviews of popular topics. These panels compile essential background information — definitions, summaries, timelines, notable people, related concepts, and more.

For teachers, Smart Panels offer instant content they can integrate directly into lessons. Planning a unit on renewable energy? A Smart Panel can provide a concise, accurate summary for an introductory mini-lesson, bell-ringer activity, or flipped-classroom resource. For librarians creating pathfinders, Smart Panels supply the context students need to understand a topic before diving into deeper research.

Bringing Research Together with Topic Discovery Pages

When students are ready to explore in greater depth, Topic Discovery Pages (a.k.a. Topic Pages) gather curated articles, reference content, primary sources, images, and videos all in one place. These pages act as a centralized hub that helps students move from general understanding to focused investigation.

Topic Pages are excellent additions to digital pathfinders because they bundle high-quality, multimodal resources — perfect for differentiated instruction. A single page might offer grade-level-appropriate encyclopedia content for novice researchers and scholarly articles for advanced learners. Teachers can easily gather materials to build inquiry lessons, project prompts, or reading selections that support standards-aligned units.

See These Tools in Action

Available only in the Ultimate Databases for Schools via Explora, these tools — Topic Explorer, Smart Panels and Topic Discovery Pages — are designed to spark curiosity, build confidence, and support meaningful research. Whether you’re designing a pathfinder or planning your next curriculum unit, topic browsing can offer a powerful starting point.