Lesson+4

**Lesson 4: A to Z Resources**
Please navigate to the Middle School Library page. Look for the A to Z Resources tag. Please take a few minutes to explore the links you can access. Not every subscription is accessible when off campus, check the Middle School Handbook/Planner for log-in information.

One of the many advantages of using an online encyclopedia is the ease of keyword searching. Few students remember to use the Index of the print version. Before searching for your subject, take a look at the tabs: Dictionary, Learning Materials, Teacher Resources, and Guided Tour (only 4 pages to read) Now it's time to search... I usually use the Search All Levels feature but you can also search by specific level (high school, middle school, elementary school) For this lesson, use the keywords //ancient// E//gypt// in the Search All Levels bar. Browse the article results under headings: Britannica, Compton's, Elementary, Additional Content, Multimedia, and Learning Materials. Notice the number of results for each category. Notice there are links to Articles, Images, Related Articles, Maps & Flags, etc. Have some fun exploring!
 * __Encyclopaedia Britannica__**

__**World Book Discoverer and World Book Student**__ Begin with Discoverer and take a look at the sections: Reference Tools, Life Skills, and For Educators. Notice that you can search by keywords or by subject. Try a keyword Search, Advanced Search, and Topic search and compare results. As with Britannica, you can double-click a word to get a definition. Again, use keywords //ancient Egypt// for your search. Notice that the types of results are listed on left side of results page. Click on an article and "Enable read-aloud toolbar" to listen to the article. Isn't that a great feature! Switch to World Book Student and take a look at sections: Research Tools, Behind the Headlines, Biography Center, Quizzes and Activities, and What's New. Notice that you can search by keywords or by subject. Try a keyword Search, Advanced Search, and Subject search and compare results. This time, use keywords I//slamic empire// for your search. The types of results are listed on left side of results page. Choose an article and look at some of the Tools available: print, e-mail, translate and read-aloud. Another advantage of online encyclopedias...the citation information is provided! No excuse for not completing the NoodleBib template.

For current information about countries and the United States, use World Edition, Kids Edition or States Edition for research. There is a "country landing map" for each country which provides an outline of the information, a map, the flag, pronunciation, and the anthem. Teachers: Teaching Activities is a collection of 79 activities using CultureGrams in the classroom, organized by grade level. Notice that there is a Generate Citation feature for each article. Take some time to explore the three Editions and choose a country to research. Look at Additional Features: photo gallery, slideshow, interviews, famous people, and recipes.
 * __CultureGrams__**

__**NewsBank**__ This database contains the Philadelphia Inquirer from 1981 to the present, international news sources, including video, and NewsBank Maps. This is an excellent resource for current events, national and international. Please take a look at the blue box on left side and explore Current Events, Special Reports, and NewsBank Maps. Teachers: Click on the NewsBank Toolkit beneath the Teacher/Librarian Resources heading. There are graphic organizers, performance checklists, and forms which you can use with your students.

__**SIRS Discoverer**__ (listed as SIRS Researcher in Planner) This is a database of full-text periodicals, reference sources, newspapers, and images. On the home page, look at the Database Features, Reference, and Web offerings. Try both a Keyword search and a Browse Subject Tree search. For the Keyword search, sort results by relevance and by date and compare. On results page, notice the Reading Levels, Source & Summary tabs. Click on "share" and take a look at the list of options for bookmarking & sharing. At the end of the article, the MLA citation information is provided.

__**eBooks**__ We subscribe to Gale products Science in Context, InfoTrac Newsstand, and Gale Virtual Reference Library. InfoTrac Newsstand is a database of full-text articles from more than 1,000 newspapers. Science in Context is a database of encyclopedia, journal, and magazine articles on all topics in the sciences. Virtual Reference Library is a database of general and specialized encyclopedias and reference sources. Choose one of the eBook products and spend some time searching by keyword, subject, advanced search...try some of the options available.