What is an encyclopedia?

An encyclopedia is a reference source we

use to get information for a report, to find an answer to a question,

or to read about something in which we

are interested.

Two types of encyclopedias:

print encyclopedias

online encyclopedias

What is a print encyclopedia?

A print encyclopedia is a set of books

that contains information about

many different subjects. Because

the amount of information cannot all be put into one book, it is divided into many smaller

books. Each book is called a volume.

How are the volumes of an encyclopedia organized?

The volumes in each set are arranged in alphabetical order to make it easy to

find the information. They are also numbered to make it easy to keep

them in order.

How are the subjects in an encyclopedia organized?

On the pages, the subjects are arranged in alphabetical order with

guide words on each page like a dictionary.

To find a subject, look for the letter it begins with and choose that volume. The subjects on each page are usually printed with large, dark letters.

Example: dinosaurs

To find a person, look for the person’s last name.

Example: George Washington

To find a place named with two parts, look for the first

part.

Example: Grand Canyon

No one knows the answer to everything, but clever people know

where to find answers. Many answers to questions can be found

in the encyclopedia. But you must know what to look for.

When you have a question, look for the most important or specific name (key word or words). This will most likely will be

the topic, or subject, to look under for the information you

want.

In which volume of an encyclopedia would you find

the answers to these questions?

What are the four types of karate?

In what year was Abraham Lincoln

born?

When was the first Valentine’s Day celebrated?

How many rooms are in the White

House?

How many legs do arachnids have?

In what year did Georgia become

a state?

How many eyes does a bee

have?

What are the names of the

nine planets in our solar system?

Let’s go find it in the

encyclopedia!