Reference Resources for 5th grade

Created by Mrs. B with a little help from Mrs. Pittman

A reference is anything you use to help you find information.

Most people do not read reference materials cover to cover.

What is a reference?

Pic by Westley Fryer via Flickr

Pic by Muffet via Flickr

Pic by raymaclean via Flickr

Using Reference Materials

I bet you are already using some of these.

Let’s see what you already know with a short quiz!

Click here to get to the quiz!

Current Facts Statistics Published every

year Lists, tables,

graphs

How about a closer look at each type of reference material?

Almanacs are great for…

Understanding checkClick here to find out if you get how to use an almanac.

Atlas… this is good for:

Information about a place

Maps Population Landforms Flags Roads

Quick checkClick here for some questions about atlases.

General knowledge about a subject

Great starting place for finding information about a topic

Lots more information than a dictionary

Encyclopedias are great for…

Spelling of a word Definition of a

word Pronunciation of a

word Origins of a word Part of speech SHORT entries

Dictionary - very useful to find the…

Dictionary OR Encyclopedia

Which is the best choice?

Click here to see if you know?

Recipes How-to Step-by-step

instructions

Cook Books - we need these for…

Great for finding rich words in your writing

Expands your vocabulary

Better word choices

NOT as much information as a dictionary

Thesaurus – very important for…

One more quick check…

Click here to make sure you understand the usefulness of a thesaurus.

What about the Internet? Google?

Is this considered a reliable reference?

The Internet can be a valuable reference resource if you learn to search wisely and evaluate resources!!

Ask yourself Who? What? When?And then cross-check it!! Who? - who created this site? What are

their credentials? What makes them an expert? Can you trust them?

What? - What kind of information is on the site? Will it help you answer your questions?

When? - How long has it been since the website was updated? Is the information still accurate?

And then cross-check the information to see if it agrees with another reference resource

Time to show off what you learned!

Click here for the assessment.

Now it’s time for you to apply what you’ve

learned.

Click here to create a question that you are curious about regarding something you are studying in science or social studies. Find the answer using the Internet. Then use a print reference material from your classroom or the library to cross-check that answer.

Use them wisely, use them daily.

Seek more… be more.

Now you know how to use reference materials

Picture from Toronto Public Library Special Collections