Tips for Finding & Using Information
Basics of the Assignment -
You are doing research to learn all about one of the 50 states. You will be using your information sheet to write a paper that includes all you've learned. You will also be making a state hat, and your research will help you know what to include on your hat. Finally, you will be making a PowerPoint presentation with the information you learn. So, it's very important to write things down and spell them correctly, because you're going to be using this information for a lot of projects! You especially want to write down interesting facts that you learn. These will make your paper and your PowerPoint stand out.
Printing - If you'd like to print any page, right click and then click print to print out the page.
General Tips -
When you find information to write down on your information sheet, write down where you found it (the website, which book you used and the page number). That way, if you need to go back for more information or because you wrote something down wrong, it's easy to do.
Spelling -
It's very important to spell words correctly to find them in a dictionary or online.
Thesaurus -
What is it? A book where you can find words with similar meanings
Why would you use it? Using a thesaurus will make your final paper better. For instance, you might read that Tennessee's volunteers were outstanding. Remembering that you can't copy down exactly what you read and use it in your paper, you could look up "outstanding" in the thesaurus for a synonym (a word that means almost the same thing). In your paper, you could write "Tennessee is known as the Volunteer State because its volunteers were so noteworthy."
Encyclopedia -
What is it? A book of general knowledge
Why would you use it? You use an encyclopedia to find general information, but also fun facts and details about your state.
How do you use it wisely? It's usually important to use an up-to-date encyclopedia. You want the information you read to be correct. If the encyclopedia was published 20 years ago, things might have changed since then. Use online encyclopedias for anything that you need up-to-date information for (population of the state, what crops are the most important, etc.) You can use the print encyclopedias we have in the library for information about your state that won't change - the year it became a state, what the flag looks like, etc. Also, when searching in an encyclopedia (especially online) choose articles that seem like they will give you general information about your state. Sometimes, when you search for something, you don't always get exactly what you need. For example, when you search "Tennessee," you might see an whole article on "The Tennessee River." This is not what you need. Articles with the name "Tennessee" or "History of Tennessee" would probably be better for this project.
GoGrolier -
How do you use it wisely? In Grolier, there are reading levels listed. These are not like AR levels. Level 1 goes up to 5th grade. Choose articles with level 1 or 2 - NO higher. Remember that when you search in an encyclopedia (especially online) choose articles that seem like they will give you general information about your state.
Books in the Library -
How do you use them wisely? It's helpful when using a book in the library, to copy down the page number where you found the information on your information sheet. That way, if you need to go back for more information, you know exactly where to go. Also, use the index in the back of the book to help you. An index tells you the page number where you can find certain information. For example, if I wanted to find out about walking horses in Tennessee, I would look in the index in a book about Tennessee and find "walking horses." Page numbers are listed for me to go back to. By using an index, you don't have to read or re-read the whole book to find one piece of information you're looking for.
Non-Fiction vs. Fiction -
Non-Fiction = fact books
Fiction = made up stories (even if they could happen in the real world)
For researching your state, you will be using non-fiction books.
SES Library Homepage
You are doing research to learn all about one of the 50 states. You will be using your information sheet to write a paper that includes all you've learned. You will also be making a state hat, and your research will help you know what to include on your hat. Finally, you will be making a PowerPoint presentation with the information you learn. So, it's very important to write things down and spell them correctly, because you're going to be using this information for a lot of projects! You especially want to write down interesting facts that you learn. These will make your paper and your PowerPoint stand out.
Printing - If you'd like to print any page, right click and then click print to print out the page.
General Tips -
When you find information to write down on your information sheet, write down where you found it (the website, which book you used and the page number). That way, if you need to go back for more information or because you wrote something down wrong, it's easy to do.
Spelling -
It's very important to spell words correctly to find them in a dictionary or online.
Thesaurus -
What is it? A book where you can find words with similar meanings
Why would you use it? Using a thesaurus will make your final paper better. For instance, you might read that Tennessee's volunteers were outstanding. Remembering that you can't copy down exactly what you read and use it in your paper, you could look up "outstanding" in the thesaurus for a synonym (a word that means almost the same thing). In your paper, you could write "Tennessee is known as the Volunteer State because its volunteers were so noteworthy."
Encyclopedia -
What is it? A book of general knowledge
Why would you use it? You use an encyclopedia to find general information, but also fun facts and details about your state.
How do you use it wisely? It's usually important to use an up-to-date encyclopedia. You want the information you read to be correct. If the encyclopedia was published 20 years ago, things might have changed since then. Use online encyclopedias for anything that you need up-to-date information for (population of the state, what crops are the most important, etc.) You can use the print encyclopedias we have in the library for information about your state that won't change - the year it became a state, what the flag looks like, etc. Also, when searching in an encyclopedia (especially online) choose articles that seem like they will give you general information about your state. Sometimes, when you search for something, you don't always get exactly what you need. For example, when you search "Tennessee," you might see an whole article on "The Tennessee River." This is not what you need. Articles with the name "Tennessee" or "History of Tennessee" would probably be better for this project.
GoGrolier -
How do you use it wisely? In Grolier, there are reading levels listed. These are not like AR levels. Level 1 goes up to 5th grade. Choose articles with level 1 or 2 - NO higher. Remember that when you search in an encyclopedia (especially online) choose articles that seem like they will give you general information about your state.
Books in the Library -
How do you use them wisely? It's helpful when using a book in the library, to copy down the page number where you found the information on your information sheet. That way, if you need to go back for more information, you know exactly where to go. Also, use the index in the back of the book to help you. An index tells you the page number where you can find certain information. For example, if I wanted to find out about walking horses in Tennessee, I would look in the index in a book about Tennessee and find "walking horses." Page numbers are listed for me to go back to. By using an index, you don't have to read or re-read the whole book to find one piece of information you're looking for.
Non-Fiction vs. Fiction -
Non-Fiction = fact books
Fiction = made up stories (even if they could happen in the real world)
For researching your state, you will be using non-fiction books.
SES Library Homepage
