Reference Tools

Which one should I use????

Imagine that you are planning a trip to Hawaii this summer and need some

information to help you plan…

Types of Reference Tools !   There are different reference resources you can

use to find different information to help you plan your trip to Hawaii:

Encyclopedia Dictionary

Almanac

Thesaurus

Atlas

Reference Section

!  Most libraries have a special collection of books that are written to help you quickly find information.

!  Where is the reference section located in our library?

Dictionary A dictionary provides information about words.

v  spelling v  pronunciation v  word meaning v  part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, etc.)

Entry words are in alphabetical order. Guide words are the words at the top of every page. They tell you the first and last word on that page.

Dictionary Use if you wonder:

“Where did this word come from?”

“Is this word a noun or an adjective?”

“What does this word mean?”

“How do I pronounce this word?”

Thesaurus   Gives you words with similar or related meanings

  Synonyms (words with almost the same meaning)

  Antonyms (opposites)   Guide words

  Sometimes provides sentence examples

  Useful when writing (to make it more interesting or change the tone)

Thesaurus Use if you wonder:

“What is another word that means the

same things as…”

Encyclopedia ü Usually a set of books

ü Organized alphabetically in volumes

ü Specific topic

ü Contains general information about famous people, places and things.

Encyclopedia Use if you wonder:

“Where can I get an overview of World War II?

“What is a brief history of man’s journey into

space?”

“Who was Neil Armstrong?”

Almanac Ø Lots of quick facts and information Ø Very current Ø Published each year

Ø Not alphabetical Ø Use index to find page number

Almanac Use if you wonder:

“What is the tallest…longest…oldest…?”

“What is the average temperature of this city in

May?”

“Where can I see a graph of the cities with the most air pollution?”

Answer the following questions to review what

you learned about reference tools and how

these tools could help you learn more about Hawaii

before your trip!

a.  Almanac

b.  Encyclopedia

c.  Thesaurus

d.  Dictionary

You know that you will say the word “beautiful” a lot on your trip. Where could you look to find a different word to use instead that means the same as “beautiful”?

Correct Answer:

c. – Thesaurus

Where could you look to find the average temperature of Maui, Hawaii in July 2011?

a. Atlas

b. Encyclopedia

c. Dictionary

d. Almanac

Correct Answer:

d. – Almanac

To find which islands are next to Maui you would use…

a.  Almanac

b.  Atlas

c.  Thesaurus

d.  Encyclopedia

Correct Answer:

b. – Atlas

Where would you look to find the basic history of Hawaii and how it became a state?

a.  Dictionary

b.  Almanac

c.  Encyclopedia

d.  Thesaurus

Correct Answer:

c. - Encyclopedia

To find out how to pronounce the

word “luau” you would use…

a.  Almanac

b.  Dictionary

c.  Thesaurus

d.  Atlas

Correct Answer:

b. - Dictionary

Summing up… !   Now you know how to find information in

reference books to plan for your vacation.

!   With this knowledge, you can plan a trip anywhere in the world.

!   Reading really can take you on an unforgettable journey!

REMEMBER!

Choose the best reference resource to find information

quickly!