© 2008 Encyclopædia1

Welcome to the Britannica Student Guided TourBritannica Student is part of Britannica Online School Edition, which offers separatehome pages for three different grade levels; this is designed for middle schoolstudents from Years 5 to 9.

To help you use the site more effectively we have created this short tour. It will guideyou from the Britannica Student Home Page through a search results page and anarticle page. In addition, it will show you an example from our large collection ofLearning Materials.

Britannica Student Home PageThe Home Page is an entryway to all the resources available on the site.

Teacher’s Resources

A-Z & Subject BrowseBrowse alphabeticallythrough all the encyclopediaarticles or browse bysubject.

World AtlasExamine maps ofcontinents, countries, andoceans; also find links torelated BritannicaStudent Encyclopediaarticles.

Compare CountriesCompare maps, flags,statistics, events, andmultimedia about any twocountries in the world.

BiographiesLearn about famous peopleof the past.

TimelinesEnjoy the magic of timetravel with the interactiveTimelines, featuring 10historical topics, fromarchitecture to technology,throughout the ages.

Learning MaterialsReview concepts learned inthe classroom and learnnew ones with interactivelessons, exercises, andactivities.

Play Videos organised by subject.

every state and territory.

SearchFind information quicklyand easily by searchingBritannica StudentEncyclopedia, CurrentJournal & Magazines, theWeb’s Best Sites, andvarious Multimedia.Simply type in a word orphrase and click Go.

You can also searchMerriamWebster’sStudent Dictionary andThesaurus to finddefinitions of unfamiliarwords. First selectDictionary & Thesaurusunder the search box, thentype a word in the search

box and click Go.

Important People & BigEventsEnter a date and findhistorical information aboutfamous people and eventswhich occurred on this day.

News FeedChildren’s BBC News isupdated daily and writtenspecifically for youngpeople about the world’scurrent events.

HighlightsChanging weekly learnabout important dates inthe world and find out whythey occur.

Featured SpotlightsChanging monthly thesebeautifully presentedfeatures, created byBritannica, are there forviewing. Explore themultimedia presentationson a variety of topics –from Shakespeare to Nobel

Video CollectionFind selected Video Clips and Extended

Discover AustraliaGives you instant access todetailed profile andsummary information for

Britannica, Inc.

Prize-winners.

© 2008 Encyclopæ2

Britannica Student Search Results

After entering a word or phrase in the search box and clicking Go, you will next see apage that looks something like this one. From the results that match your query, youcan choose to examine an item more closely or try another search.

Switch Libraries

If you’d like to findencyclopedia articles andcontent at a higher or lowerreading level, use the buttonsat the bottom of the page toswitch to a different HomePage. Choose EncyclopædiaBritannica for Years 10+or Primary Britannica forYears 3 to 5. You can alsoreturn to the site that letsyou search all theencyclopedias in BritannicaOnline School Edition at thesame time.

You can also quickly seesearch results from otherlevels by entering a word inthe Search Again box thenselecting a library from themenu and clicking Go.

Find Your Way

Use the links below theheader to return to theBritannica Student HomePage, browse LearningMaterials, find Teacher’sResources, enter yourWorkspace, view the Guided

Tour or go to the Help index.

Search Results

Several different sourcesof information areavailable, displayed intwo columns.

Britannica StudentEncyclopedia articleswritten for students fromYears 5 to 9.

Additional Content

Journals and MagazinesA selection of CurrentJournal & MagazineArticles offer moreinformation on topics ofinterest.

Britannica ConciseEncyclopediaBrief articles for fast answersto a range of questions.

The Web’s Best SitesOver 60,000 Web sitesreviewed by our editorsexpand your study across the

Internet.

MultimediaView the photos, illustrations,maps, and video clips whichare related to the searched

topic.

Learning MaterialsIf there are any supportinglearning materials related tothe topic you have searchedfor they will appear under the

dia Britannica, Inc.

Multimedia section.

© 2008 Encyclo3

Britannica Student Encyclopedia Articles

When you choose a Britannica Student Encyclopedia article you will see a pagethat looks similar to this one. Britannica’s articles are noted for their interesting andinformative content, and we’ve included some features that will make exploring thatcontent even easier.

Student Dictionary.

Switch Libraries

If you’d like to find encyclopedia articles and contentat a higher reading level, use the buttons at the bottomof the page to switch to a different library. ChooseEncyclopædia Britannica for Years 10+, or PrimaryBritannica for Years 3 to 5.

Table ofContentsYou can alsogo directly todifferentsections of thearticle byclicking theheadings ofthe article’stable ofcontents,which appearon the leftside of thepage.

topic.

Find Your Way

Use the links below the headerto return to the BritannicaStudent Home Page, browseLearning Materials, findTeacher’s Resources, log intoWorkspace, look at theGuided Tour or get more

Help with the site.

The Article

The text of the article appears in

the centre of the page. All

media that accompany articles

is arranged to the left of the text.

To see a larger version of an

image or play a media element,

click on it. Longer articles are

divided into separate pages;

you’ll find a link to the next

section at the top and bottom of

the page.

Save to WorkspaceCreate project folders and saveyour favourite articles, videos &photos in your own personalWorkspace.

PrintIf you would like to print anarticle, you can switch to aprinter-friendly format. You canshare an article with a friendvia e-mail.

Citations

If you plan to refer to an article

in a report or paper, we provide

correctly formatted citations.

Just click on the Cite Article

button at the top of the article

or scroll to the base of the

Look Up Words

If you are unsure ofthe meaning of aword, double-click itto look it up inMerriamWebster’s

ScrollingImagesContinuousautomatedscrolling ofall imagesavailable onthe searched

pædia Britannica, Inc.

article and copy and paste.

© 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.4

Britannica Student Learning Materials

Britannica’s collection of Learning Materials can help you perfect your skills andexpand your knowledge. After you have selected English, Mathematics, Science orSocial Studies you will see a list of available activities. Choose an activity and a newwindow will open, as seen below.

Choosing Learning Materials

In each subject area, LearningMaterials are grouped into narrowersubjects as well as into different typesof activities. For example, Scienceincludes Biology, Chemistry, Earth& Space, Physics, General Science,Technology, and Biology/LifeScience you will see links toInteractive Lessons and Exercises.Click on a type of Learning Materialto see the choices.

To open an Interactive Lesson,Exercise or Manipulative, simplyclick on the title. Another browserwindow will open and the selecteditem will be displayed.

If you have difficulty opening any ofthe Learning Materials, make sureyou have the proper software plug-in.Links to plug-ins are provided whenappropriate.

More Learning MaterialsIf you would like to seeInteractive Lessons,Exercises, Study Guides,Manipulatives, Learningin Action, Website andEncyclopedia Activitiesfor a different subject, youcan use the links in the leftcolumn.

An ExampleWhen you choose one of theLearning Materials, youwill see a second window.Each one is different, soplease read the directionsprovided to learn how to usethe one you have chosen.