Focus Skill:ReferenceSources

Good readers use reference

sources to help them

find information.

There are many print reference sources.

A few examples are.....

A dictionary is a book people use to find a

word’s meaning, spelling, part of

speech, and pronunciation.

Dictionaries are organized in

alphabetical order with guide words at the top

of each page.

A thesaurus is a book people use to find synonyms. Synonyms are words that mean almost the same thing. A

thesaurus is set up like a dictionary.

happy-cheerful, joyful, glad, delighted, pleased, satisfied, content

An atlas is a book people use to find a map of a state,

country, or part of the world.

An encyclopedia is a set of books that people use to find

information. Topics are arranged in alphabetical

order.

There are also technology reference

sources.A few examples are.....

computer CDs DVDs

People use the internet to find many kinds of information. You

can read documents, see pictures and artwork, listen to

music, and take a virtual tour of many places.

Let’s practice!

Which reference source would you use to find a word that

means the same as the word “smart”?

thesaurus

A. dictionaryB. thesaurusC. atlas

If I had to do a projecton Rosa Parks, where wouldI look to find information on

her?

encyclopedia

A. dictionaryB. atlasC. encyclopedia

If I want to take a trip to Disney World, which reference source

would help me figure out how to get there?

atlas

A. atlasB. encyclopediaC. thesaurus

If I wasn’t sure how to spell a word, which reference source

would I look in?

dictionary

A. atlasB. encyclopediaC. dictionary

What reference source could you use to look up

information about President Obama?

internet

A. atlasB. thesaurusC. internet

True or False:A printer is an example of a reference source.

FALSE

BONUS:What is a search

engine?

It is a special tool on the internet. People use search

engines to find out what they need to know about a

topic.

BONUS:What is a website?

It is a location on the internet that gives people information

about a topic.