Lesson 1a -- World Book School Edition
1. I chose to delve into the Maps
and More special feature of World Book Kids to look up info on Alaska. (I'm
traveling there soon to visit my daughter in Fairbanks.)Typing
"Alaska" in the World Book Atlas search box brought up articles
ranging from a general overview to biographies of important Alaskans. This is a
great place for students to create reports on specific states or countries.
2. I am a trivia buff, so of course
I clicked on Trivia Quizzes under Quizzes and Activities in World Book Student.
I think this is a fun way for students to test or review their knowledge on
various science and history topics.
Students looking for a little
humor with their history will enjoy digging into the features of Surf the Ages.
I checked out the Leif Spot – as a full
blooded Scandinavian, I’m proud of this Norse explorer.
3. I chose to check out The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the eBook section in Word Book Advanced. Among the special tools available, I thought
the “hear the text real aloud” was great. In my previous life as a Title I
instructor, I worked with several students who would have appreciated this tool.
The Related Information and
Related Encyclopedia Content provides more opportunities to explore the book
and also Mark Twain’s life.
4. I explored all the Reference
Tools in World Book Discover. I wished I had Citation Builder when I was in
school. I enjoyed creating a Timeline after setting up a My Research account
(yes, it concerns Alaska…). I was hoping to dig in deeper into How to Do
Research, however, individual topics never fully loaded to my computer.
Lesson 1b -- World Book Public Library Edition
1. In World Book Online for Kids I
chose World of Animals and explored the bear category. (Alaska has several
species of bears…) This feature provides basic bear information and links to
pictures and videos that would interest younger patrons.
2. In World Book Online InfoFinder I continued
my search for Alaskan fun facts using Interactive Earth. I clicked on Explore
the USA and selected Alaska. I found a wealth of information about anything
Alaskan including a visitor’s guide. Patrons might also appreciate the list of
suggested reading materials.
3. In the E-book Center in World Book Online
Reference Center I chose Emma, one of my favorite books (and the name of my
younger daughter). After downloading the book in the preferred format, patrons
may also be interested in the Jane Austen website provided under Related
Information.
Lesson 1c --
World Book Foreign Language Edition
1. I decided
to explore the World Book L'Encyclopédie Découverte. This was a great
opportunity to practice what I learned in four years of high school French! I
typed Dakota in the search box and came up with info on both North and South
Dakota. The sidebar grouped the information into articles, images, and maps.
The browse feature was very easy to use. To
find Dakota du Sud: Click on Explorons les Monde - Pays - Amerique du Nord – Etats Unis – Dakota du Sud.
Voila! Easy.
2. The browsing feature would probably be used
when you might not be sure of the exact place, person, or subject term. Also, browsing is a way to find a topic to
research, or just to brush up on general knowledge.
Using search box is faster if you are looking
for information about specific person, place, or topic.
