Middle School Library Media Program Curriculum Resources

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General Reference Resources

General Reference Informational sites for student use.

WebQuests

Research Models and Standards

General Reference

• Acronym Finder
  A source for over 100,000 acronyms and their meanings.
  http://www.acronymfinder.com/

• Bartlett's Familiar Quotations
  A searchable collection of 11,000 phrases and proverbs traced to their sources in Ancient and modern literature
  http://www.bartleby.com/100/

• Britannica.com
  Search the online Encyclopedia Britannica, or look up a word from Merriam-Webster Dictionary or Collegiate Thesaurus.
  http://www.britannica.com

• Encarta.com
  Online encyclopedia with additional links.
  http://www.encarta.com

• Grolier Online
  Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, The New Book of Knowledge, and Encyclopedia Americana are available with extensive web links and full-text articles from magazines and newspapers. Research Starters provides topics and suggestions for starting research projects. For your home access password, ask your Plymouth-Canton media specialist.
  http://www.go.grolier.com

• Virtual Reference Desk
  A number of useful reference materials including dictionaries, almanacs, and atlases.
  http://www.refdesk.com

• World Almanac for Kids
  The online version of the popular print reference source.
  http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com
  

WebQuests

• The Copyright Webquest
  Although written for educators, it may be easily adapted for middle school students. Students will benefit to the exposure to copyright laws before embarking on a research project. Developed by Michael Guhlin.
  http://www.edsupport.cc/mguhlin/projectweb/copyright/

• Dewey Decimal System Webquest
  Activities to introduce or reinforce the Dewey Decimal Classification System.
  http://educ.queensu.ca/~citc/august99/webqst2.htm

• Exercise Your Search Skills Webquest
  An introduction to Internet searching designed for fifth graders which could be easily adapted for sixth or seventh graders. It also includes a simple glossary. The activities help to explain the difference between a search engine and a database. Includes Sirs Discoverer, a database available free to Michigan libraries. The Winnebego activity could be changed for Follett, used by Plymouth-Canton Schools.
  http://www.milforded.org/teachers/wq/searchskills/searchskills.html 

• Search the Web Webquest
  A basic introduction to search engines, directories,  meta-search engines and their differences. Developed by Rob Darrow.
  http://www.clovisusd.k12.ca.us/alta/lmc/searchquest2.html

• Study Skills Webquest
  By Rosemary Horton, Teacher Librarian.
  http://www.students.trinity.wa.edu.au/library/library/study/skills.htm
  

Research Models and Standards

• Applying Big6 Skills™and Information Literacy Standards to Internet Research
  Big6 Matrix: Information Literacy Standards and Internet Research designed by Janet Murray, May, 1999, updated June, 2000.  Published in the Big6 eNewsletter, January, 2000.
  http://www.surfline.ne.jp/janetm/big6info.htm
  

• Big 6 Information Problem Solving Model
  This is a six-step process for informational needs created by Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz.
  http://www.big6.com

• Information Power: Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning
  http://www.ala.org/aasl/ip_nine.html

• I Search Process
  http://home.scottsburg.com/trinkle/isearch.htm

• Offline and Online: A Complete Research Model
  Carol Sherry and Marcia Mardis, Presenters, MAME Conference, 1999.
  http://www.merit.edu/training/mame1999/research.html

• Seven Steps Towards Better Searching
  This is an activity to help students understand searching techniques and boolean logic. It was developed by Bernie Dodge, the creator of the Webquest model.
  http://edweb.sdsu.edu/WebQuest/searching/sevensteps.html

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External Link Notice
Links to external servers and resources do not imply any official Plymouth-Canton Community Schools endorsement of the opinions or ideas expressed therein, or guarantee the validity of the information or content provided. Links to commercial sites are not endorsements of any vendor's products or services. A supervising adult should always monitor children's use of the web.

Copyright © 2000, 2001 Plymouth-Canton Community Schools
Last Update May 31, 2006

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