How to Use Reference Materials Efficiently
Students Select Appropriate Resources to Find Information
Students are familiar with many resources, but they may not know when or how to use them. Show them that knowing which resource to use to complete an assignment or find information for fun is a useful skill that will save them time and energy. This lesson plan addresses activities that can be done offline with basic tools found in most classrooms. Visit 21st Century Literacies for additional offline activities and information about online reference tools.
Choosing Reference Materials Lesson Plan
Objectives
- Students will identify commonly used print resources
- Students will select appropriate resources to find information
Materials
- dry erase board
- markers
- reference materials
- worksheet for matching a list of resources with a list of different kinds of information
Finding Information Needed for an Assignment
Ask students to brainstorm all of the places where they might find information they need for an assignment. List responses on the dry erase board. Ask students when they would need to use a dictionary (to find the meaning or pronunciation of a word). Continue in this way with all of the resources:
- Thesaurus – to find synonyms or antonyms
- Atlas – to find maps
- Index – to find the page number for the information they need in their textbooks or other books and magazines
- Encyclopedia – to find basic information about a subject
- Newspaper – to find information about a recent or local event
- Biography – to find detailed information about a person
Ask the students which resource would be best to find how to pronounce the word literate. When someone names the dictionary, proceed in the same way with all of the resources, giving examples for each one. Students may suggest other resources such as teacher, people, and computer. If so, add these to your list of resources.
Game to Teach Information Skills
Divide the class into two teams. Tell them they will compete to see which team gets the most correct answers in a game. Tell them you will give examples, and two team members will choose the best resource and write it on the board. Give the teams a few minutes to think of a name for their team. Use examples similar to these:
- All about Abraham Lincoln
- The weather forecast for tomorrow
- States that border the state of New Mexico
- The opposite of the word quickly
- The water cycle in your science book
- The year that Alaska became a state
Have a member of each team write the name of the team on the board. Ask each team to form a line. Give the first example and tell the two students at the head of the lines to choose the best resource and write it on the board. Give the team that gets the correct answer first one point. The first student goes to the end of the line and you give the next example to the two students who are now first in line. Continue the game, adding similar examples.
Assessment of Student Literacy Skills
Observe student participation in activities. Have students complete the worksheet matching resources with examples of the kinds of information needed.
Why Teach Information Skills
In an age when information grows exponentially, it’s more important for students to learn where to find information than it is for them to memorize facts. Practice with choosing the correct reference tool for a given topic will help your students learn the skills that are essential today.
Reference Books
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