Reference Materials Teacher Resources

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With all the concern about fake news, bogus sites and fact checking, 21st century learners must develop research skills that enable them to access, evaluate, and use reference materials.

Introduce primary graders to reference materials and their purposes with a lesson that lets them examine these essential tools. Kids can also engage in scavenger hunts and explore the world of reference materials such as atlases, almanacs, encyclopedias, maps, and dictionaries. A lesson on the Dewey Decimal System teaches students where to look in the stacks to find these valuable resources.

In addition to knowing what they are, what they contain, and where to find them, learners also need to know how to use reference materials to research. Here's a lesson where scientists can use reference materials to research local aquatic plants. High school historians can use reference materials to study the rich and sometimes tumultuous history of Afghanistan. The Internet has made it possible for young researchers to go far beyond the walls of the library using search engines and online materials. Here’s a lesson that employs online reference sources.

In an age of open education resources, intellectual property, and copyright concerns, it is important that students also know how to give credit to the reference materials they use, and how to determine the best references to use (check out this lesson for middle school).

Showing 859 resources
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Reference and Research Skills

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students investigate reference sources that include knowledge of travel and tourism destinations. They examine specific travel information for UK and wider European travel.
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Because We Can, Should We?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify a position on an issue of geographic importance and support it They read the story "By the Waters of Babylon," and write a paragraph explaining what they think the relationship between Babylon and the Biblical referene...
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Creepy Crawlies

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders study the world of insects. They join Greenpatch Kids, an organization of young people who are interested in nature and want to protect our environment. In addition, the students assess use of technology as a valuable...
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Wild Animal Investigation - Habitat Diorama

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners research wild animals in cooperative groups and use their information to construct habitat dioramas. They demonstrate competence in using different information sources, including those of a technical nature, to accomplish...
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A Look Through Time

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders explore how people find out about history. They use previously gathered research to produce tourist pamphlets that highlight historical county events.
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Constellation Creations

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders puncture holes in black paper to represent stars in constellations. They glue white paper behind the black to show the stars. They create several constellations and keep them to use as study guides.
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Big on Biography

For Teachers 4th - Higher Ed
Students conduct research for biographical information on a person they select. They write information on note cards and place the information appropriately on a graphic organizer.
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An Academic, Economic, Cultural, and Political Lesson Plan

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students reflect on how many board games they've played have African Americans, their culture or history incorporated within. They identify four street games and three card games that appeal to African Americans. They play the...
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Papa Interviews

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Working in teams of two, middle schoolers conduct interviews by playing the role of a reporter and Hemingway. They research their parts, write the interviews, and perform them for the rest of the class.
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Rivers, Maps, and Math

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers use maps to locate and label the major rivers of North and South America. Using the internet, they identify forests, grasslands, mountain ranges and other landforms on the continents as well. They compare and contrast...
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Periodic Trends

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore the rationale behind the arrangement of the elements on the Periodic Table. Using internet and traditional research, students compare and contrast the properties of elements on the periodic table to determine a...
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A Kingship Rested in Peace

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners investigate, by decades, important events in Middle Eastern history, King Hussein of Jordan's influence on these events and how it affected U.S. foreign policy and produce a timeline representing the five decades in King Hussein...
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Stained Glass Designs

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Students, using white glue for lead and chalk pastel for glass, create stained glass designs.
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Who Should Be Number 2?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners explore role of the vice president and the qualities that a presidential candidate must look for while choosing his or her running mate.
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Destination Outer Space

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders use effective writing skills, their imagination, and their knowledge of the nine planets as they create travel pamphlets of the solar system.
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A Whale of a Tale

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students read "A Very Hungry Caterpillar" and discuss factual information in the book. They research whales and use information to write a narrative story. They take their stories through the writing process.
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Gender Equity in the Classroom

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students review employment statistics and wages over the past 20 years. They examine the Federal Work Force Laws. They apply formulas to find the rate of change in the minimum wage.
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People of the Earth

For Teachers K - 3rd
Young scholars explore the rich culture of the southwestern Native Americans through the integration of curriculum. Pupils read and research stories about Native Americans. They write an essay about Native Americans. Additional cross...
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Unique Plants of the Biomes

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine how the earth is divided into different biomes that are characterized by a distinctive climate.  In this earth's surface lesson students identify adaptations of plants in specific biomes. 
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The Hidden History of the Roman Empire

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils compare entertainment in ancient Rome to entertainment today. In this ancient Rome activity, students research the details regarding the entertainment that occurred in the Colosseum and the Circus Maximus in Rome. Pupils compare...
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Civil War

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore the Civil War.  In this U.S. Civil War U.S. history lesson, students participate in a cubing activity in which a variety of Civil War projects are described on a paper cube.  Students roll the cube to determine...
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Biomes: Adapting To Deserts & Other Ecosystems

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine how animals must be adapted to the conditions of its environment to survive.  In this biomes instructional activity students research desert adaptations then discuss how these animals have survived. 
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Reef Fish Real Estate in the South Atlantic Bight

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Learners research a species of reef fish to determine its habitat requirements as both a juvenile and an adult. They use this information to create a pamphlet in the style of a real estate brochure that describe the habitat and food...
Worksheet
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Plants of Tyson Lagoon

For Students 4th - 8th
In this aquatic plants and flowers worksheet, students identify and press 3 flowers from aquatic or marshy plants. They describe and identify the parts of the flowers in 2 short answer questions.