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Reference Materials

The document discusses six common types of reference materials: dictionaries, thesaurus, encyclopedia, atlas, almanac, and periodicals. It provides details on what each reference material is used for, such as using dictionaries to look up word definitions, a thesaurus to find synonyms, an atlas for maps, and an almanac for up-to-date facts. The document also gives examples of specialized reference works like biographical dictionaries for details on famous people and geographical dictionaries for place information.

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Ginelyn Maralit
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278 views24 pages

Reference Materials

The document discusses six common types of reference materials: dictionaries, thesaurus, encyclopedia, atlas, almanac, and periodicals. It provides details on what each reference material is used for, such as using dictionaries to look up word definitions, a thesaurus to find synonyms, an atlas for maps, and an almanac for up-to-date facts. The document also gives examples of specialized reference works like biographical dictionaries for details on famous people and geographical dictionaries for place information.

Uploaded by

Ginelyn Maralit
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Reference Materials

Six Common Types of


Reference Materials
 Dictionaries
 Thesaurus
 Encyclopedia
 Atlas
 Almanac
 Periodicals
Dictionary

 Dictionaries are used to look up words.


 They can be used for a variety of
reasons:
 Definition
 Spelling & pronunciation
 Word origin
 Part-of-speech
 There are also many different types of
specialized dictionaries such as a
Biographical or Geographical dictionary.
Biographical Dictionary

 Biographical dictionaries are used to


find information about famous people.
 They usually contain brief facts about
the person’s life such as: birthdate,
major accomplishments and events that
have made the person famous.
 If you wish to find MORE information,
you will need to go elsewhere.
4
Geographical Dictionary
(Gazetteer)
 Geographical dictionaries contain
information about places. They ARE NOT,
however, a book of maps.
 Geographical dictionaries provide
information about a place such as location,
population, industry and famous landmarks.
 The information is very brief but will provide
you a starting point to go elsewhere for
additional information.
5
Thesaurus

 A Thesaurus is used to find words that mean


the same or opposite as another word.
 These are called synonyms and antonyms.
 They are simple to use - just look up your
word and a thesaurus will give you the list of
synonyms and antonyms for that word.
 A Thesaurus, however, DOES NOT usually
provide you with a definition (you need a
dictionary for that).
Encyclopedia
 An Encyclopedia is used to find information
about a person, place, or thing.
 Articles found in an Encyclopedia are usually
longer and contain more information than a
Dictionary.
 Encyclopedias are a great place to start to
find information about a topic you know
nothing about, but are not usually accepted
as a source for high school students.
 Example: Wikipedia!
Atlas
 An Atlas is a book of maps.
 Atlases are used to find specific locations
such as: country, state, city or geographic
formation.
 Many people use an atlas when they are
going on vacation or traveling to another
place.
 There are also specialized atlases such as
historical and geographic.
Almanac

 An Almanac is a book of facts that


provide brief, useful and interesting
information relating to countries of
the world, sports, entertainment, etc.
 They are updated every year so they
always contain the most current
information available.

9
Do you know?

 For the next few slides I will describe a


situation. You must decide what type
of reference material would be the
BEST and FASTEST way to find the
information.
Challenge Question
One
• Your family is going on vacation to see
the Mayan ruins in Mexico. You want to
find more information about the ancient
civilization.
• Where would you find this type of
information?
Answer

Encyclopedia

Great Job!!!
Challenge Question
Two
• Your family is planning a vacation to
Florida. You are going to Universal
Studios! Your father is trying to decide
what interstate he needs to take.
• What reference material should he use
to find this information?
Answer

Atlas

Great Work!!!!
Challenge Question
Three
• You want to find out which NFL
player had the most touchdowns in
2008.
• Which reference material would you
use?
Answer

Almanac

Fantastic!!!!!
Challenge Question
Four

• You are writing an essay on Old Yeller.


You want to find another word to use
instead of saying ‘great’.
• What reference material would you use
to find another word for ‘great’?
Answer

Thesaurus

Wonderful Job!!!!
Challenge Question
Five

• Jane is beginning to write an essay in English.


She is trying to find the birth date of Ernest
Hemingway.
• What reference material would she use to
quickly find this information?
Answer

Biographical Dictionary

Fantastic Job!!!!
Challenge Question
Six
• You are looking for what state
Wyomising County is located in. You
have tried to find the answer in an
atlas, but cannot find it.

• Where else could you look?


Answer

Geographical Dictionary

Excellent Job!!!!!
Reference Materials

 Reference materials such as dictionaries, a


thesaurus, atlases, encyclopedias and
almanacs help us locate information QUICKLY
and EFFICIENTLY.
 Remember, the Internet is a great resource,
but many times information can be found
easier by using a reference book!

Sources of Information
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary

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