Scribd
Upload
284 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
284 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
You are on page 1/ 24

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

You might also like