Lesson 1a - World Book School Edition

Lesson 1a - World Book School Edition


I actually use World Book Online resources from the SD State Library electronic resources. I use it for examples in my library lessons, and also for a source when students are writing research papers. I think that it is great the SDSL has these links set up, it makes it super easy to find and use. 

#1. Using World Book Kids, search for information on a mammal of your choice. Find a picture and information about its habitat.

I found an animal called a Fossa. I actually used the "World of Animals" box that came up on the site when I first opened it. I found it very easy to use, and was drawn to all of the pictures of interesting animals, including prehistoric, fish, and insects, not just the mammals. 

The fossa looks like a large mongoose and lives in the forests of Madagascar. 

There is some good general information and I think that this is a great source for lower level grades. It keeps it simple with information that younger students can use and understand. 

I like that the layout is vibrant and easy to read. 

2. Using World Book Student, search for information on the same mammal you searched in World Book Kids and compare the amount of information.

In World Book Student there is definitely more information and details about this animal. Information that is more in-depth includes; physical characteristics, habitat, breeding and offspring, and information on hunting and extinction. This would be where I send my 4th and 5th grade students for information on a topic that they are researching. 

The layout is clean and easy to follow. 

3. Using World Book Advanced, search for a country. Notice the types of information available on the left and right side bars of the first results screen. Click on the link for your desired country, and again notice the types of information on the left and right side bars of the screen. What types of information will be most valuable to your patrons or students? 

I looked up Costa Rica. When I got to the first results screen, I noticed that on the left hand side there were references for encyclopedia articles, Presidential papers, pictures, and much more. I really liked the inclusion of primary sources on the right hand side, as we are discussing these with our students right now. 

After clicking on the link and noticed the article of contents on the left side and the related information and content standards on the right. These are very hand tools for jumping to the info you need to know a research paper or linking lesson standards. I think that our students, 4th and 5th graders, would be able to use information on land and climate, history, and the facts from the left hand side. Our teachers would love the content standards to link to their lessons and pictures and maps to show students in class from the left.

4. Using World Book Discover, use the browse function on the right side of the screen to find an article about American government. Notice the features on the article page. How will World Book Discover help your patrons or students who are not good readers of English?

Well, unfortunately, I was not able to use the browse feature on the right to get me to an article specifically pertaining to American government. I was able to get to an article on the United States by using the Places tab, and I was able to the to an article on government by clicking on the History and Government tab, but nothing that was a specific "American Government" article. 

I noticed that on the left hand side of the page, there are options to show the article in World Book French and Spanish. I also like the "Translate To" option that pops-up the wordlingo.com box. I think that this is a great idea, as there are many students who might be more fluent in a language other than English. This might also be the case with a parent that is trying to help them with a research project. 

Common Core

 5.R.I.7 Draw on information from multiple

print or digital sources, demonstrating the

ability to locate an answer to a question

quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.

This is actually a standard that we are working on right now with our students. The end of the year seems to be research time. We are discussing reference books, sources, and how to use and cite them. Our students use a print and online source to write a brief paper on a certain topic. World Book Online is one of the sources we like to point them to, as it fits all of our source criteria.