What is an encyclopedia?

We use an encyclopedia to get

information for a report, to find an

answer to a question, or to read about

something in which we are interested.

An encyclopedia is a reference source

Why would we use an

encyclopedia?

If you are looking for information about a topic for a report the encyclopedia is a good place to start. The article will give you a good general overview of the topic. You will want to find additional information sources as well.

The encyclopedia gives you information about persons, places and things and answers the questions “who?” “where?” “when?” and “how?” But an encyclopedia does not usually answer the question “why?”

Two types of encyclopedias: print encyclopedias online encyclopedias

What is a print encyclopedia?

A print encyclopedia is a set of books

that contains information about

many different subjects. Because

the amount of information cannot all be put into one book, it is divided into many smaller

books. Each book is called a volume.

How are the volumes of an encyclopedia organized?

The volumes in each set are arranged in alphabetical order to make it easy to find the information. They are also numbered to make it easy to keep them in order.

How are the subjects in an encyclopedia organized?

On the pages, the subjects are arranged in alphabetical order with

guide words on each page like a dictionary.

To find a subject, look for the letter it begins with and choose that volume. The subjects on each page are usually printed with large, dark letters.

Example: dinosaurs

To find a person, look for the person’s last name.

Example: George Washington

If a person has a title, you will find information about him or her

under the last part of his/her name.

Example: Queen Elizabeth would be found under “E” for Elizabeth

To find a place named with two parts, look for the first

part.

Example: Grand Canyon

No one knows the answer to everything, but clever people know where to find answers.

Many answers to questions can be found in the

encyclopedia. But you must know what to look for. When you

have a question, look for the most important or specific name (key word or

words).This will most likely will be the topic, or subject, to look under for the information

you want.

In which volume of an encyclopedia would you find

the answers to these questions?

What is a UFO?

In what year was George W. Bush

born?

When was the first Thanksgiving Day celebrated?

Who is Prince Charles?

Where is Easter Island?

What does a python eat?

How many legs does an

arachnid have?

What are the names of the

nine planets in our solar system?

Let’s go find it in the

encyclopedia!

Number Your Paper• Your name & McKee at the top

• Number your paper 32-62

• Skip a line between each number.

• 32

• 33

• 34

• 35

• 36