Scott Foresman Reading Street

Reading Online

	Examine the features of online reference sources.
	Compare and contrast across texts.

PREVIEW/USE TEXT FEATURES

As students preview "A Look at Two Lands," direct their attention to the map, URL entries, pictures, and captions. Discuss how these text features may remind them of features they have seen in print sources. Ask:

How do the graphic sources in this selection help readers? (The pictures and the map help readers visualize the information being presented.)
How would you go from one page to another in an online reference source? (You would click a link with your mouse or type a new address into the window.) If students need help understanding how to navigate in an online reference source, use the Technology Tools Box below.

Link to Social Studies

Brainstorm a list of places students have read about and ask them to describe each setting.

Partner Reading, 87a

Writing

Grammar

Fluency

Subjects and Predicates, 87f

Review Word List, 87j

Draft and Revise, 87h

Spelling

Fluency and Language Arts

NEW LITERACIES: Online Reference Sources

Use the sidebar on p. 84 to guide discussion.

Tell students that online reference sources are informational sources that can be found on the Internet. They contain similar information as encyclopedias, dictionaries, and atlases found on bookshelves.
Point out the search window shown on p. 85. Explain that online resources have their own search engines. Students find information by typing keywords in the search window and clicking on the Search or Go button or link or pressing the Enter key on their keyboard.
Discuss similarities and differences between online and print reference sources. Ask if students prefer using online or print reference sources and have them give reasons for their preferences.

AudioText

Possible response: An online encyclopedia would give general information about both countries. A researcher could search for more specific information after looking at the online encyclopedia.

Access Content Preview the selection with students, naming specific text features and discussing important terms, such as online, Web site, link, search results, mouse, and click.

At the site, you find links to a dictionary, an
encyclopedia, and other reference sources.
You decide to click on the encyclopedia link.

Online Reference
Sources

Some Web sites give you
several different reference
sources all in one place.

You can find reference
    sources, such as
    atlases, dictionaries,
    and encyclopedias, on
    Internet Web sites.

Genre

After reading Grandfather’s
Journey, you wonder what Japan
and California are like. “Why
did Allen Say’s grandfather love
both places so much?” you might
ask. To find out, you could go to
an online reference Web site.

This takes you to the encyclopedia search page, where you type the
search term Japan into the SEARCH window. A new page opens with your search results.

Think about where you
live. How is it like or
unlike someplace you’ve
read about? Share your
observations.

Link to Social Studies

Instead of turning
    pages by hand, you use
    a mouse to click your
    way through them.

Online reference sources
    look a lot like print
    sources, and they
    are organized in the
    same way.

Text Features

Japan [jé panå] In Japanese, Nihon or Nippon;
a country (1995 est. pop. 125,506,000), 145,833
sq mi (377,835 sq km), off the coast of eastern Asia. The capital is Tokyo, which, along with neighboring Yokohama, forms the world’s most populous metropolitan region.

Why does it make sense to begin with an online encyclopedia?

Sequence



	Close
	Online Reference Sources Search Window Type the keyword or phrase you want to research here. Most search windows are identified by a word like SEARCH or GO. Remember to click on the empty search window before typing. Back/Forward Instead of turning pages, online researchers click on these buttons. Click on the Back button to go to the previous Web site page. Click on the Forward button to return to the page you were on before you clicked on the Back button. Home When you click on the Home button, it takes you to the computer's home page, the first Web page you see when you go online. This page is like a table of contents in a book. Online Reference Sources Tell students that while online reference sources are a quick and efficient way to find information, there are certain rules of etiquette they should follow: Check that you spell keywords correctly. Otherwise, you may not find the information you need. Be sure to follow the classroom rules for saving files, printing pages, and bookmarking Web sites. Use your research time wisely. Stay focused on finding answers to specific inquiry questions. Remember to record the URL address of any reference source you use. If allowed, print a page that shows the URL address or copy the URL from the address window and paste it into a new document. If you record the address by hand, make sure you copy every letter and symbol exactly as it is shown on the screen.