An encyclopedia is a reference source that provides information on many different subjects. It is divided into multiple volumes that are organized alphabetically to make topics easy to find. Each page lists subjects in alphabetical order along with guide words. To look up a topic, one finds the letter it begins with and chooses that volume. Print encyclopedias contain physical books, while online encyclopedias provide digital information. The encyclopedia is a valuable resource for finding answers to questions by locating the relevant topic or key terms.

1. What is an encyclopedia? An encyclopedia is a reference source we use to get information for a report, to find an answer to a question, or to read about something in which we are interested. Two types of encyclopedias: print encyclopedias online encyclopedias

2. 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 .

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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: d inosaurs

6. To find a person, look for the person’s last name. Example: George W ashington

7. To find a place named with two parts, look for the first part. Example: G rand Canyon

8. 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.

9. In which volume of an encyclopedia would you find the answers to these questions?

10. What are the four types of karate?

11. In what year was Abraham Lincoln born?

12. When was the first Valentine’s Day celebrated?

13. How many rooms are in the White House?

14. How many legs do arachnids have?

15. In what year did Georgia become a state?

16. How many eyes does a bee have?

17. What are the names of the nine planets in our solar system?

18. Let’s go find it in the encyclopedia!