It's the first day of the "Animals" unit for Tami Brester's third-grade class and the first day her students are using Glossopedia, a free online multimedia science encyclopedia. But you wouldn't know that from observing the kids, who are excitedly researching animals on the internet. This is inquiry-based learning of a special kind, incorporating…

To help students understand that references are tools used to locate specific information, one librarian has her third-grade students create their own reference toolboxes as she introduces dictionaries, atlases, encyclopedias, and thesauri. Presents a lesson plan to introduce print and nonprint thesauri to third and fourth graders and includes a…

This manual of ideas zeroes in on current picture book titles. It features reproducible worksheets, writing activities, related reading-based activities, and technology for grades three through five. The ideas have been tested in the authors' libraries and are linked to national curricular standards. Designed for school librarians, the book is…