Reference Books A reference book contains useful facts or organized information. A dictionary, thesaurus, atlas, and encyclopedia are examples of reference books. 0301.4.3 Use reference materials (e.g., dictionary, thesaurus, atlas, and encyclopedia).

Dictionary Lists the words of a language, such as English, in alphabetical order. Each entry word in the dictionary shows the spelling, pronunciation, meanings, and part-of-speech, and more.

Some dictionary entries have: A sample sentence or phrase to show how the word is used printed in slanted type following the difinition. A picture to show what a word means. Some pictures have captions to give more information. The word history, the language the English word came from.

king·fish·er (king fish ər), a bright-colored bird with a short tail, a long strong sharp beak, and usually a bunch of feathers on the head. Kingfishers eat fish and insects. Noun.

Thesaurus A thesaurus is a reference book that provides synonyms, or words that have the same or similar meanings, and at least one antonym, or word that has the opposite meanings. A thesaurus helps you keep from using the same word repeatedly in your writing. It can also help you find a word for an idea you have in mind.

Greek Origin Thesaurus comes from the Greek word theasaros meaning a “storehouse or treasury”. Learning to use the Thesaurus will let you use this storehouse of useful words to add sparkle to your writing.

Main Entry: pretty  [prit-ee] ˈprɪt i/ Part of Speech: adjective Definition: attractive Synonyms: appealing, beautiful, charming, cheerful, comely, cute, dainty, darling, delicate, delightful, dreamboat, elegant, fair, fine, foxy*, good-looking, graceful, handsome, lovely, neat, nice, picture, pleasant, pleasing, tasteful Antonyms: disgusting, ugly

Encyclopedia An encyclopedia tells about people, places, things, events, and ideas. It provides true information that is easy to understand and easy to find. All articles, called entries, are arranged in alphabetical order.

Articles in an encyclopedia are arranged in alphabetical order Articles in an encyclopedia are arranged in alphabetical order. All entries that begin with the letter “A” are found in Volume A, everything that starts with “B” is in Volume B, and so on. A volume is one book of a related “set”. Encyclopedia sets contain Volume A through Volume Z.

Guide Words Guide words are found at the top of encyclopedia pages. The purpose of a guide word is to help you locate the entry (subject) you are looking for. The guide word on the left page is the first page (or continuing page) of an article. The guide word on the right is the title of the last article on the page.

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps in book form. There are many kinds of atlases, but the two we use most are the Atlas of the United States and the World Atlas. All atlases have a Table of Contents and an Index. Use these tools to locate the information you need.

Atlas Features Atlases have a Key or Legend to explain the symbols on the maps. An atlas has two main kinds of maps: political and physical. A political map shows boundaries or borders, states or countries, capital cities, and large cities. A physical map shows physical features like mountains, rivers, deserts, and plains.

Atlases have maps that show landforms, elevation, climate, weather, natural vegetation, population density, land use, geology, and many other kinds of information about our world.

Many atlases have information boxes or almanacs that give facts about the state, country, or continent, like the capital city, state symbols, products, places to visit, and more. Quick Facts: Tennessee Capital City: Nashville Nickname: Volunteer State Motto: Agriculture and Commerce Statehood: June 1, 1796 (16th) Origin of State's Name: Named after Cherokee Indian villages called "Tanasi“ Largest Cities: Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Clarksville Border States: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia Land Area:41,220 sq. mi., 34th largest State Bird: Mockingbird State Flower: Iris (iridaceae) State Tree: Tulip poplar (liriodendron tulipifera) State Song: The Tennessee Waltz

Longitude and latitude grids are used to locate any place on land and sea.

Internet The dictionary, thesaurus, atlas, and encyclopedia, can also be found on the internet. Today we have talked about sources found in our library. You must have knowledge and skill to use these reference books.