Learning to use the parts of a book properly will help you to find information easily and quickly, especially when researching. Read the information below then, using your Social Studies book, answer the following questions.
Title Page - The title page is usually the first page with printing on it. It gives the title of the book, the author's name, the publisher's name, and the location where the book was published. You can refer to this page to make sure you have the book you want.
Copyright Page - The copyright page comes right after the title page. It gives the year the book was published. This is important information, especially when researching, because it will tell you if the information is up to date or if it is old.
Table of Contents - The table of contents comes at the beginning of a book (right after the title and copyright pages). It tells the names and page numbers of the chapters and sections in the book. The chapters and sections in the table of contents are NOT in alphabetical order but in the order in which they appear in the book. If you are in reading class and your teacher tells you to turn to Chapter 16, you can turn to the table of contents and find out on which page the chapter starts.
Appendix - Appedices (plural of appendix) are usually found in the back of books. The appendix is a special section that contains additional information such as important documents, photographs, charts and tables. Your American history book may contain a copy of the Declaration of Independence in the appendix, for example. An appendix on a book about World War II might contain photographs of battles and the aftermath of the bombings in its appendix as well as letters and documents from the war.
Glossary - The glossary is found at the end of the book, usually before the index. It lists special words used in the book in alphabetical order and gives their definitions and usage. The glossary is like a mini-dictionary made just for the terms in the book. When you are reading a book and you come to a word written in boldface (darker than the other words) you will usually find that word in the glossary.
Index - The index is found in the very back of the book. It lists of all of the topics found in the book in alphabetical order. The index also gives the page number where each topic is covered. For example, if you wanted to find information on "gravity" in your science book, and you did not know on which page the information was located, you would turn to the index in the back of the book and look under G for gravity. The page number will be next to the word. People are listed by their last names in an index. If you are looking up information in your social studies book on Abraham Lincoln, you would turn to the index in the back of the book and look under L for Lincoln. Sometimes you will find subtopics listed after the main topics. They tell what kind of information is given on the main topic. You will also find the page number of where each subtopic is covered.
Grade 4, click here to access your quiz.
Grade 5, refer to your Social Studies book to answer the following questions. The first two people to finish answering all of the questions correctly will win a candy and five stars. If you answer all the questions correctly with in four minutes, you will earn five stars.
1. What is the copyright date of the book?
2. Referring to the index, on what page will you find information on Chief Massasoit?
3. This particular book contains an atlas. On what page will you find the
map that describes the land use and resources of the United States?
4. What chapter in the Social Studies book is about the constitution?
5. If you looked up the word "Senate" in the index of this book, what other words would be cross-referenced?
6. What is the definition of "olive branch"?
7. Name one thing you can learn from the almanac in this book.
8. Name one document found in the appendix.
9. On what page will Lesson 3, Chapter 4 begin?
10. In the index, look up the words "Boats and ships" and name one sub-topic.
