Online+Reference+Resources+LIS+5322

Directories
[|Complete Planet.com] This site contains numerous databases and specialty search engines. The site allows you to find information not available through general search engines and it simplifies your search process to online deliver specific information about your topic, instead of all the extra fluff you find in general searches. Free source

[|Switchboard.com] Switchboard is an online phone/address directory. You can search for businesses, people, search the web, and search public records. Your digital phone book. Free source

Almanacs, Yearbooks, Handbooks
[|The World Factbook Online] This site provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities. They also include sections on maps and flags as well as time zone information. Free, government sponsored site.

[|Occupational Outlook Handbook] Allows you to search for information relating to hundreds of different types of jobs. The information provided includes: salary, educational experience, training, working conditions, and job availability. Free, government sponsored site.

Biographical Resources
The American National Biography Online is the online version of the original 24 volume work showcasing notable Americans through history. The full text is available online for libraries and schools for a yearly subscription fee. Every day the offer a Biography of the Day for free which could be great to use in a history class to start the day. A quick five minute lesson on a notable American. This site is constantly be changed and updated. [] [] (biography of the day)

Notable Last Facts showcases famous last facts throughout history. Famous first are easy to research and lots of reference books have been written on this topic but the idea of lasts is not one that has been explored as extensively. William Brahms shows us that lasts are important because they shows us a piece of our history frozen in time. Firsts signal the beginning of something but often you need to know the lasts to understand the real importance of the firsts. Lasts show us our successes, failures, and solutions. Lasts can be sad, joyful, or triumphant. Some of the lasts in the book are: the last person to speak a certain language, the last person to be a slave in a certain country, the last piece of artwork by a certain artist, and even the last year a specific company was in operation. [] <span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Brahms, William B. //Notable Last Facts: A Compendium of Endings, Conclusions, Terminations, and Final Events Throughout History.// Haddonfield, N.J.: Reference Desk Press Inc, 2005. //Reference Desk Press.// Web. 12 Sept. 2011.

<span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Dictionary
<span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Merriam Webster Online] <span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Online dictionary and thesaurus that can be constantly updated to reflect language changes. This site also has a Spanish-English dictionary section as well as a medical dictionary. Site has games and word of the day activities for classroom settings. Free Source

<span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Encyclopedias
<span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Funk and Wagnell's New World Online Encyclopedia <span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Online Encyclopedia provided free to libraries through MOREnet services. User friendly with access to articles, images, and numerous subject areas. Free Source

<span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Encyclopedia.com] <span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Allows quick searches through over 100 encyclopedias, dictionaries, and thesaurus. Encyclopedia.com features premier titles like The Columbia Encyclopedia, Oxford’s World Encyclopedia, and the Encyclopedia of World Biography.

<span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Geographic Resources
<span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|National Geographic Online Atlas] <span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">This site provides free access to maps on a global, local, and street level scale. You can also search for a location by its address, I found my house right away. You can also select what view you want to use, road map, birds eye view, satellite, and 3d. Free Source

<span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Altaspedia Online] <span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Though maybe not as reputable as the National Geographic site, this website contains full color physical maps, political maps as well as key facts and statistics on countries of the world. You can search for maps by country or look at different world maps. They also have an online classroom resource program. Free Source

<span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**Government Resources**
<span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Arkansas.gov Arkansas State Website] <span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Website has information on the history of the state, including an entire section devoted to Civil War history. Site also includes facts about the state and a virtual tour of the capitol building. They even have coloring pages for younger students. Free Source <span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> <span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Arkansas Fish and Game] <span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Contains free lesson plans relating to the outdoors and wildlife native to Arkansas. Lessons also involve core curriculum like math and science as well as some lab activities. Lessons can be adapted to a multitude of age groups but will probably work best with K-8 students. Free Source <span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> <span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|FREE Federal Resources for Educational Excellence] <span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Contains resources and links to resources for a multitude of subjects. This site is constantly being updated with more links added and is contributed to by more than a dozen different government agencies. Free Source

<span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Federal Trade Commission: Getting Credit] <span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Has information on everything from getting credit to identity theft to what to do if your purse or wallet is stolen. Great site for high school students to learn the ins and outs of the credit card industry and what good and bad credit means for individuals. Free Source

<span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|United States Mint] <span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Contains lesson plans centered around grade level, coin values, and history. This site also has a selection of classroom games and a section on financial literacy. Great for teacher younger students the value of different types of money and for getting them started on being responsible with money. Free Source

<span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Centers for Disease Control: Education] <span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Has information on the things we always think about, why smoking is bad, as well as some things I hadn't thought about, like how the health of you and your pet is related as well as diseases we can get from pets. Contains safety awareness information and information for teachers teaching units on a multitude of diseases. Free Source

<span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Primary Sources
<span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Our Documents] <span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">This site provides access to 100 documents crucial to American History. This site is provided with support from the National Archives and has teacher resources for integrating the documents into your lesson plans. Free government resource <span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> <span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">__[|Library of Congress]__ <span style="color: #b03708; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Provides information on thousands of topics and sources pertaining to every subject. There is a section on lesson plans and ideas for educators as well as a section just for students. The site is easy to use and contain not only information but images, audio clips, and records.