This guide shows you how to find information about homework help and information literacy in and outside of the library. How is homework help related to information literacy? Homework is meant to develop a student's independent study skills, which reinforce the following basic points of information literacy:
the ability to identify what information is needed
the understanding of how the information is organized
identification of the best sources of information for a given need
locating those sources
the critical evaluation of the sources
and the sharing of that information.
In essence, an important part of homework help is made up of resources that help develop information literacy. But homework help can also include test preparation and practice tests, brain games, online tutoring, and more, whatever it takes to help you succeed.
If you need assistance, please feel free to ask a library staff member or contact a Reference Librarian.
1.What key words will help me find information about homework help?
To find books that can be checked out, choose the SUBJECT search in PamCat, the online catalog, and type (one at a time) these subjects:
You may also want to browse subjects: when in the catalog, choose BROWSE and type in “Homework” or "Report writing". This will allow you to browse narrower subjects related to more general subject of homework help.
2.Where can I find print resources on Homework Help in the library?
Most of the books will be shelved according to their Dewey Decimal Classification number in the Non-fiction areas at:
025.5
Library services to users
371.3
Methods of instruction and study
372.1
Organization and management of elementary schools; curriculums
373.1
Organization and management of secondary schools; curriculums
378.1
Organization and management; curriculums
808
Rhetoric & collections of literature
Keep in mind that Juvenile non-fiction is not separated from the Adult non-fiction.
When you are doing research, make sure that you search in the reference area, as well. Reference books (those with an "R" on the spine) cannot be checked out, but they have a lot of valuable information available. Some reference books you may want to consider include the following:
Available at Ashland, Atlee, Goochland, and Mechanicsville.
Your library may not have all these titles, but other resources will be available at other branches, or we can request them through interlibrary loan from other library systems. When in doubt, just ask a library staff member or e-mail a Reference Librarian at ask@pamunkeylibrary.org.
3.What are some good internet sites about homework help?
There are a variety of reliable resources on homework help online. The library also subscribes to several online databases that offer homework and research help to students. To find age appropriate sites, look for the following codes next to the site's title:
E - for elementary school students
M - for middle school students
H - for high school students
Databases
These databases are available free of charge to Pamunkey Regional Library cardholders. You can log in with your library card number to these databases from work, home, or school. If you are not a PRL cardholder, check with your local library to see what databases it may offer.
Geared for students in Kindergarten through Grade 5 and features a developmentally appropriate, visually graphic interface, a subject-based topic tree search, and full-text, age-appropriate, curriculum-related magazines, newspapers and reference books on a variety of subjects.
ReadSpeaker, a new audio feature available for many articles in Gale databases, is designed for vision-impaired readers and aural learners, those whose learning style is reinforced by listening. In Kids InfoBits, there’s a link to Teachers Toolbox that has tips and tools that will help him do this. Teachers Toolbox is divided into two parts – Tools for Getting Started and Tools for Wrapping It up
Tools for Getting Started is made up of five different parts, Judging Information, Creating A Web, Choosing a Topic, How to Write a Topic Sentence, and Creating an Outline.
Judging Information covers choosing the best sources of information using three factors – reliability, details, and currency (or up-to-dateness).
Creating a Web shows you how to organize your thoughts using circles of different sizes – big for broad ideas and smaller for more specific ideas.
Choosing a Topic directs you on how to approach general, specific, and in-between topics.
How to Write a Topic Sentence teaches you how to summarize your main idea into a clear sentence.
Creating an Outline gives you tips on how to organize your ideas for a report or short paper.
Tools for Wrapping It up is made up of four parts, How to Cite a Source, Organizing a Report, How to Write a Conclusion, and How to Create a Visual Representation.
How to Cite a Source provides examples of how to create a simple bibliography with different sources.
Organizing a Report covers the beginning stages of writing a report
How to Write a Conclusion shows you how to summarize your report
How to Create a Visual Representation gives you tips on how to show the information in your report in graphs, charts and other visual aids.
Lets elementary and middle school students search Compton's and the Elementary Encyclopedia, as well as magazines, web sites, and videos. They can also explore age-appropriate features like a dictionary and thesaurus, atlases, timelines, and more.
EBKids's Homework Help feature is its Student Center. There are guides for creating four major types of writing assignments.
How to Write a Research Paper
Beginning a research (or term) paper can be daunting, but this section lists the step to creating a well-written paper.
How to Write a Book Review
This section takes the book report a step further and introduces the student to literary criticism.
How to Write a Science Report
Writing up a Science, or laboratory, report is somewhat different from the general science fair projects that we do throughout school. These tips are targeted to high school students.
How to Prepare an Oral Presentation
Few resource have specific guides for oral presentations. This guide contains material similar to the guides in the World Book Encyclopedia (print).
Search for magazine articles, newspaper articles, pictures, maps, book excerpts, and TV or radio transcripts. One of the benefits of making an eLibrary account is that teachers and parents, too, can use them to create timelines, bookcarts, slideshows and quizzes
Homework Help Web Sites
The sites listed below are collections of Homework Help sites or sites that cover more than one subject, to save you time when you're looking for help.
This Homework Help site is very visually stimulating, but there’s a lot of good stuff in here. Homework Help Jr. is a great companion to Kids InfoBits for the younger student.
Library web sites are great for finding Homework Help resources, because the good ones are going to recommend useful sites that are updated regularly and don’t have a lot of advertising. Google "library homework help" and you'll find lots of sites like this one. King County's Research and Homework page brings all of their resources together, including an online tutoring service, a subject guided Homework Help page, online databases, Ask-A-Librarian, and even more for adults.
Each Homework Help subject is divided into two areas, a list of narrowed subjects at the top which lead to web sites on that topic, and at the bottom a collection of online databases for its patrons.
This site is where students can get help and direction in completing various assignments and have fun with various interactive feactures like polls or submitting their own tips. Help is divided into five areas, Write, Research, Practice, Organize, and Prepare. There are also sections for parents and teachers.
Personalized Help
Sometimes using study guides or web sites isn't enough and you may need some one-on-one assistance. Here are several sources of online and real-life help.
Reference Services
We have four Reference Librarians at PRL who are ready to help you in person at our Ashland, Atlee, and Mechanicsville branch libraries. If you are at another branch library, see a staff member about contacting us for assistance.
This is our newest service that we started during the beginning of the school year. We have a meebo chatbox on the front page of the web site, for those times when e-mailing a Reference Librarian may take too long. Instant messaging has a faster response time between the asker and the responder.
Do you have "math anxiety?" This site is devoted to math for K-12 students and their teachers. Ask Dr. Math is a question and answer service staffed by Swarthmore College math students. A searchable archive is available by level and topic, as well as summaries of Frequently Asked Questions.
The Center for Engineering and Science Education (CIESE) - Ask an Expert
CIESE at Stevens College was founded in 1988 to improve K-12 science and mathematics education through the use of technology. Ask an Expert features links about science subjects for a variety of age levels where students can ask questions and get reliable answers.
Search the above online resources with our new Google search box.
You may also want to check out other sections of theInternet Public Library. These websites will provide you with reliable information.
As always, please feel free to ask a Library Staff member, or e-mail us atAsk a Librarian!
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compiled by the PRL Reference and Training Department (2009)
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