Databases

Use these databases to find pictures and articles from published magazines and newspapers, and passages and excerpts from encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference books.

Please note searching the databases is quite different than searching the web. When searching databases you must be careful to enter search words, not search sentences. You must also separate different ideas using AND, such as, weather AND erosion.

 

  1. From the library website http://www.21stcenturylearning.org/ choose the Curriculum Resources menu and choose your student’s grade.
  2. Choose either Britannica or Kids InfoBits.
  3. Enter search words in the space provided and click Enter/Return on your keyboard..
  4. Click the blue article title to read full article.
  5. Once inside the article you can drag and drop pictures into your document and read about the geography, plants & animals, people, economy, and history by clicking the headings for each section.
Search Tips
1. Brainstorm keywords (a keyword is a word that describes your topic) and synonyms for your keywords
2. Use AND to separate keywords: Grand Canyon AND formed
3. Use NOT to eliminate ideas from the results: Grand Canyon NOT camping
4. Use * (asterisk) to search all word endings: river* returns articles that use the word river, rivers
5. Use quotation marks around phrases “grand canyon”
 
 
Databases
 

Science Databases
http://libraries.state.ma.us/login?db=ITKE&locid=mlin_n_staesl

Use the Kids InfoBits database for information on weather, landforms, erosion, animal adaptations, and more.
http://libraries.state.ma.us/login?db=eb_es&locid=mlin_n_staesl

The Encyclopedia Britannica is a good all purpose encyclopedia with articles written for elementary students.
http://libraries.state.ma.us/login?db=SCIC&locid=mlin_n_staesl

Science in Context has articles on all science topics. The articles have been written for more advanced readers and elementary students may need help reading some articles.
http://libraries.state.ma.us/login?db=HWRC-1&locid=mlin_n_staesl
Use the Health & Wellness Resource Center to find articles from magazines and newspapers, as well as reports, encyclopedia entries, and book chapters for a wide range of health topics.
Social Studies Databases 

http://libraries.state.ma.us/login?db=ITKE&locid=mlin_n_staesl

Use the Kids InfoBits database for information on weather, landforms, erosion, animal adaptations, and more.
http://libraries.state.ma.us/login?db=eb_es&locid=mlin_n_staesl

The Encyclopedia Britannica is a good all purpose encyclopedia with articles written for elementary students.
http://libraries.state.ma.us/login?db=SP23&locid=mlin_n_staesl

The database has lots of information about Massachusetts. This is written for more advanced readers and students may need help reading some articles.
Language Arts Databases

http://libraries.state.ma.us/login?db=BIC1&locid=mlin_n_staesl
Use the Biography in Context database to find articles about people. The articles have been written for more advanced readers and elementary students may need help reading some articles.
http://libraries.state.ma.us/login?db=BNA&locid=mlin_n_staesl

Use the Books & Authors database to find information for a book report. You can search by book title, author, or genre. You can also search by geographic region, time period or character. The articles have been written for more advanced readers and elementary students may need help reading some articles.
Spanish Language Database

http://libraries.state.ma.us/login?db=eb_escolar&locid=mlin_n_staesl

Spanish edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica has articles written for Spanish speaking elementary students.