Britannica Online School Edition - Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.

Welcome to Britannica Online School Edition (http://school.eb.com/).
To help you use the site more effectively we’ve created this short tour. It will guide you from the home
page through a search results page and an article page. In addition, it will show you one example from our
large selection of learning materials.
Britannica Online School Edition’s Home Page
The Home Page is an entryway to all the resources available on the site.
Searching:
Find information quickly and easily
by searching Britannica’s four
encyclopedias, the Internet Guide, and
collection of videos. First, select one
or more sources you would like to
search. (If you want to see results
from all of the sources, you can skip
this step.) Then type in a word or
phrase and click Go!. If you’re are not
sure you spelled a search term
correctly, select “Unsure of the
spelling” to improve your results.
Merriam-Webster Search:
Search Merriam-Webster’s
Student Dictionary and
Thesaurus from the home page
by entering a word in the
appropriate field and then click
Go!. On other pages, you can
double-click on a word to see
its dictionary entry.
Browsing:
If you want to explore rather than go straight to
information about a specific topic, try
browsing. It will lead you to a variety of
interesting encyclopedia articles presented in
an organized manner. Each browse feature is
available for three different encyclopedias.
A-Z Browse
Browse the encyclopedias in their traditional
alphabetic arrangement.
Subject Browse
Find articles organized into different subject
areas.
World Atlas
Examine maps of continents, countries, states
and provinces, and oceans, as well as
interesting facts and statistics.
Timelines
Trace topics through history with illustrations
and key events. Follow the “Learn more” link
to view related encyclopedia articles.
Learning Materials:
A collection of more than 450 study
guides, exercises, and activities can
help students review concepts and
learn new ones. Choose from four
different subject areas: Language Arts
(English), Mathematics, Science, and
Social Studies.
Video Browse
Selected videos from our library are
organized into different subject areas.
Browse through Language Arts,
Mathematics, Science, and Social
Studies.
Britannica Spotlights
These rich multimedia experiences
allow students to learn more about a
variety of topics—from Shakespeare
to Nobel prizewinners.
Year in Review
Notable events and people of the
recent past are covered in Britannica’s
Year in Review.
Britannica Highlights
Each week Britannica’s editors call
your attention to noteworthy articles
from Encyclopædia Britannica.
Resources for Teachers
Educators will find helpful
suggestions for incorporating
Learning Materials into the
curriculum.
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Britannica Search Results
After entering a word or phrase in the search box and clicking Go!, you will next see a page that looks
something like this one. From the results that match your query, you can choose to examine one more
item closely or try another search.
Search Results:
Several different sources of
information are available, displayed
in different columns.
Encyclopædia Britannica
One of the most authoritative
information sources in the world
with over 73,000 articles.
Navigating the Site:
After leaving the home page,
you can use the buttons in the
header to move around the
site. You can return to the
home page, explore the
browse options, find answers
to questions about the site in
the help section, or return to
the Learning Materials. You
can also enter another word
or phrase in the Search Again
box and select which sources
to search if you’d like to try
another query.
Britannica Student Encyclopedia
The authoritative content of the
encyclopedia, adapted for middle
and high school students.
Britannica Elementary
Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia articles written at a
level appropriate for elementary
school students.
Magazines
A selection of current magazines
and journal articles offer another
angle on topics of interest. Available
for two different levels.
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Brief articles for fast answers to a
range of questions.
Britannica Internet Guide
Over 20,000 Web sites reviewed by
our editors expand your study across
the Internet.
Video & Media
A collection of more than 2,000
video clips.
When you identify a source that
interests you, click on the title to
view the encyclopedia article, Web
site, video, or magazine article.
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Britannica Encyclopedia Articles
When you choose an Encyclopædia Britannica, Britannica Student Encyclopedia, Britannica Elementary
Encyclopedia, or Britannica Concise Encyclopedia article you will see a page that looks similar to this
one. Britannica’s more than 123,000 articles are noted for their interesting and informative content, and
we’ve included some features that will make exploring that content even easier.
Exploring an Article:
Various types of media and supporting
materials accompany many of the articles.
You may want to go directly to one of these
items using the buttons displayed along the
top of the article. For example, you might
be interested in images of whales. The
Images button will allow you to quickly
locate some examples.
If you’d like to print an article, you can
switch to a printer-friendly format. You can
share an article with a friend via e-mail.
Also, if you plan to refer to an article in a
report or paper, we provide a correctly
formatted citation. Just click on the Print,
E-mail, and Cite links below the blue bar.
Navigating the Site:
The header will be exactly the
same as the one you saw on the
search results page. Use it to
quickly move to the different areas
of the site or to try another search.
Searching Other Sources:
If you’d like to view information
from other sources on the same
topic, you do not have to enter it in
the search box again. Simply click
on the links on the left side of the
page to see additional articles,
magazines, Web sites, and videos.
The Article:
The text of the article appears in the center of the page.
Longer articles are divided into separate pages; you’ll find
a link to the next section at the bottom of the page. You
can also go directly to different sections of the article by
using the article table of contents, which is displayed at
the bottom of the article. Scroll to the bottom of the page,
or click the Article Contents button at the top. All media
that accompany articles are arranged to the left of the text.
To see a larger version of an image or play a media
element, click on it.
Many of the articles in Encyclopædia Britannica were
written by experts in the field. If an article is signed by the
author, you’ll find his or her name at the bottom of the
last section. Click on the name to see information about
the author.
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Britannica Learning Materials
This selection of activities can help you perfect your skills and expand your knowledge. After you’ve
selected Language Arts (English), Mathematics, Science, or Social Studies you’ll see a list of available
materials. Choose a type of activity from the appropriate level, then select a specific example, and a new
window will open, as seen below.
Choosing Learning Materials:
In each subject area, Learning Materials are
divided into different types and identified
by level. For example, Science includes
Activities, Exercises, and Study Guides for
different levels. Choose the appropriate
level under each type of activity to see
selections covering a range of topics.
To open an activity, exercise, manipulative,
or study guide, simply click on the title.
Another browser window will open and the
selected item will be displayed.
Navigating the Site:
The header will be exactly
the same as the one you saw
other pages. Use it to quickly
move to the different areas of
the site or to try a search.
If you have difficulty opening any of the
learning materials, make sure you have the
proper software plug-in. Links to plug-ins
are provided when appropriate.
More Learning Materials:
If you would like to see study
guides, exercises, and
activities for a different
subject, you can use the links
in the left column.
An Example:
When you choose one of the learning
materials, you will see a second window
that looks something like this. Each one
is different, so read the directions
provided to learn how to use the one
you have chosen.
© 2004 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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