Mystery Class/Multiple Resources   "Am I supposed to tell my kids not to trust the Encyclopedia?" As you know, in today's Information Age, it is very valuable and important for students to learn that they must evaluate source credibility. In discussing this with your students, it may be helpful to explain that there may be a difference in the accuracy and completeness of a general resource like an Encyclopedia as compared to a very specific source. For instance, in researching about a University, an article on the University in an Encyclopedia would be a good starting point, but information from the official web site of the University would be a more specific and more authoritative referenence. Of course, the Encyclopdia is a fundamental resource, but it is important to not stop there. After all, they are authored by humans who may or may not have been impeccably thorough in their research, and quite often, new information has come to light that they may not have known about, or that may not have been yet discovered when their piece was written. Allison Bailey Grade 3 Citrus Elementary School Vero Beach, FL We did a lot of science and social studies activities to help us understand Mystery Class. We also learned how to use research tools. We used encyclopedias, atlases, almanacs, dictionaries, and informational books. We also used helpful CD-ROMs on our classroom computers, and we searched the internet in our computer lab. We worked in groups of two or three. Sometimes Miss Bailey had to help us, but most of the time we surprised her by finding the information we needed on our own! If you have tips you'd like to share, please write to Journey North: jnorth@learner.org Back to Teacher Tips Page Facebook Pinterest Twitter © 1997 – 2019 Journey North. All rights reserved.