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Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Whatever you are studying there are useful encyclopedias and dictionaries on the internet. Here is a list of useful sites which may help with your schoolwork, homework, projects or even a crossword or wordsearch.

If you come across other good sites e-mail them to your Lower Park Web Editors saying why you think they are 'cool'.

"Lend me your ears"

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias (General)

Check out my online research 'books' below. I'm called Bob on this Surfing Tips web page.

Dictionaries

Dictionary.Com
Here you can search a range of online dictionaries, including Roget's Thesaurus and other useful language references. There is also 'Doctor Dictionary', who can answer language questions.

Little Explorers
This exciting and visually appealing picture dictionary site provides a superb introduction to navigating on the WWW. Each picture, when clicked on, links to a relevant website, giving you a feel for 'Net surfing', and improve literacy. There are also French, German, Portuguese and Spanish versions.

Merriam-Webster OnLine
A multi-lingual dictionary and thesaurus are available on this site for wordsmiths everywhere. There are also word games, 'Word of the Day', radio transcripts, products and all sorts of other things to interest the general reader and seasoned author alike. Children of all ages would enjoy using this site to find new words for their own creative work in English.

Oxford Primary Funzone
Chip the astronaut is your guide in this Shockwave fun zone for Years 1 and 2. There is an alphabetical dot-to-dot and dictionary colouring book for reading skills, a simple database and a money game. Useful either at home or at school with early learners.

Roget's Thesaurus
This site opens with the remark, 'The search for the mot juste is not a pedantic fad, but a vital necessity.' Indeed, words are our precision tools and this site enables you to find just the right one. As well as being a good reference site, it is quite fun to browse through and discover words you never knew existed. Appropriate for anyone who speaks English.

Teach Me ABCs
This site is a visually appealing interactive dictionary for young children with brightly coloured pictures to illustrate each letter. When a particular letter is selected, it is spoken by the computer. When a child selects an illustration, it moves and the word for the picture is spoken. A useful resource for teaching dictionary and literacy skills in the classroom, and to support independent reference work at an early age and a treat for slow readers with an adult helper. It contains some US words and capital and lower case are used.

Encyclopedias

Britannica.com
The world's most famous encyclopaedia is browsable from your desktop. Not only can you search among the entries in the great work itself, but there is news, email, Web links, weather updates and much more besides. A great all-round resource.

Wikipedia
One of the most popular online encyclopedias. Constantly being added to by the general public.

Encarta Online
16,000 subject articles, a dictionary, atlas and multimedia are available at your fingertips. There are hundreds of lesson plans and other resources in the 'Schoolhouse' and a trivia challenge. A great general resource but watch out for the heavy American slant.

Encyclopedia.Com
Free facts are at your fingertips! A comprehensive resource with over 14 000 entries, this reference tool provides concise information on almost any topic. There are also links to related websites, books and pictures for more in-depth research but these come from the Electric Library, a paid-for service with a 30-day free trial. Additionally, there is a free Q&A service for those trickier questions.

xrefer
xrefer provides free online access to a fully cross-referenced collection of encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, books of quotations and a range of subject-specific titles. British usage is given first and foremost making it a handy resource for teachers and older students researching word meanings and language.

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias (Specific Subjects)

Computer Dictionaries

Dictionary of Computing
With over 12 000 definitions, this is a dream resource for advanced computer users and students of IT. From the basic to the technical, it covers just about everything to do with information technology that you might ever want to research in an easy-to-use, searchable dictionary. It's all done with a sense of humour - check out the entry for 'pencil and paper'!

English Dictionaries

On-Line Dictionary of Symbolism
Students of poetry from years 9-11 will find a helpful symbolism database here. The dictionary aims to define the cultural significance of various symbols, such as knives or roses. Pupils can search the database for an explanation of a key symbol and read through essays examining the significance of symbolism.

The Semantic Rhyming Dictionary
For those Key Stage 3 pupils who insist their poems have to rhyme, the Semantic Rhyming Dictionary provides a search engine for rhyming words, as well as options to find homophones, synonyms and similar consonant patterns. The Dictionary provides a fun way to cover some key English grammar issues too.

Foreign Language Dictionaries

French-English
Stuck for a French word? This online dictionary can tell you a word in French or translate a word for you. It will only process single words but it does tell you the gender and whether it is a noun or verb. A useful resource although, with just 75 000 words, it is by no means complete.

EuroDicAutom
Developed by the translating services of the European Commission, this online dictionary is an ideal tool for specialist word translations between the eleven official languages of the European Union. It also offers translations to and from Latin.

Geographical Dictionaries

Online World Atlas
This ultimate online atlas for your class enables your children to access either a political or physical world atlas and then zoom in on any world region, continent or country. Especially useful with the everchanging borders and boundries of the 21st century. Can be used in conjunction with UK studies or distant place studies from the key stage 2 geography curriculum.

World Encyclopedia
This well-organised site contains profiles of nations all over the world, including their anthems, maps, flags, news and weather. It is easily navigated and children will enjoy browsing the site, particularly listening to the rousing national anthems. It is an excellent introductory resource for geography at key stage 2, or for student's individual research at GCSE.

Historical Dictionaries

Spartacus Educational
This excellent history resource contains background information and high-quality illustrations for primary and secondary topics. These include child labour, parliamentary reform, the First World War and Vietnam. There is also a very comprehensive encyclopedia of British History from 1700-1900. Highly recommended.

Music Dictionaries

Glossary of Musical Terms
A useful site containing a database of musical terms that can be accessed by scrolling through the definitions or more directly by using the index on the left. This site could be used to motivate Key Stage 4 students during a music lesson, or for homework which might include researching several definitions for the next lesson. Useful for all music students.

Science Dictionaries

Dictionary (Biotech's) Life Science
This searchable dictionary of biochemical, biotechnology, botany, cell biology and genetics terms is a useful site for students studying biology at advanced level and beyond. A clear set of instructions on the opening page aids the user in obtaining information from single words, word fragments or phrases. It contains links to specialist plant, animal and chemical database sites.

ScienceNet
A site intended to explain complex topics in everyday language, it consists of an extensive database of questions from all science areas, not only the physical and biological sciences but earth and environmental sciences, archaeology and palaeontology, sociology and psychology.

Religious References

Resources for the Study of East Asian Language and Thought
This large site contains scholarly resources in Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. There is a dictionary of East Asian Buddhist terms and translated texts. There are also links to other useful religious sites.