Reference Sources

Many students seem to resist using reference sources. Here is a fun activity that can encourage them to do so.Present statements to students that may be entirely correct or contain one or two errors. Have your students use print and Internet reference sources to check the accuracy of each statement and correct errors if there are any. Here are some examples. (Errors are shown).

  • The famous composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, was born in Vienna (Salzburg), Austria.
  • Budapest is the capital of Hungary.
  • When Apollo 8 (11) landed on the Moon, Neil Armstrong and John Glenn (Buzz Aldrin) became the first men ever to walk on the Moon.
  • An estuary is an arm of the sea that extends inland to meet the mouth of a river.
  • The French Revolution took place during the 19th (18th) century.

Not only will this activity encourage students to use reference sources, but it will impress upon them the need to verify what might seem to be facts.

teaching-tips-signup Get FREE teaching tips by email! Sign up here.
Occupational Outlook Handbook
Citing Sources
Where am I?
Research Paper Topic Guidelines
Learning about Libraries
Verifying Facts
Evaluating Websites