Assignment 1: Evaluation of a Reference Work
PART 1:
Reference materials are valuable resources in the school Library Learning Commons for providing students with information for research projects and inquiry projects. However, it is important to constantly evaluate reference materials whether they be textual or digital for their quality of information, currency, and relevancy.
For the purpose of this assignment, I chose to evaluate a Science encyclopedia reference book from the elementary school Library Learning Commons as Science is a subject that is constantly evolving. Therefore, it can be challenging for teacher-librarians to keep current, relevant Science reference materials in the Library Learning Commons. The Science reference book I am evaluating is titled
The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia. The Science encyclopedia has 10 chapters which cover the following topics: Planet Earth, Living Things, Human Biology, Chemistry and the Elements, Materials and Technology, Light and Energy, Forces and Movement, Electricity and Electronics, Space and Time, and Conservation and the Environment. The Encyclopedia was published in the year 2000 and has 488 pages. It is a fairly heavy book weighing about 7 pounds and thus would not be practical for a student to easily carry home in his/her backpack. The elementary school Library Learning Commons where it is housed serves students from Kindergarten to grade 5.
In order to evaluate this resource for its relevancy, purpose, currency, curriculum connections and efficient use of library space, I have created the following rubric:
Excellent Science Resource
-copyright date of 0-5 years old
-many connections to B.C.’s Science curriculum
-most of the text is extremely relevant to today’s world
-the Science resource uses library space efficiently
-the Science resource is written for an Elementary School audience
Average Science Resource
-copyright date of 6-10 years old
-some connections to the B.C. Science curriculum
-some of the text is relevant to today’s world
-the Science resource somewhat uses library space efficiently
-the Science resource is written for a slightly older audience than Elementary School (ie- middle school)
Poor Science Resource
-copyright date of 11 years or older
-hardly any connections to the B.C. Science curriculum
-most of the text is not relevant to today’s world
-the Science resource does not use library space efficiently
-the Science resource is not written for an Elementary school audience (ie- High School, or Adults)
After evaluating
The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia, it scored the following scores according to the above rubric:
copyright date: POOR (18 years old)
connections to Science curriculum: AVERAGE
relevancy to today’s world: POOR
using Library space efficiently: POOR
written for a Elementary audience: AVERAGE
Overall this gives The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia a score of POOR-AVERAGE.
Copyright Date:
The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia from the Elementary School Library Learning Commons has a copyright date of 2000 and according to Lethbridge School District Library handbook, Science books are out of date within 5 years, with the exception of Botany and Natural History Science. Likewise, encyclopedias in general, are out of date within 5 years of being published. Since this encyclopedia was published 18 years ago, it scores a
POOR on the rubric for having up-to-date information.
Connections to the B.C. Science Curriculum:
In terms of connections to the curriculum, I referred to the grade 5 Science Curriculum, as this text would not be suitable for any grade lower than grade 5. Some of the new grade 5 Science curriculum is touched on in this Science Encyclopedia such as information about body systems, solids & solubility, simple machines & complex machines. However this Science Encyclopedia is lacking information related to the Science 5 curriculum such as power and the rate at which energy is transformed, local types of earth materials, First Peoples concept of interconnectedness in the environment, and First Peoples knowledge of sustainable practices. For this reason, this text scored an
AVERAGE for connections to the grade 5 curriculum.
Relevance of text to today’s world:
Since the date when the Science Encyclopedia was published was 2000, much of the information is outdated and not as relevant to today’s world. In the Space section, there is a page on Pluto which is listed as the 9th planet, which since then has been removed as a planet. Likewise there is a section on climate change which was just beginning to be touched on in 2000. In 2018, climate change has become a larger and more serious topic and much more information is now. The Medical Technology section talks about prosthetics and cat scans which have also changed in 18 years so although the information is still relevant it’s not 100% relevant to 2018. In the last couple of years they are making prosthetics with 3d printers which is not touched on in the encyclopedia at all. Although some of the information is still relevant, the Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia scored a
POOR score in this area as many of the topics have become irrelevant in 2018.
Uses Library space efficiently:
Due to the size and weight of the Science Encyclopedia is does not use space efficiently. The book is approximately 7 lbs so it is not easily handled by 10 years old's taking on and off the library shelf or carrying home in their backpacks. Therefore it scored a
POOR.
Written for an Elementary School audience:
This text is from a school library which serves K-5 students. According to Macmillan publishers, this reference encyclopedia is recommended for children aged 10-14. Since the oldest children in the school are 10 years old, this text would only serve the grade 5’s and some of the vocabulary in the text is too advanced for a grade 5 audience, which is why it scored an
AVERAGE.
PART 2:
The resource that I recommend to best replace
The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia is
World Book Science Power. This is an online Science resource where students can find vast amounts of information in text format, interactive animations, photos and videos.
Photo courtesy of World Book Science Power
After evaluating
The World Book Science Power Online Resource, using the same rubric as I used for
The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia,
World Book Science Power scored the following:
Copyright Date: EXCELLENT
-2018- information is constantly updated to reflect current findings and information
Connections to the B.C. Science Curriculum: EXCELLENT
-is aligned with B.C. New Science Curriculum
-provides framework to support the Big Ideas in the B.C. Curriculum
-promotes critical thinking questions
-ask a Scientist videos are based on the B.C. Curriculum’s big ideas
-students are able to ask a scientist their own questions related to the topic
-review feature takes facts and new knowledge back to big idea in curriculum
-how much do you know feature has vocabulary review, lesson review, great for individual students to figure out if they get the big idea from the curriculum
-student-centered and empowers students be in control of their learning process
Relevance of Text to today’s world: EXCELLENT
-content is current and connected to to curriculum
Uses Library Space Efficiently: EXCELLENT
-digital content can be accessed from anywhere with the internet and a mobile device.
-resource takes up no physical space in the library learning commons
-is not cumbersome for students to carry or haul off the shelf
Written for an Elementary School Audience: EXCELLENT
-the text has an option of at grade reading-level or below grade level reading-level
-read-aloud narration of text option available if desired
-there is a variety of text and visual multimedia to appeal to visual learners
-the wording and text is appropriate for 10 year olds
After inquiring with a couple of emails about the yearly subscription costs, for a single Library Learning Commons to have digital access to World Books Science Power, I am still waiting for a confirmation of price. Early reports on the Internet, indicated that most World Book Encyclopedias online were about $250 year subscription cost but this is not 100% confirmed as of yet.
References:
Lethbridge School District Library Handbook. 2007.
http://www.lethsd.ab.ca/documents/general/Library%20Handbook%20updated%20April%202007.pdf
Demo- World Book Science Power- Teacher Use- Vimeo
https://vimeo.com/251408719
World Book- Science Power
https://international.worldbook.com/science-power/
