1. Go to the English Dictionaries and Thesauruses link and click on the Browse this subject link. This interesting search option lets you browse page by page through all of the dictionaries simultaneously. Go to the H's and find the entries for the term habeas corpus. How many dictionaries have entries for this word?
There are six dictionaries that contain this term, which is interesting, considering it's Latin, not English. I was familiar with this term, and thought of the translation as 'produce the corpse', but some of the definitions explained it more clearly than that.
The best explanation of the original term came from the Oxford Dictionary of English:
ORIGIN late Middle English: Latin, literally ‘you shall have the body (in court)’
The clearest definition of what the term means in law came from The Concise Oxford English Dictionary:
a writ requiring a person to be brought before a judge or into court, especially to investigate the lawfulness of their detention.
The ability to browse through and compare different dictionary definitions like this is a nice feature.
2. Return to the English Dictionaries and Thesauruses link and click on Links for this subject. Examine the list of links. What is the purpose for these links? Go to the link for the Guide to Grammar and Writing. What popular song is used to illustrate nouns?
That is quite an eclectic list of links. It looks like it's the list of sources for the 'English Dictionaries & Thesauruses' database. (hey ... isn't the plural of 'thesaurus' 'thesauri'? Or do I just have an attitude since I was forced to take Latin back in junior high?)
Awwww .... the song used to illustrate nouns in the Guide to Grammar is "My Favorite Things", from The Sound of Music. That's a good choice, since it's full of nouns.
3. One last look at English Dictionaries and Thesauruses. Click on the link to the Visual English Dictionary. Look up the word "boat." Click on the first link for examples of boats and ships. How many examples are given?
Fourteen examples are given. Wow, cool. I love visual dictionaries. And looking at the container ship picture reminds me of a conversation I had earlier this week with a colleague who just returned from Panama. They are building new locks on the Panama Canal to accommodate larger container ships. The largest ships that currently go through the canal carry 5,000 containers, with just a few feet to spare on either side at the locks. After construction is complete, the locks will allow ships carrying 12,000 containers to squeeze through. Amazing.
4. Go to the link for English Language Reference. How many titles are offered in this category?
Eighteen.
5. From the Oxford Reference home page click the link to the Bilingual Dictionaries. Choose one of the dictionary titles. Enter a word in the search box. List the options available to process the information on the results screen.
OK, I went to the Pocket Oxford Irish Dictionary (English-Irish), typed in 'shamrock' and got 'seamróg' as my result. I'm a little unclear what you mean by 'options available to process the information' but I'm assuming you mean what can we do from this screen. So we can print search results, email search results, widen our search, or select search tips. Also, if I had gotten more than one result, I could reorder the results alphabetically.
6. From the Oxford Reference home page click the link to Quotations. Enter the word "abolish" in the search box. What is the quote from John Locke? Now click on the link to Browse this subject. Browse to the word "abolish." Follow the links for abolish and describe how these results differ from the general word search results.
There are two resulting quotations from John Locke (actually, they're the same quotation, but one is listed more fully):
Locke, John
The end of law is, not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom.
(From Concise Oxford Dictionary of Quotations in Quotations)
John Locke
[That] ill deserves the name of confinement which hedges us in only from bogs and precipices. So that, however it may be mistaken, the end of law is, not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom.
(From Oxford Dictionary of Quotations in Quotations)
On the initial search, when you click 'go' you get 9 results. When you select 'browse this subject' then 'abolish', you get 11 links that include the word abolish (or abolished, or abolition). But when you follow the link, you get all the quotations from that particular author. That is cumbersome. It's helpful to see a little context on the results screen ('abolish: abolish the death penalty' or 'abolish government', for example) but depending on how many quotations by an author are in the next results list, it can be hard to find the actual quotation you're looking for.
7. From the Oxford Reference home page click the link to Maps and Illustrations. Do a search for "Syria." What type of maps are available?
Wow, weird results. Of three hits, one is a flag, one is a map of the Middle East showing an itty bitty Syria, and one is a stylized map (not showing actual country shapes) along with flags. None of these are what I would expect if I was trying to find a map of Syria. A Google Maps search brings up a much better map of Syria, complete with highways, sattelite views, user photos, etc.
8. From the Oxford Reference home page click the link to Encyclopedias. Do a search on Syria. Explore the links to the World Encyclopedia and A Guide to Countries of the World. Consider the difference between the two resources. According to the introduction for A Guide to Countries of the World, what is the purpose of this source?
Both passages are pretty comparable, although one sentence in the World Encyclopedia makes reference to the current situation in Syria. The last sentence of the 'Politics' section reads: 'Major anti-government protests in 2011 led to severe violence, and to international condemnation of the government's response to the protests.' The stickler in me did notice that the citation at the bottom of the page gives the date of the entry as 2008. It's obviously been updated since then. The intro for A Guide to Countries of the World identifies the purpose of the source as 'ideal for students and teachers of geography, politics, economics, world religions, and world history at all levels, as well as anyone wanting a home reference book to accompany an atlas.' It is an accessible source, but the World Encyclopedia gives a broader view of the history and politics. Both give demographic information, although the details conflict a little (is the population 21 million or 22 million?). And the Guide to Countries was last updated in 2010, so it has no information about the current unrest.
9. From the Oxford Reference home page click in the Quick Search Box. Search for the term "recycling." How many entries are in the results screen? What three books are available in the Refine by Book option?
There are 25 results, in addition to the 'quick definition.' I don't see an option to refine by book. There is a column to refine by subject, and a button to widen your search, and tabs to reorder results by category, but none of the categories is 'book.'
10. Optional: Setup an Oxford Reference Online button or banner (such as one at top of lesson) on your school/library website....Try it on your blog!
Hmmm ... I see the search box, but I can't tell if it really works. I think I have to publish this post to be sure. Here goes ... (deep breath)!
