The school and the library provide many resources for you to use and help with this research paper.  You are encouraged to use a variety of sources ranging from the online databases, non-fiction books, and websites provided.  

 

You should attempt to use both primary and secondary sources.  What are these?  Watch the video below to discover the difference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Databases

A database provides information that is credible.  Check out the following video on why we should use databases.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To access the databases, click on the following button or simply visit the library web page from the school website, under the tab "Research and Learn."  Each database is set up so you could easily search for what you are looking for.  Just type in your topic, individual, or event in the given search field and see what comes up.  ***Use the citation tool for the correct citations!!!

 

 

 

 

The following databases will be a great starting point for your research.   ​

• Fact Cite - A general reference encyclopedia with a great American Civil War section. 

• Find it Virginia - A collection of databases that provide resources such as newspapers, magazine and journal articles, and books such as encyclopedias.  Includes Kids InfoBits, National Geographic for Kids, and Research in Context.

• World Book - An online encyclopedia - atlas, dictionary, and Spanish encyclopedia.

 

Websites

The following websites are great for your research.  Click on the name/title to link to the page.

 

• Ducksters - Under History, go to :The American Civil War."  You should also check out the "Biography" section.

• Encyclopedia Virginia - This link takes you to "Civil War, American (1861-1865)."  Browse the subjects (notice the guide words!) and select.

• Virginia Historical Society - This link takes you to "An American Turning Point: The Civil War in Virginia" which is part of their "Virginia History Explorer" online collection.

• Civil War Trust - This link takes you to the "Student Resources" which provides great sources.  Excellent site!

• Virginia Memory: Library of Virginia - This link takes you to the "James I. Robertson Jr. Civil War Sesquicentennial Legacy Collection."  Great collection of primary documents!

• National Archives - Docs Teach - This link takes you to "Teaching with Civil War Documents" which focuses on primary documents and online activities.  

• DBVA - Library of Virginia - Document Bank of Virginia (DBVa) is the Library of Virginia’s initiative to get documents into classrooms. DBVa will teach students to be critical thinkers as they analyze the original documents and draw their own conclusions about Virginia’s past.  This link takes you to the "Civil War and Reconstruction" documents. 

 

If you use a search engine for additional information outside of the links above, be sure to use the student friendly search engines listed on the library web page.  You can also click on the name/title to link to the page.  These sites are:  

• Kid Rex

• Kids Click

• Safe Search Kids

• Sweet Search
  Not only is SweetSearch an amazing search tool for students, but they have some great resources for helping digest what research is and how to approach it. 

 

Non-Fiction Books in the Library

Non-fiction books are about facts or real events.  The library has a ton of non-fiction books about the Civil War. Use the library catalog to search your topic/subject, locate the book(s), and begin your research!  Do not forget to paraphrase the information and remember to cite your work!  Watch the video below to remind you of some of the non-fiction text features.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To use the catalog, you can visit the library website or click on the buttun below.

 

 

 

 

Things to Think About 

(The following information is from Scholastic - Writing Workshop, http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/writing/prepare.asp?topic=Research. Retrieved 2/21/16.)

 

Writing a good research paper depends on the quality of your research. The quality of your research depends on the quality of your resources.  Review your essential question and topic. Knowing the reason for your research is the most important hurdle you must jump before you begin to gather resources.

 

As you evaluate each resource, ask yourself if it contains information essential to your topic or if it helps you solve the stated problem. Remember, not all information is important, relevant, or reliable. This is especially true with information found on the World Wide Web.

 

Ask yourself the following questions as you decide what resources you will use:

• Is the information well researched?

• Is the author an expert on the subject?

• Is the information relevant to my topic? Just because you find an amazing story or fact doesn't mean it needs to be included in your paper. All information and sources must be related directly to your topic.