Pershing Elementary

Research Handbook
School Information: Page 2
Guidelines for the Research Process Page 3
What Resources Should You Use? Page 5
How to Cite Your Resources Page 8

Pershing Elementary School

6402 Judson St. Lincoln, Nebraska 68507

402-436-1160
Serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Principal: Rhonda True

Pershing Elementary Hours: 8:15am-2:53pm

Pershing School Mission Statement: Our mission is to build
a community by working together in partnerships with families and
community members to educate life-long learners.

School Librarian: Rachel Westphalen, rlucas2@lps.org

402-436-1160
Pershing Library Hours: 8:15am-2:53pm
Rotation Days 1, 2 & 3
8:15-9:05 1st Grade
9:10-10:00 2nd Grade
10:10-11:00 4th Grade
11:00-11:50 3rd Grade
12:20-1:10 5th Grade
1:15-2:05 Kindergarten
2:05-2:53 Mrs. Westphalens
Plan Time

Pershing Library Mission

Statement: The mission of the
Pershing Library Media Center is to
educate, nurture and believe in each
student as we prepare them to
become confident, lifelong learners
through a resource rich, student
centered learning environment.

Rotation Days 4, 5 & 6

8:15-9:05 1st Grade
9:10-2:05 Library is open/Mrs.
Westphalens Plan Time
2

Guidelines for the Research Process for Grades K-5

(Modified from the Kentucky Virtual Library)
1. Plan
a. Identify your subject
What are you going to be researching?
b. Brainstorm
How can you narrow down your subject to a specific topic?
c. What do you know about the topic?
Do you have any previous knowledge about the topic?
d. Key words and phrases
What words are you putting in your search engine (Google)?
2. Search for information
a. Library catalog
b. Encyclopedia
Use the encyclopedia on our website.
c. Periodicals
Newspapers and magazines
d. Dictionary
If you arent sure what a word means, look it up.
e. Internet
Use Google to search for your information.
3. Take notes
a. KWL method
What you know, what you want to know and what you learned about
your topic
b. Graphic organizers
Use a web or other graphic to organize the information you find.
c. Note cards
Gather facts on individual note cards
d. Bibliography
Always cite your resources. You will need the authors name, the title
of the book or web address and the copyright date.

4. Use information
a. Scan first
Scan all information before you take notes.
b. True or false?
Check if you information is true.
c. Use your own words
Take notes in your own words and avoid copying it exactly.
d. Put information in order
Organize your information so that it makes sense.
5. Report
a. Share your information using posters, presentations, speech, etc.
6. Evaluate
a. How do you think you did?
What if I cant find anything?
Brainstorm different key words
Take a word or two away from your phrase or key words
Try using the singular or plural (bird, birds) form of a word
Ask your librarian or teacher if there are other places to search
For more information on the research process, check out
http://www.kyvl.org/kids/homebase.html

What Resources Should You Use?

All of our resources can be found on the media center web page:
http://wp.lps.org/mediapershing/

For all books used by 3-5th graders, click on School Catalog. This will take you to
our catalog where you can search keywords for books in our library. If you have any
questions about how to use the catalog, please ask Mrs. Westphalen.
Amazing Animals: Available only in elementary school buildings and from the home access
link. Animal resources for emerging readers, including audio, video and educational games.
Read aloud feature.
PebbleGo: Available only in elementary school buildings and from the home access link.
Resources for emerging readers, including audio, video and educational games. Read
aloud feature.
PowerKnowledge: PowerKnowledge Science is a resource specifically designed for
intermediate learners in elementary and middle school. It combines three databases: Life
5

Science, Earth & Space Science, and Physical Science. Each database includes hundreds
of science-related articles, video clips, experiments, academic games, and resources for
educators.
Worldbook Online: Multiple World Book Encyclopedias, including versions in Spanish and
French, and a variety of research tools. Read aloud and translation features.
Includes World Book Kids (K-4), World Book Student (Gr. 5-9), World Book Advanced (Gr.
9-12+),World Book Discover, Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos, Gran Enciclopedia
Hispnica, LEncyclopdie Dcouverte, Living Green, Early Peoples, Inventions and
Discoveries, Dramatic Learning, Early World of Learning.
Culture Grams: Cultural and geographical information on 160 countries, states and
provinces. Includes flags, videos, photos, recipes, and famous people.
Gale Collection: Multimedia, periodical, newspaper and reference resources. Read-aloud
and translation features.
Includes Gale Student Resources in Context, Kids InfoBits ( K-5 ), Discovering Collection,
Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context, Literature Resource Center, Gale Science in Context,
Academic OneFile, Educators Reference Complete.
Learn360: Database of streaming video, audio. newsreels, sound effects, music tracks, and
images. All LPS staff and student have individual accounts. Login in with LPS username
and password.
TeachingBooks: Multimedia resources on well-known childrens and young adult authors
and illustrators.
NebraskaAccess: NebraskAccess provides access to the following online databases:
OmniFile Full Text Select (magazine articles), Biography Reference Bank, The Kiplinger
Letter (business & economics), HeritageQuest Online (historical genealogical and census
information), First Search (databases), Books in Print, World Cat, Fiction Connection & Nonfiction Connection (readers advisory).
Atomic Learning: Short tutorials and resources on hundreds of commonly used software
applications and LPS programs.

All descriptions taken from http://wp.lps.org/lms/digital-content-resourcesPershing

Media Center
ABDO eBooks

Overdrive eBooks

http://my.abdodigital.com/login/

https://lincolnpsne.libraryreserve.com/10/45/en/Sig
In.htm?url=Default.htm

User name: pershing1

e160

Password:

Select student or staf

Enter LPS user name or ID and LPS password

Amazing Animals

PebbleGo

Includes information about all types of

animals

Animals, Biographies Social Studies and Earth and Space.

http://www.pebblego.com
http://go.grolier.com/
User name: lps
ID: lincoln3

Password: lps

Password: home

Atomic Learning

PowerKnowledge Science

Web-based software training and curriculum

resources

Includes Life Science, Earth & Space Science, & Physical

Science.

http://www.atomiclearning.com/login/lps/

http://pklifescience.com

Login with your LPS user name &

Password

User name: lps

CultureGrams

TeachingBooks.net

Countries, U.S. states, and Canadian

provinces info.

Features more than 1300 four- to five-minute movies on

well-known authors and illustrators.

http://online.culturegrams.com

http://www.teachingbooks.net/home

User ID: lincolnps

lincolnps

ID: LincolnPS
LincolnPS

Password:

Password: lps

Password:

Follett eBooks

TumbleBook Library

https://wbb07545.follettshelf.com

Online eBooks, games, video (Read-aloud feature)

User name: e160

Password: e160

Http://www.tumblebooks.com
User name: pershingschool

Gale Online Resources

Wonders Reading LibGuides

Kids InfoBits- magazine, newspaper,

reference.

Go to library media webpage.

http://accessmyschool.com/lps/home.php
?id=linc69858

Password: books

Password: read

Password: lps

Learn360

World Book Online

Videos on demand.
https://zinc.lps.org/Learn360/login.aspx

Includes World Book Kids, World Book Student, World Boo

Advanced as well as Spanish and French versions plus the
Early World of Learning

LPS username & password

http://www.worldbookonline.com/?subacct=N7584
ID: lps

Password: lp

Mackin Via eBooks

Finding eBooks in the library catalog

http://lps.mackinvia.com/

http://tlcweb.lps.org:8080/?config=160pac

Enter your school name, then:

For eBooks, enter: e160

Login using LPS username and password

For eAudiobooks, enter: audio160

For Overdrive eBooks, enter: lpsdrive

NebraskAccess

Use the same log-in info from appropriate vendor above

when accessing eBooks from the library catalog

OmniFile Full Text Select (magazine articles),

Biography Reference Bank

http://nebraskaccess.ne.gov/
Password: caption5

Resources Available from Home

How to Cite Your Resources

Plagiarism: noun -- the practice of taking someone elses work or ideas
and passing them off as ones own.
Synonyms: copying, piracy, theft, stealing
By giving credit to the person you get your information from, you can avoid plagiarism in
your paper. Below are examples of how to cite your resources for your research.
If you would like more information on plagiarism, please check out
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/
Citation example for a book:
Authors last name, first name. Title. Copyright date.
Author

Book Title

Copyright Date

Rowling, J.K.

Harry Potter and the

Sorcerers Stone

1997

Citation example for a magazine:

Authors last name, first name. Title of the Article. Title of the Magazine. Date (day, month,
year): Page numbers.
Author

Title of Article

Title of
Magazine

Date of
Magazine

Page Numbers
of Article

Smith, Joey

Why Are
Sharks So
Mean?

Sharks 4 Kids

2 Sept 2014

31-34

Citation example for a website:

Author of the website (last name, first name). Title of website. Date you accessed the
website. Address of the website
Author

Title of Website

Date You Found

the Website

Address of the Website

10

Suiter, Dahlia

TIME for Kids

July 20, 2015

http://www.timeforkids.com/

Citation example for an online encyclopedia:

Authors last name, first name. Title of the Article. Name of the online encyclopedia. Date
you accessed the website. Address of the website.
Author

Title of
Article

Name of
Online
Encyclopedia

Date You
Found the
Website

Address of the Website

N/A*

Clownfish

Worldbook
Online

July 21,
2015

http://www.worldbookonline.com/

*If there is no author listed, you may put N/A. N/A means not available.

11