how the contents can help

How the contents can help

L.I. -     Library/Research skills

    How to use the contents page to research effectively

The table of contents lists the chapters and other main parts of the book.  It is helpful because it gives you a general idea about the book so you know which chapters apply to your research.  Below is an example from a book about the moon.

Table of Contents Introduction                                                                                                                                                       1 Chapter 1      The size of the moon in relation to the earth                                                            5 Chapter 2      How the moon influences Earth’s tides                                                                      17 Chapter 3      Full, half, and quarter moons                                                                                          31 Chapter 4      The lunar landscape: craters, mountain ranges, plains and faults               45 Chapter 5      The maria of the moon                                                                                                       57 Chapter 6      Theories about the origins of the moon                                                                    69 Chapter 7       Lunar geology                                                                                                                      77 Chapter 8       The moon and the age of the telescope                                                                   89 Chapter 9       Spacecraft and their impact on our knowledge of the moon                        103 Chapter 10     The Apollo programme                                                                                                    119 Index                                                                                                                                                                   135

Before you start highlight 4 words you don’t know and look them up in the dictionary.

lunar- to do with the moon lunar month, the period between new moons four weeks.

plains- the science or study of the earth’s crust, its rocks. ect.

maria- A large level basalt plain on the surface of the moon, appearing dark

by contract with highland area

geology-The study of the structure of the earth crust and its layers

Answer these questions from the contents page above:

Which two chapters will have the most information about human beings travelling to the moon? Chapter 9/ 10

Which three chapters will tell you about aspects of the moon in relation to the earth? Chapter 1,8,9

Which three chapters will tell you things about the surface of the moon?

chapter 4,5 and 7

Which chapter will tell you the most about the Earth’s tides?

chapter 2