Science 3: Elements of a Book

But uh…maybe don't try that last one… [Kids falls over using books as stilts]

And if you do, don't tell anyone we gave you the idea.

Anyway, a book's best use also happens to be its intended use: to contain and share information.

And guess what?

They're pretty good at it!

And when it comes to trying to locate information in a non-fiction book, it couldn't be easier.

After all, many non-fiction books contain certain elements specifically designed to [Someone takes a book from the nonfiction trolley]

help you find the information you need.

For starters, near the beginning of the book, you'll usually find a table of contents.

And hey, Maria von Trapp wasn't lying…the beginning is a very good place to start. [Kids sat round as she plays guitar]

The table of contents outlines the different chapters and tells you which page they start on.

Often, this will give you a good idea as to where you should begin your research. [Dino pointing at a blackboard]

Say you have a book on dinosaurs and you want to look up the Jurassic period.

There will probably be an entry in the table of contents about that era.

If the table of contents doesn't seem to be too much help, or you have a very specific

word you'd like to search for, then your best bet is to flip to the back of the book and [The book is flipped to the end]

look for an index.

An index is an alphabetical list of terms, topics and phrases that appear in the book, [Coop pointing at a blackboard]

as well as the specific pages that you can find them on.

It's useful for when you want to read about pterodactyls, because heck, who wouldn't

want to read about pterodactyls?

They're dinosaurs that fly. [Pterodactyl flying]

And if, on your never-ending quest for knowledge, you come across a word or phrase that leaves

you flat-out confused, never fear! [Kid reading a book looks perplexed]

The glossary is here!

Say you came across the word coprolite.

What could that be? [The word is highlighted]

Well, just flip to the handy dandy glossary, usually found near the back of the book.

This is a list of terms and phrases in the book that the authors expect readers may have [Dino pointing at a blackboard]

some trouble with.

And beside each word or phrase is a definition, explaining exactly what it means. [Coop pointing at a blackboard]

Couldn't get any more useful than that, right?

Oh and by the way, a coprolite is fossilized poop. [Kid reading the book looks happy]

Thanks glossary! [Thumbs up]

So between the table of contents, the index, and the glossary, locating information in

a non-fiction book is easy as pie.

And if you don't know what the phrase “easy as pie” means,

you know where to look: the glossary! [Kid goes back to the glossary]

We like to think that phrase exists because of how easily we can eat an entire pie in one sitting. [Kid looks stuffed after eating the whole pie]

Mmmm, banana cream…