7th Grade English
1940s Treasure Chest Project
Created by K Crossley, 2/5/10; updated 1/18/12
For this assignment, you will research and present someone or something that was of major importance in the 1940s. You will conduct research and answer questions based on whether you are researching a person, icon, significant event, or topic related to the American home front. After answering these questions, you will present your research, with at least one artifact to the class.
You must use at least three different sources in your research, and cite them all in NoodleTools. You may only use one encyclopedia article. Use the hints in RED to help you cite your article. You will also share your bibliography with your teacher electronically in NoodleTools.
Books
The Media Center has many books on World War II and your topics. They will be available on a reserved book cart, and can be checked out overnight only.
Online Resources
You may use any of Hoover’s databases or e-books to find information about your chosen influential person. The resources we think will work best for you are below.
ENCYCLOPEDIAS
It is good to begin by using an encyclopedia because they give you clear information to start you on your research. NoodleTools: Encyclopedias are considered a reference source – not duplicated from a printed work. Do NOT provide a URL.
World Book Online: You can use the World Book Student or the World Book Kids if you need an article that is easier to read.
Encyclopedia Britannica - You can use “Search All Levels” or use the Elementary School version for an easier article to read.
ONLINE RESOURCES 
Gale Virtual Reference Library E-Book - American Home Front in World War II: Use the search box to find your topic. You will find some of your topics here, if they are related to World War II in the United States.
NoodleTools: Look at the top ofthe article under "Source" to find information for your citation. Cite as a reference source - online - other - yes, I will provide publication details. "Editors" are NOT listed as authors. Database is Gale Virtual Reference Library. Do NOT provide the URL
U.S. History in Context: Click on “U.S. History in Context” to use this database. Use the search box to find articles about your topic.
NoodleTools: At the top of the article, you can find where US History in Context got this article (encyclopedia, newspaper, etc.) and the date it was published. Look at the bottom of the article and in the citation to find all the information you need for your citation. Do NOT provide a URL.
SIRS Discoverer : Use the search box to search with your key words and look at the colored box to the left of the title to see the reading level for articles.
NoodleTools: Click on “Source and Summary.” Use that information to figure out where SIRS Discoverer found this article and cite that source (magazine, newspaper, encyclopedia, etc.) Retrieved from an online database. For an encyclopedia article: Yes, duplicated from a printed work. Do NOT provide a URL.
Student Resource Center: Click on “Student Resource Center” to use this database. Use the search box AND click on “KEYWORD” for the best results.
NoodleTools: Look at the top tab and the 2 lines at the top of your article to see what citation type you should use. For Reference (except for encyclopedias) follow this path: reference source - online - other - Yes, I will provide publication details. The "title of reference source" is the book or encyclopedia listed on the second line at the top of the article. The database is "Student Resource Center." Do NOT enter a URL for any database.
E-Library: Click on “My Products” to get to E-Library. Use the search box to find your topic. Some articles will begin with “Why don’t you try” and they give different headings to try for your topic. Look at the article with a photograph if you are researching a person. Click on “Expand this document” to see the whole article.
NoodleTools: Look at the icon next to your article title on the search page. That will tell you if the article is from a newspaper, book, magazine, etc. If you’re in the large document with photos, the type of source is in parentheses next to the title of the article. Then look at the top of your article to find the information you need to create your citation. To see the correct citation (and use it for creating your own), click on “Citation View” in the bar above the article title. Do NOT provide a URL.
Websites
NetTrekker: This is a search engine for finding relevant websites instead of using Google. Search for websites about your topic here.
NoodleTools: Cite pages you find here as websites. Do NOT cite NetTrekker. DO include the URL after you click on the orange X on the right top corner of the website where it says: To view the URL for citation, remove frame.
