SUBJECTS: Reading and Language Arts
GRADE LEVELS: 4-8

OBJECTIVES:
Students will….
Improve reading skills
Learn to use in index for non-fiction material.
Learn where an index is located in a book
Discover what kind of books have indexes
Learn how an index is constructed
Evaluate how material is listed in an index
-Overall organization
-istings of names and titles
Understand when and why duplicate listings are used.
Practice skimming to locate index listings in a book
Evaluate when an item is included in an index
Help students decide what is listed in indexes of books

TIME: 3-5 class periods

- FIRST LESSON -

Materials:
At least one book for each child
Other non-fiction books with indexes

Activity:
Have students work in small groups with different books for resources. Have each small group prepare an answer for the following questions.
Where are indexes located in books?
What kinds of books have indexes?
Find five examples of different listings in your book index?
How is the index organized?
What does an index tell us?
How are names listed?
Find an example of an item that is listed in more than one way in your index. (One example: sports and basketball)
What kinds of things are listed in an index?
Look up three things in your index and find them in the book.
How do you think indexes are made? (With computers and without.)
Why would it be good to make an index for a book?
How do you think we can make an index for a book?

Bring the group back together and discuss the answers to the questions.

- OPTIONAL LESSON (if you have time) -

Materials:
At least one book for each child
Non-fiction books with indexes

Activity:
Have students read the first 5 pages of a book and list all of the things they think would be an index with the page number. Then have the students check the index and highlight all the items that they listed that were in the actual indexes. Evaluate what they included that the book did not. Now have the students skim the index and find all the items the book listed by checking for the page numbers for the first pages. Have students list items the book included that they did not include.
Evaluate all the results. This is a great learning experience for the kids.

- SECOND LESSON -

Materials:
One copy of Kids Explore America’s Catholic Heritage per child
Highlighter
Index cards

Activity:
In this activity the students will start preparing the index. I usually have children take one chapter per group. (Different length of chapters allows me to address different strengths of readers.)
Have each student read the first 5 pages of their chapter and highlight the words they think should be included in the index.
Then have the group discuss listings as a group. The group will come up with their listing for these 5 pages. (Teacher can mediate disagreements over what is kept or not kept and tell students why.)
Now the group will complete reading their chapter and conferring about listings. (You may want to have the students work on a few pages at a time or complete the whole chapter.)
Prepare index cards for your chapter. Each card should have a listing at the top of each card and then page numbers after it in numerical order. Sometimes it is best to put the page numbers down and then go back and write them in numerical order across the bottom.
After these index cards are done, group members should make certain each card is checked for accuracy by another member. (You may want the card initialed to show another student has verified the work for correct spelling and page numbers.)

- THIRD LESSON -

Materials:
Prepared index cards from last activity.

Activity:
In this lesson students will alphabetize their cards and then blend them with the cards from other groups.
Have students alphabetize index cards from their chapter. Duplicate cards should be combined with all page listings on one card.
Divide the alphabet up into 7 groups and have students’ hand out their cards for each alphabet group to the group working on those letters. For example: Chapter 1 Group may work on Letters A-D. Chapter 2 group, E-H, etc.
Now the group will take all the cards in their letters and alphabetize the cards. Duplicate cards will be combined with all pages listings on one card.
The following activities could just be explained to the group or done.
Now in the computer room, each student could prepare the listings for one letter in the alphabet or two students could work together. Because young typists aren’t extremely accurate with numbers it may be better to have two working together so one can alert the typist to errors.
Print out listing and save with letter title-A for index

- EXTENSION ACTIVITY -
Students will proof the index for accuracy.

Materials needed:
One manuscript for each student
One part of the index (maybe start with one letter for each kid.)

Activity:
Students takes index listing for a letter and starts checking for accuracy
Say, the heading is Eucharist, 4,9,16, 17, 93, and 100. The student will skim for this word on each of the listed pages. If they cannot find a word on one of the pages, they work with a buddy to see if they can find it. If both students can’t find it---they put a box around the number. If all the numbers are correct, the students should initial near numbers. Spelling of the each entry also needs to be checked and initialed.
When a student has completed one letter of the alphabet, he puts it back on a table and takes another. Hopefully each letter of the alphabet would be checked several times.
This also makes a very good homework assignment if there is not time to complete it in class.