AP Packet for Students: Using the library for AP research and test practice
Name: __________________________________________________
Finding resources in the library’s catalog:
1. Go to destiny.milforded.org and click on Jonathan Law High School.
2. Click the Catalog tab in the top left hand corner.
3. Type in your topic and click on Keyword.
4. You’ll get a list of books we have on that subject. Want a list of websites instead? Click
the Websites tab at the top right hand corner of the page.
5. Tip: If you didn’t get any results for your search, try a similar word, or check your
spelling.
Finding teachers’ pages:
1. Go to Jonathan Law High School’s home page and click on Faculty and Staff.
2. Type in your teacher’s name (May, for example).
3. Click on the “website” tab (if available).
Navigating the Media Center page:
1. There’s a link to the Media Center’s page on Jonathan Law High School’s page, or try
destiny.milforded.org, then Jonathan Law High School, then JLHS Media Center Home
Page (under the fireworks picture).
2. Direct link: http://www.milforded.org/page.cfm?p=4914
3. Databases and E-reference tab: multiple research databases in every subject, online
newspapers and magazines, and dozens of e-books.
4. See “Online Resources Available at Jonathan Law High School” for the usernames and
passwords.
5. Subject Links/Class Projects tab: links to useful websites that will help you with your
homework in different subjects. Note the link for AP resources.
6. Note that Homework Help has “reliable” search engines such as the Internet Public
Library and Infotopia.
7. Note that this packet is posted, as well as other links for AP resources we will be going
over.
Two websites you must check out:
1. Collegeboard.org (click the AP tab at the top of the page).
 Explore AP, AP Courses, Taking the Exam, AP Scores, and Credit & Placement.
 Note that you can also create an account on this site as well. This lets you access
your scores online, send them to colleges, explore colleges you are interested in,
and save scholarship searches.
2. The Testing Education and Reference Center (find it on the Media Center’s home page
under Databases and E-reference, then “College/Career/Test Prep”). See “Online
Resources Available at Jonathan Law High School” for the password.
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Under High School Tools, click Advanced Placement Exams.
Online practice tests: 2 for each subject (gives you feedback on the correct
answers)
Online books: 8 different online books on AP subjects
Resources, articles, and related links: strategies, AP-related articles, and a link to
the College Board site
When you click on a test or an e-book, you will have to log in or register if you
are a new user. Registration is free and only needs an email address and a
password.
USING GOOGLE ADVANCED SEARCH
1. Click on Settings in the bottom right hand corner of the page and click Advanced Search.
Google Chrome is the recommended browser.
2. You’ll get a variety of advanced options:
-look for an exact word or phrase by putting it in quotes
-keep irrelevant words out of your search
-look for numbers in a range, such as money or measurements
You can narrow your results in several ways:
-choose a different language or region
-only look for specific domains (like .edu or .gov)
-by file type (like .pdf or .doc)
And more!
BOOLEAN SEARCHING
1. Check out this tutorial from Colorado State University:
http://lib.colostate.edu/tutorials/boolean.html
2. Or use this chart:
Operator
word
Example
strategy
*
Tax*
?
We?t
phrase
Capital punishment
AND (symbols +, &, or
&&)
Beetle AND car
Beetle + car
Beetle & car
OR
Laws OR rules
NOT (symbol -)
Beetle NOT car
Explanation
Type your search word and
the search engine
automatically looks for its
plural. Case insensitive. So
if you type strategy, it will
look for Strategy,
STRATEGY, and
strategies.
Returns results containing
words beginning with the
word you typed, i.e. tax,
taxes, taxi, taxidermy, etc.
A question mark matches
any single character. For
example, you’ll get results
for went and welt among
other things.
WITHOUT quotes, it
searches for all documents
with the word capital and
the word punishment, but
the two words aren’t
necessarily together.
WITH quotes, i.e. “capital
punishment,” it searches
for that exact phrase.
Returns results that contain
the first term and the
second term, so beetle
AND car gets results that
mention both beetles and
cars in the same document.
Returns results that have
either the first word, the
second word, or both
words. Useful when your
two words have similar
meanings or are synonyms.
Returns results that contain
Beetle –car
NEAR
Briggs NEAR library
the first term but not the
second. This helps you
exclude irrelevant results.
So if you are looking for
information on beetles as
insects, you won’t get hits
about cars.
Returns results where the
first term appears near the
second term (by fifty
words or less). When two
terms appear closely
together, there’s a good
chance the two words are
related.
*Note that some of these operators will only work when your search is set to
Boolean Mode.
**Note that in Google, the SYMBOLS work instead of the words. So try
Beetle –car instead of Beetle NOT car, for example.
TRY THESE ACADEMIC SEARCH ENGINES
1. Infotopia- It works just like Google but pulls results meant for students doing research:
http://www.infotopia.info/
2. Internet Public Library- Pulls reliable sites from the Internet. Search the whole site by
keyword or explore the following categories: Resources by Subject, Newspapers &
Magazines, Special Collections, and For Teens:
http://www.ipl.org/
3. Google Scholar- Pulls only scholarly sources from different subject areas, including
articles, theses, abstracts, and books: *Note that not all of these results are full-text.
http://scholar.google.com/
Checklist for Evaluating Web Sites: http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/library/webchecklist.htm
AUTHORITY
Does the person, institution or agency responsible for a site have the qualifications and knowledge to do so?
Is the author of the page identified?
Is contact information for the author provided?
Does the author state his/her qualifications or credentials?
Check the domain. Can you ascertain where the document is published?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
PURPOSE
The author should be clear about the purpose of the information presented in the site. Some sites are meant to inform,
persuade, state an opinion, entertain, or parody something or someone.
What is the purpose of the site and does the content support it?
Does the domain name of the site indicate its purpose?
Is the site well organized?
Are the links appropriate and up to date?
Is the site geared toward a specific audience (students, scholars, general reader)?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
CURRENCY
It is important to know when a site was created, when it was last updated, and if all of the links are current.
Is the date the information was placed on the web given?
Is the date the information was last revised given?
Are the links up-to-date?
If the information is dated is it still relevant?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
OBJECTIVITY
Objective sites will present information with a minimum of bias, without the intention to persuade.
Is the information presented without a particular bias?
Does the site avoid advertising that may be a conflict of interest with the content?
Does the site avoid trying to persuade or sell something?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
ACCURACY
It is the responsibility of the reader to beware of the information presented. Be sure to differentiate fact from
opinion.
Is the institution affiliated with a known organization or institution?
If statistics and other factual information are presented, are references given?
From the reading you have already done on the subject does the information on the site seem
accurate?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
1. What site did you pick that relates to your AP class?
2. Based on this checklist, would you trust this website for AP research? Why or why not?
AP Scavenger Hunt
Directions: Answer any five of the following questions using the resources we just went over.
These are all actual AP test questions from the multiple-choice sections.
Note: This exercise is for you to practice using the library’s and internet’s resources to do APrelated research. You are not expected to know the answers to these questions.
Section: U.S. History
1. Each of the following presidents came to prominence as wartime generals except:
a. Dwight D. Eisenhower
b. Ulysses S. Grant
c. Andrew Jackson
d. Theodore Roosevelt
e. George Washington
2. Which of the following did NOT contribute to the spirit of isolationism in the United
States during the 1930’s?
a. A lack of awareness of the goals of the Nazis’ Third Reich party.
b. The costs, both in financial terms and human sacrifices, in the participation in World
War I.
c. The desire to focus concerns and recovery from the Depression rather than on
strengthening the military.
d. A foreign policy begun by George Washington.
e. The discovery that American companies lobbied for the involvement in World War I,
and then profited heavily.
Section: Biology
1. DNA contains all of the following molecules EXCEPT:
a. Uracil
b. Guanine
c. Adenine
d. Deoxyribose
e. Phosphate
2. The Krebs cycle in humans occurs in the:
a. intermembrane phase
b. inner mitochondrial membrane
c. outer mitochondrial membrane
d. cytoplasm
e. mitochondrial matrix
Section: Chemistry
1. Which group in the periodic table contains elements that are all gases at STP?
a. 11 (IB)
b. 17 (VIIA)
c. 12 (IIB)
d. 18 (0)
2. Which period of the periodic table contains more metallic elements than nonmetallic
elements?
a. Period 1
b. Period 2
c. Period 3
d. Period 4
Section: European History
1. The Industrial Revolution in eighteenth-century England primarily involved new
techniques in:
a. Shoe manufacturing
b. Textile production
c. Ship construction
d. Furniture manufacturing
e. Steel production
2. Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity proposed:
a. A new structure for the atom
b. A new conception of space and time
c. The fundamental concepts for developing the computer
d. The origin of the universe from the explosion of a single mass
e. The particulate nature of light
Section: Macroeconomics
1. From the point of view of economic efficiency, a monopolist produces:
a. Too much of a good and charges too low a price
b. Too much of a good and charges too high a price
c. Too little of a good and charges too low a price
d. Too little of a good and charges too high a price
e. The socially optimal amount of a good
2. A Lorenz curve can be used to evaluate which of the following economic issues?
a. The allocative and technical efficiency of markets
b. The comparative advantage of trading partners and the terms of trade
c. The degree of specialization and growth within countries
d. The degree of equity in income distribution
e. The equilibrium of market prices and quantities throughout the world
And finally…Leaving me questions/feedback:
For any questions, AP-related or otherwise, do any of the following:
1. Send an email to jonathanlawmedia@milforded.org.
2. Post on https://www.facebook.com/JonathanLawHighSchoolMediaCenter.
3. Tweet us at https://twitter.com/jlawmedia.
4. On the Media Center’s home page, find the link to our virtual bulletin board
(http://wallwisher.com/wall/O8EDkfTJqn) and post there.
Take-home Activity: What’s your Learning Style?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Go to http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-learning-styles-quiz
(Or Google “Edutopia multiple intelligences”- it’s the first hit).
Take the quiz (24 questions- about five minutes to complete).
Find out your learning style and read about how best to study based on your results.