ICT at key stages 1 and 2    (Year 2)

• Remind the class how they use books to find information and that longer books have indexes to help them find information. Show the class that a CD-ROM contains as much information as several large books by using the buttons to navigate through pages. Discuss ways of finding information on a CD-ROM.

• Use a CD-ROM encyclopedia to demonstrate how to locate information using menus.
• Ask the class which item in the menu should be selected to locate particular information, eg selecting 'the seashore' to locate information on crabs.

• Use a CD-ROM encyclopedia to demonstrate how to locate information using the index. Demonstrate how to return to the menu/home page.
• Ask the class to use the index to locate particular information.

• Use a CD-ROM encyclopedia to demonstrate how to locate information using a key word. Ask the children to suggest some words to try. Deliberately mistype one word to show that words must be spelt correctly. Show that idiosyncratic words, such as 'kitty', are not recognised. Explain that some items can be found using more than one word, eg information on lions could be found using 'Africa' or 'zoo'.
• Ask children to work in pairs to use the CD-ROM to find pictures of animals, eg animals with fur, three animals that live in the sea. Ask them to use a key word to search by name or attribute.

• Use a CD-ROM encyclopedia to demonstrate how to use hot links or hyperlinks to find more information about a particular subject. Show the class how to retrace their steps using the back and forward buttons.
• Ask children to work in pairs to experiment freely with the package.

• As part of a class project on animals that live in different environments, choose two contrasting areas, eg a pond and a field. Remind the class of the different ways of searching for information on a CD-ROM.
• Ask the children to work in small groups to research different habitats on a CD-ROM encyclopedia. Remind the class to use the back button to retrace their steps if they get lost. Help children to copy information into a word processor and ask them to write one sentence about the animals they found. The sentence should include the key word they used.
• Ask the class to compare searching for information on a CD-ROM with searching for information in printed encyclopedias. Ask them to consider which is quicker or more convenient.