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Teacher Curriculum Center Digital Resources

Resources for curriculum and lesson development for K-12 educators

Tips for Searching by Subject

Why Use Subject Headings to Search

OneSearch uses terms from the Library of Congress Subject Headings. Likewise, each database will have a thesaurus of subjects uses to organize the database.  

For example, the phrase "Social Studies" is not used by the Library of Congress, and so others must be used when searching OneSearch by subject.

Curriculum Guides and Lesson Plans: 

Use the Study and teaching subdivision after any subject to find curriculum guides and lesson plans in OneSearch or in ERIC documents collection (see your department reference guide and go to the ERIC page for information on ERIC). 

Examples:

  • Social sciences - Study and teaching
  • Economics – Study and teaching

Similarl, you might look for in OneSearch, ERIC Databases, or through internet resources are Curriculum Guides and Lesson Plans.  The best strategy to use to identify curriculum guides/lesson plans in OneSearch or ERIC is to combine your subject with the words "lesson" or "curriculum" or the phrases “lesson planning” or “curriculum planning”.  You might also look for a particular facet of a lesson such as "assessments." 

You may use the Ask a Reference Librarian for assistance in locating these guides.

Art Subject Terms

OneSearch indexes all TCC books and media by author, title, and subject.  OneSearch also gives you full physical description of each item and information about the suggested grade level or the availability of any accompanying materials. If you are searching for music on a particular subject or for a particular purpose, look up the subject heading and look for records, cassettes or other types of nonprint sources under that subject. The type of media is part of the call number given for that item in OneSearch.

Search OneSearch for search terms such as:

  • Children's songs
  • Games with music
  • Guitar
  • Halloween
  • Instrumental music
  • Musical instruments
  • Music appreciation
  • Piano
  • Rhythm
  • School songbooks
  • Physical education for children
  • Singing games
  • Music - (country name)
  • Folk-songs

Child Development Selected Search Terms

Search OneSearch for such terms as:

  • Child development
  • Preschool children
  • Movement education
  • Motor ability in children
  • Physical education for children
  • Early childhood education
  • Education, Preschool
  • Child care
  • Mathematical recreations
  • Listening
  • Singing games
  • Games with music
  • Games
  • Shapes
  • Colors
  • Self-perception
  • Motivation
  • Visual Perception
  • Attention
  • Critical thinking in children
  • Social interaction
  • Social perception in children
  • Creative thinking
  • Cognition in children
  • Children - language
  • Problem solving in children
  • Thought and Thinking

Children's Literature Selected Subject Terms

In order to locate YA/children’s books, or accompanying or supplemental materials, you may search OneSearch by specific authors or titles. Subject searching may also be performed using specific subject terms such as:

  • Stories without words
  • Children's literature in mathematics education
  • Children's literature in series
  • Children's literature - Censorship
  • Cinderella (Legendary tale)
  • Girls in literature
  • Teenage girls in literature
  • Children's literature - History and criticism
  • Child authors
  • Folklore
  • Fairy tales
  • Picture books for children
  • Harry Potter (Fictitious character)
  • Nancy Drew (Fictitious character)
  • Challenged books
  • Children's poetry, American – Juvenile poetry
  • Language arts - Correlation with content subjects

Curriculum Guides, Lesson Plans & Activities

Use the Study and teaching subdivision after any subject to find curriculum guides and lesson plans in OneSearch.

Examples:

  • Reading (Primary) – Study and teaching
  • Reading (Elementary) – Study and teaching

Curriculum guides and lesson plans may also be found in the ERIC documents collection.

Deaf Education Selected Subject Terms

Search OneSearch for such terms as:

Search under these subject terms:

  • Deaf
  • Deafness
  • Deaf children
  • Hearing impaired children
  • Special education

Narrow your search using these subdivisions (example:  Deaf - Education)

  • Education
  • American Sign Language
  • United States - History
  • Biography
  • Family relationships
  • Means of communication
  • Speech perception in children
  • Juvenile fiction
  • Social life and customs
  • Juvenile literature
  • Theater for the deaf

English Language Arts Selected Subject Terms

Search OneSearch for such terms as:

  • Language arts
  • Language arts - Remedial teaching
  • English language - Composition and exercises
  • English language - Grammar
  • English language - Foreign speakers
  • Vocabulary
  • English language – Rhetoric
  • Shakespeare, William, 1564 1616 - Study and teaching
  • Sports literature – Study and teaching
  • Reading (Secondary) or (Middle school)
  • Reading comprehension
  • High interest-low vocabulary
  • Reading - Remedial teaching
  • Reading games
  • Storytelling
  • Content area reading
  • Language arts - Correlation with content subjects
  • Sports literature
  • Reading - Language experience approach

Use the Study and teaching - TCC subdivision after any subject to find curriculum guides and lesson plans OneSearch.

Examples:

  • Reading (Elementary) - Study and teaching - TCC
  • Reading (Secondary) - Study and teaching - TCC

Curriculum guides, lesson plans and activities may also be found in the ERIC documents collection. Ask a Reference Librarian for assistance in locating these guides.

English Language Development Subject Terms

Search OneSearch for such terms as:

Search under these subject terms:

  • English language
  • Spanish language
  • Language arts
  • Reading

Narrow your search using these subdivisions (e.g. English Language - Foreign Speakers)

  • Foreign speakers
  • Textbooks for foreign speakers
  • Sound recordings for Spanish speakers
  • Science - Bilingual edition - Spanish language
  • Second language acquisition
  • Education, Bilingual
  • Readers
  • Cultural education
  • Multicultural education
  • Vocabulary
  • Terms and phrases
  • Language experience approach
  • High interest - low vocabulary books
  • Literacy
  • Language acquisition
  • Whole word approach

Math & Science Selected Subject Terms

Search OneSearch for such terms as:

  • Mathematics
  • Arithmetic
  • Mathematics - Remedial teaching
  • Mathematical recreations
  • Fractions
  • Decimal system
  • Subtraction - Interactive multimedia
  • Addition - Juvenile software
  • Art in mathematics education
  • Mathematics – Activity programs
  • Children’s literature in mathematics education
  • Science
  • Science - Experiments
  • Science games
  • Scientific recreations
  • Biology
  • Manipulatives
  • Frogs - Interactive multimedia
  • Flowers - Juvenile software
  • Art and science
  • Science – Activity programs
  • Children’s literature in science education

Multicultural Selected Subject Terms

Search OneSearch for search terms such as:

  • Multicultural education
  • Multiculturalism
  • Ethnic groups
  • Intercultural communication
  • Minorities
  • Race relations
  • Human geography
  • Folklore

You might also search OneSearch to search for specific ethnic or culture groups.  Note that the Library of Congress Subjects are not always in alignment with current terminology.  

  • Asian Americans
  • Chinese Americans
  • Filipino Americans
  • Korean Americans
  • Japanese Americans
  • Hawaiians
  • Latin Americans
  • Hispanic Americans 
  • African Americans 
  • Mexican Americans
  • Vietnamese Americans
  • Indians of North America
  • Armenian Americans
  • Hispanic Americans
  • East Indian 
  • West Indian 

Narrow your search using these subdivisions after a cultural/ethnic heading (e.g. Asian Americans - History, Jews – Social life and customs)

  • Folklore
  • Social life and customs
  • History
  • Juvenile fiction
  • Juvenile literature

Additionally, you might add a group or location to other topics:

  • Dance - Hawaii
  • Dancing - China 
  • Songs - Mexico 
  • Tales - 
  • Festivals -
  • Holidays 
  • Folk dance music
  • Folk dancing
  • Manners and customs
  • Children – Social life and customs
  • Music – Cross cultural studies
  • Ethnomusicology
  • Games – Cross-cultural studies
  • Festivals

You may search specific holidays or customs: 

  • Kwanzaa
  • Cinco de Mayo
  • Hanukkah
  • Maya
  • Chinese New Year 
  • Fasts and feasts

Music Subject Terms

OneSearch indexes all TCC books and media by author, title, and subject.  OneSearch also gives you full physical description of each item and information about the suggested grade level or the availability of any accompanying materials. If you are searching for music on a particular subject or for a particular purpose, look up the subject heading and look for records, cassettes or other types of nonprint sources under that subject. The type of media is part of the call number given for that item in OneSearch.

Search OneSearch for search terms such as:

  • Children's songs
  • Games with music
  • Guitar
  • Halloween
  • Instrumental music
  • Musical instruments
  • Music appreciation
  • Piano
  • Rhythm
  • School songbooks
  • Physical education for children
  • Singing games
  • Music - (country name)
  • Folk-songs

Use the Study and teaching subdivision after any subject to find curriculum guides and lesson plans in OneSearch.

Examples:

  • Music - Study and teaching
  • Music – Instruction and study

Curriculum guides/lesson plans may also be found in the ERIC documents collection. Ask a Reference Librarian for assistance in locating these guides.

Physical Education, Kinesiology, & Dance Selected Subject Terms

Search OneSearch for such terms as:

  • Physical education for children
  • Physical education and training
  • Physical fitness for children
  • Movement education
  • Sports for children
  • Parachutes
  • Child development
  • Multicultural education
  • Jump rope
  • Rope skipping
  • Dance
  • Games
  • Rhythm
  • Balance beam
  • Perceptual-motor learning
  • Children – Nutrition

Reading Selected Subject Terms

Search OneSearch for search terms such as:

  • Reading (Primary)
  • English language - Phonetics
  • Basal reading instruction
  • Language Arts
  • Reading (Elementary)
  • Reading - Phonetic method
  • Poetry
  • Literacy
  • New literates
  • Reading for new literates

Other Reading Resources 

The following subject terms can be used to locate supplemental and/or specialized reading materials:

  • Reading readiness
  • Reading - Remedial teaching
  • Reading games
  • Reading comprehension
  • Children - Books and reading
  • Alphabet
  • Reading (Primary) - Language experience approach
  • High interest-low vocabulary books
  • Children's literature in mathematics education
  • Children's poetry
  • Language Arts -- Correlation with content subjects

Social Studies: Selected Subject Terms

Examples of terms you might use to search OneSearch to find information for your Social Studies courses or for research in your discipline:

  • Social sciences
  • World history
  • Economics
  • Cities and towns
  • Family
  • United States - History
  • Geography
  • Community
  • Self-perception
  • Self-respect
  • Community Life
  • Occupations
  • Maps
  • Explorers
  • Citizenship

Special Education Selected Subject Terms

Search OneSearch for search terms such as:

  • Special education
  • Special education - Music (or Art, etc.)
  • Phycially handicapped children
  • Visually handicapped - Education - California
  • Learning disabled
  • High interest, low vocabulary
  • Deaf - Education
  • Gifted children - Education - Mathematics (or  Music, etc.)
  • Portfolios in education - United States
  • Individualized instruction
  • Problem children
  • Developmentally disabled children
  • Slow learning children
  • Mainstreaming in education
  • Handicapped children

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