Part 2: How to use a dictionary

Are paper dictionaries obsolete? With sophisticated search engines and online dictionaries in our lives, there are certainly grounds for arguments in the affirmative.

My conclusion is twofold:

• At the time of writing, paper dictionaries were still very much present in classrooms.
• Both online and paper dictionaries are organised in the same basic way.

Therefore, learning the parts of a dictionary, and how to use reference materials in general, is still a valuable skill. Furthermore, a large majority of the teachers surveyed at my workshops over the past several years admit to not knowing the full extent of the information provided and conventions used by dictionaries. Their feedback is always positive in this regard, and they often report a renewed keenness to help their students get the most out of dictionaries.

In these lessons, students will discover the various sections of a dictionary. They will find examples of these sections and will play games and do activities to familiarise themselves with dictionaries.