Unique to our Children’s Dictionary Suite is the Word Explorer: a word-finding and knowledge-exploration feature. It is an index of related words spread throughout the dictionaries that allows a child to find words connected with multiple topics and to explore whole networks of words and their meanings. The dictionary entries also contain an integrated thesaurus of synonyms and antonyms. The addition of our Word Explorer creates a fun and uniquely valuable educational resource.
The Word Explorer allows the child or teacher to navigate the dictionary using topics, their keywords, and words related to the keywords called “related words.” The Word Explorer is like a map built into the dictionary that allows the user to find and explore interesting paths through the dictionary. With the help of the Word Explorer, children can make many of these words part of their vocabulary and start to discover how words can help them make sense of the world.
Approximately 200 of the entry words in this dictionary are Word Explorer keywords. These words are called “keywords” because they are links (or keys) to over 7,000 other dictionary entry words. Almost half the entry words in the Children’s Dictionary belong to the Word Explorer.
Dictionary entries for keywords note their Word Explorer feature near the end of their entries. So, for example, under the Word Explorer Topic “Communication,” the keyword “art” is listed. Clicking on “art” under Communication (or looking up “art” in the regular search box) leads the child to discover words that describe types of art, people who make art, things used in art, places where art can be found, and many other categories of information relating to the notion of art. The Word Explorer can be particularly useful in helping students with writing, serving as inspiration and assisting them in finding the words they need. With the help of the Word Explorer, a child is aided in learning new concepts and making new connections among ideas.
