Research Building Blocks: “Cite Those Sources!”

Overview

Featured Resources

From Theory to Practice

 

OVERVIEW

Children are naturally curious—they want to know "how" and "why." Teaching research skills can help students find answers for themselves. This lesson is taken from a research skills unit where the students complete a written report on a state symbol. Here, students learn the importance of citing their sources to give credit to the authors of their information as well as learn about plagiarism. They explore a Website about plagiarism to learn the when and where of citing sources as well as times when citing sources is not necessary. They look at examples of acceptable and unacceptable paraphrasing. Finally, students practice citing sources and creating a bibliography.

back to top

 

FEATURED RESOURCES

Avoiding Plagiarism: This resource from Purdue OWL gives comprehensive advice about how to avoid plagiarism.

back to top

 

FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

Teaching the process and application of research should be an ongoing part of all school curricula. It is important that research components are taught all through the year, beginning on the first day of school. Dreher et al. explain that "[S]tudents need to learn creative and multifaceted approaches to research and inquiry. The ability to identify good topics, to gather information, and to evaluate, assemble, and interpret findings from among the many general and specialized information sources now available to them is one of the most vital skills that students can acquire" (39).

Further Reading
Dreher, Jean, et al. 2000. Easy Steps to Writing Fantastic Research Reports (Grades 3-6). New York: Scholastic Professional Books.

DeSena, Laura Hennessey. 2007. Preventing Plagiarism: Tips and Techniques. Urbana, IL: NCTE.

back to top