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| Overview |
 Children are naturally curious—they want to know "how" and "why." Teaching research skills can help students find answers for themselves. “Cite Those Sources!” is taken from a research skills unit where the students complete a written report on a state symbol. Here, students will learn the importance of citing their sources to give credit to the authors of their information as well as learn about plagiarism. The students participate in an interactive bibliography to learn the needed skills. Throughout this unit, students will not only learn the research process, but they will experience it first hand.
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| 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).
Dreher, Jean, et al. 2000. Easy Steps to Writing Fantastic Research Reports (Grades 3–6). New York: Scholastic Professional Books.
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| Student Objectives |
Students will
- discuss plagiarism.
- practice paraphrasing.
- credit sources used in research.
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| Instructional Plan |
Resources
Background Information
Related Lessons
Research Building Blocks: Hints about Print
Research Building Blocks: Examining Electronic Sources
Research Building Blocks: Notes, Quotes, and Fact Fragments
Research Building Blocks: Skim, Scan, and Scroll
Activities
- It is very important for students to understand the need for, and purpose of, giving credit to the sources they use in the research process. The students need to learn about the concept of plagiarism. Plagiarism is using others' ideas or words without clearly acknowledging the source of that information. While discussing the concept of plagiarism, use this avoiding plagiarism Web page to learn the when and where of citing sources as well as times when citing sources is not necessary.
- To remind students of the basic rules to avoid plagiarism, write the following on chart paper and post it close to the research area or media center in the classroom.
Give credit whenever you use
- another person's idea, opinion, or theory.
- any facts, statistics, graphs, drawings—any pieces of information—that are not common knowledge.
- quotations of another person's actual spoken or written words.
- paraphrases of another person's spoken or written words.
- After the discussion, use the example paragraph from How to Recognize Unacceptable and Acceptable Paraphrases to show the appropriate/inappropriate way to paraphrase information.
- To ensure students are aware of proper citation procedures, reinforce that awareness by
- providing them with a group of resources to create a bibliography for frequent practice in an activity or learning-center situation. Creating a Bibliography for Your Report discusses the various components of a bibliography.
- modeling the step-by-step development of a bibliography for your class in a variety of settings and subject areas.
- posting the standard bibliography format in a prominent place in your classroom.
Web Resources
- Creating a Bibliography for Your Report
http://www.santacruzpl.org/kids/learn/pathfinders/pdf/5/
- This page from Santa Cruise Public Libraries offers samples and information about citing a variety of print and non-print resources.
- Avoiding Plagiarism Web Page
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plagiar.html
- This site gives a good definition of plagiarism, as well as charts and tables that show when to cite sources, when citing is not needed, and the correct way to do both.
- Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml#
- This site provides examples of acceptable and unacceptable ways to paraphrase information.
- Landmarks Citation Machine
http://citationmachine.net/
- This Web site works in an interactive format to help children learn how to create a bibliography.
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| Student Assessment/Reflections |
| As this is only one step in teaching the research process, students need not be graded on the activity. Continued practice in paraphrasing and quoting material is most important, with teacher and peer feedback benefitting the student researcher. Final bibliographies turned in with the research report could then be graded based on accurate information and style. |
1 - Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
3 - Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
4 - Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
5 - Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
6 - Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
7 - Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
8 - Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
11 - Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
12 - Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
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