Research Building Blocks: "Cite Those Sources!"

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.  Students learn how to cite sources and avoid plagiarism.

Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives: 

Students will:

  • discuss plagiarism. 
  • practice paraphrasing. 
  • credit sources used in research.

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level: 
Understanding

Helpful Hints

Materials and Technology:

  • Chart Paper
  • Internet Access

Websites:

  • How to Recognize Unacceptable and Acceptable Paraphrases
  • Landmarks Citation Machine
  • The OWL at Purdue: Avoiding Plagerism
  • Pathfinder: Creating a Bibliography

References

Contributors: