Improving Students’ Ability to Cite a Variety of Sources
Subject: English Language Arts, History/Social Studies
Grade: 6 – 8
Timeframe: 15 minutes per class, over 1 week
Introduction: It is important that students are familiar citing a wide variety of sources. They should be resourceful when thinking of what types of sources would support the information they’re seeking. Furthermore, it is important that students are familiar using technological tools (internet search engines, citation tools (EasyBib),etc.) to help them in their research.
Objective:
- Become comfortable using search engines and library resources to find different types of information
- Develop a working knowledge of technological resources that help in the citation process (EasyBib)
- Learn how to correctly cite sources
Materials:
- Computers with internet access (to use search engines, library resources, and EasyBib)
Procedure:
- Explain to the students about the importance of citing sources correctly, and the importance of using a wide variety of sources to support your research.
- Have the students choose a topic that they’re interested in at the beginning of the week (ex. Ancient Egyptians, skateboarding, scuba diving, pandas, etc.).
- Have the students find information from a different type of source that relates to their topic each day of the week.
- Each day, the student should use search engines or library resources to find different sources relating to his/her topic. He/She should use EasyBib to cite each source and manage his/her citations.
- At the end of the week, the students should each have a complete bibliography with 4 or 5 (depending on when you assign the project) different types of sources all relating to their chosen topic. Have the students turn in their bibliographies electronically using EasyBib’s export feature. You can learn how to use EasyBib’s export feature in our introductory tutorial.
- Convene as a class to discuss: What resources were the most helpful in finding different types of sources? What resources did you use the most? Search engines? The library catalog? What was hard or easy about actually citing the sources? Were you able to find all of the information that you needed?
Assessment:
The students’ works cited documents will all be different, since not every student will choose the same topic or find the same sources. The works cited documents that the students turn in should be correctly formatted based on which citation style they are using (listed alphabetically, correct punctuation, etc.). Grading should be based on accuracy of the works cited documents.
Self-Evaluation:
At the end of this assignment, students should have met the objectives outlined at the beginning of this lesson. Additionally, they should have furthered the skills outlined in the introduction.
After the lesson, the students should have developed a better understanding of the library resources available to them. They should have developed a level of comfort using library resources and digital tools to help them in their research.
Extension:
Students may use these skills (ability to find and cite different types of sources) when writing research projects in the future. As an addition to the assignment, students could be required to write a summary of the new information they learned about their given topic. Alternately, the students could present the information they learned to the class (so that the whole class learns something new).
Students should be encouraged to have a diverse group of sources in their future research papers. They should be encouraged to be resourceful in their research approach, and they should feel comfortable using technology to find and cite sources.
Additional Resources:
Search engines
Common Core Standards:
| Common Core Standard | 8th Grade Expectation | How this lesson plan addresses this standard |
|---|---|---|
| Anchor Reading Standard 7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. | CC.R.IT.8.7 Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea | Prior to meeting this expectation, students must first develop the skills necessary to find different mediums/sources in their school’s library. |
| Anchor Writing Standard 7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. | CC.W.8.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. | Students will select a focused topic to find sources as a mini-research project. Developing a habit of using a variety of sources will assist in the future when students will have to synthesize multiple sources on the subject. |
| Anchor Writing Standard 8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism. | CC.W.8.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. | This lesson plan teaches students how to find multiple print and digital sources using effective search terms and strategies. It also requires students to create a bibliography based on these different source types to teach students how to avoid plagiarism when using a variety of media. |
