Using Sources Honestly
Aligned to W.6.8 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
Gather information from several sources, judge whether each is credible, and put facts in your own words or quote them exactly — always crediting the source. Copying without credit is plagiarism.
Worked examples
Example 1
Source says: 'Sea levels rose about 8 inches in the last century.' Paraphrase: 'Over the past hundred years, the sea has risen roughly 8 inches (NOAA).' It restates the idea in your words and names where it came from.
Example 2
Changing a few words of a source and calling it a paraphrase is still plagiarism. Close the tab, then write what you remember.
Example 3
Cite the source you actually read. Copying a citation you saw quoted elsewhere passes along its errors as your own.
Practice questions
- Judge whether a website is credible and give one reason.
- Paraphrase a fact from it without changing the meaning.
- Write a short citation naming the source of your fact.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Usar las Fuentes con Honestidad
Reúne información de varias fuentes, evalúa si cada una es confiable, y pon los datos con tus propias palabras o cítalos de forma exacta — siempre dando crédito a la fuente. Copiar sin dar crédito es plagio.
Ejemplo 1: La fuente dice: 'El nivel del mar subió unos 20 centímetros en el último siglo.' Paráfrasis: 'En los últimos cien años, el mar ha subido cerca de 20 centímetros (NOAA).' Reformula la idea con tus palabras y nombra de dónde viene.
Ejemplo 2: Cambiar unas cuantas palabras de una fuente y llamarlo paráfrasis sigue siendo plagio. Cierra la pestaña y luego escribe lo que recuerdes.
Ejemplo 3: Cita la fuente que de verdad leíste. Copiar una cita que viste citada en otro lado hereda sus errores como tuyos.
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