Gathering and Citing Sources
Aligned to W.7.8 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
Gather information from several sources, judge whether each is credible, and quote or paraphrase accurately. Always cite where facts came from using a standard format.
Worked examples
Example 1
Paraphrase: The original says 'Sea levels rose 8 inches since 1900' (NOAA). You write: According to NOAA, seas have risen about 8 inches since 1900. Accurate, reworded, and credited.
Example 2
Quote when the wording matters, paraphrase when only the fact does. Quoting a statistic word for word wastes the quotation marks.
Example 3
Cite the source you read, not the one it quoted. Passing along a citation you never opened passes along its mistakes as yours.
Practice questions
- Judge one website: name two clues that suggest it is or isn't trustworthy.
- Take a fact from a source and paraphrase it accurately in your own words.
- Write a simple citation showing the author or site and the title for that source.
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
Reunir y citar fuentes
Reúne información de varias fuentes, juzga si cada una es confiable y cita o parafrasea con exactitud. Siempre indica de dónde salieron los datos con un formato estándar.
Ejemplo 1: Paráfrasis: El original dice 'El mar subió 20 cm desde 1900' (NOAA). Escribes: Según la NOAA, el mar ha subido unos 20 cm desde 1900. Exacto, reformulado y con crédito.
Ejemplo 2: Cita cuando importan las palabras exactas, parafrasea cuando solo importa el dato. Citar una estadística palabra por palabra desperdicia las comillas.
Ejemplo 3: Cita la fuente que leíste, no la que ella citaba. Pasar una cita que nunca abriste hereda sus errores como tuyos.
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