CurriculumGrade 7English Language Arts

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 example

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.

Practice questions

  1. Judge one website: name two clues that suggest it is or isn't trustworthy.
  2. Take a fact from a source and paraphrase it accurately in your own words.
  3. 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 lesson

En 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: 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.

More Writing lessons

Argument Essay with CounterclaimW.7.1Informative & Research WritingW.7.2Writing NarrativesW.7.3Clear, Coherent WritingW.7.4Revising and EditingW.7.5Publishing with TechnologyW.7.6

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