Where and When for Quotation Marks

Still a little rough, but I'll publish it anyway.  :)

The goal of this lesson is to look carefully at word choice and sentence structure to avoid plagiarism when adding information from sources into one's own writing.  This is the root of a lot of accidental plagiarism; students simply aren't looking carefully enough to notice what they are using from the original piece, or they might think using sentence structures and word choice are alright if they cite. 

Distribute and review rules for quotation marks. (See bottom for a couple links). The amount of time you spend on this information will depend on your class's skill level.  You might choose to stop here and do some traditional practice.  If you do, I suggest using real texts and / or student writing to help keep it relevant. 

Read a short article together.  Keep it interesting or relevant.  Examples might include excerpts from school or local paper or a topic related to a full class text, such as author bio or historical background. Or it could be an article on a class joke.  I've used passages on Rubix Cubes, Slinkies, Magic 8 Balls, and animal crackers in the past.  Riveting? No, but better than the dry passages found on standardized tests. 

Together, look at 4 - 6 passages restating the information from the original article.   Determine where quotation marks are needed. One way to do this might be highlighting the words that are identical. 

Next, in groups or pairs, revise sentences to eliminate need for quotation marks.  Have students write them directly on overhead sheets.  Share.  Further revise as necessary. 

Repeat with an identical set up in groups of 2 -3.  Share and discuss.  

If students have already generated writing using research, have them read and revise it using the ideas from this practice.  Keep in mind that students will need access to the original source document to do this properly.  

Take the process further by now looking at the sentence structures.  Did the new passage simply swap in a few synonyms?  Discuss thoughts on if that is plagiarizing.   Can one really call it their own writing in these circumstances?  With gradual release of control, revise passages to alter sentence structures. 

Remember to include:  Do we still need to site it?  Even if its our own words and structures?  YES, because the ideas are not our own. 

Grammar Book Quotation Mark Rules
Purdue OWL Quotation Mark Rules
Purdue OWL Paraphrasing