Loading course navigation
Loading lesson
50 min
Student Lesson
Lesson 33: Research, Part 4, Using Sources Without Copying
Content
Students will gather relevant evidence from credible sources and draw evidence from informational texts to support a developing claim about a modern barrier to opportunity.
Language
Students will use attribution frames, direct quotation, and paraphrase to integrate source evidence clearly and ethically into a short research response.
How can understanding the experiences of others help us think critically about fairness and opportunity?
Knowledge-Building:
Students continue researching contemporary systems and barriers that shape opportunity, building from lessons on source credibility, narrowed inquiry questions, and historical barriers evident in A Raisin in the Sun.
Enduring Understanding:
To understand dreams, students must understand the systems and barriers that can potentially limit them and use evidence responsibly to advocate for fairness.
Future Lessons:
Students will use today’s paraphrased and quoted evidence to build stronger claim-evidence-reasoning writing in their final argument.
Unit Performance Task:
Students need to integrate evidence accurately and ethically in their research arguments.
| Lesson Flow | Purpose of Learning Experience |
|---|---|
Launch5 Minutes | Students will activate prior learning from source credibility work and be introduced to the decision researchers make between paraphrasing and quoting. |
Literacy Lab: Paraphrasing and Quoting Evidence10 Minutes | Students will learn paraphrasing, direct quotation, and attribution frames using the ongoing model topic of employment solutions. |
Learning in Action30 Minutes | Learning in Action Part A: Practice with Your Sources (W.7.8) Students will paraphrase at least two source passages and decide when paraphrasing or quoting is the stronger choice. Learning in Action Part B: Turn Notes into Writing (W.7.9.b) Students will write a short research response that integrates two paraphrases and one direct quote with attribution. |
Material List
Unit 7.3 Lesson 33 Student Edition
Student copies of their self-selected credible research sources
3-Column Chart graphic organizer
Performance Task Handout
Teacher-sourced model source excerpt on employment solutions from the U.S. Department of Labor webpage about apprenticeships
Routines
Turn and Talk
Think-Pair-Share
Quick Write
Say these Directions: In Lesson 32, we considered which sources were credible and built citations so readers can see where our information comes from. Today, we are taking the next step by using those sources in our own words or with a carefully chosen quote.
Say: Here is an example sentence from a source on the topic of employment:
“Apprenticeships combine paid on-the-job training with classroom instruction.”
Ask: Would you copy this sentence word for word or say it in your own words? Why?
I would mostly say it in my own words because this sentence gives a general fact. I could paraphrase it by saying that apprenticeships let people learn job skills at work and in class while earning money. I would only quote it if I wanted readers to hear the exact phrase “paid on-the-job training.”
Say: Take 20 seconds to jot down your thinking, then turn to your partner. Partner A shares first, then Partner B.
Say: Now that you have discussed your thinking, you will learn how strong researchers make similar choices.
Use the ongoing teacher model topic of employment so students see this research skill as the next step in the same investigation arc from Lessons 30–32.
Say: When we use research, we have two choices. We can paraphrase by saying the idea in our own words, or we can quote by using the exact words and citing where they come from. Today, we are learning how to make that choice with intention.
Target Sentence Block
“Apprenticeships combine paid on-the-job training with classroom instruction.”
Say: When I see the word paraphrase, I notice the word part phrase, which has to do with wording. As a researcher, paraphrasing does not mean changing one or two words and keeping the rest. It means I understand the source idea well enough to restate it in a new sentence structure with mostly new wording.
Say: If I paraphrase this source, I might write:
Apprenticeships let people earn money while they build job skills through work and classes.
Say: I kept the meaning, but I changed the structure and most of the words. If I decide the source’s exact wording adds power or authority, then I will quote it instead and introduce it with a sentence frame.
Say these Directions: Write the word paraphrase from memory in your Personal Dictionary. Now check the displayed word and correct your spelling if needed. Circle para and underline phrase.
Ask: Which part of the word helped you remember how to spell it?
The part phrase helped me because I connected it to wording and sentences, so I remembered that paraphrasing has to do with restating language.
Verify Meaning: Prompt students to use a dictionary, thesaurus, or other reference material to confirm the meaning of the word they have constructed or inferred.
Ask: Check your definition using a dictionary or other reference material. Does the definition match the meaning you inferred? Revise as needed.
Provide sentence frames for introducing evidence:
According to ___, “___.”
As ___ explains, “___.”
In the words of ___, “___.”
___ argues that “___.”
Say these Directions: Now you need to decide which evidence move is stronger for a particular context in your writing. If your reader mostly needs the information, you will paraphrase so your own voice stays in the lead. If the source uses especially clear, surprising, or powerful wording, you may want to quote a short part of it.
If needed, display or write the following model sentences where students can see.
Say: For example, you could write:
“According to the U.S. Department of Labor, ‘Apprenticeships combine paid on-the-job training with classroom instruction.’”
Say: Or you could paraphrase the same idea:
“The U.S. Department of Labor explains that apprenticeships allow workers to learn through classes and work experience at the same time.”
Say: Both are accurate, but each choice serves a different writing purpose.
Ask: Which sentence frame do you think sounds strongest for an authoritative source like a government webpage, and why?
I think “According to ___” sounds strongest because it clearly tells where the information came from. It helps the reader trust the evidence right away.
Teacher Tip |
|---|
Because students are learning when to use direct quotation, remind them not to repeat slurs or offensive language from any source. If a source contains harmful language, guide students to paraphrase the idea or obscure the term with partial letters if it must be referenced, and keep the focus on the source’s meaning and context. |
Check for Understanding (W.7.8) | |
|---|---|
List the word apprenticeship in your Personal Dictionary along with its definition. Write one paraphrase of the apprenticeship sentence and one sentence that uses a direct quote frame correctly. |
Teacher Tip |
|---|
If needed, prompt students to keep the meaning but change the wording in the paraphrase, then cite the source before (or after) the direct quote. |
Say: Students are ready to practice this same decision with their own research sources, which will move their notes closer to argument writing.
Students should work independently first with one credible source and the most recent draft of their inquiry question. Then they should share one paraphrase choice with a partner and revise if the paraphrase is still too close to the original language of the source.
Say these Directions: Take out one credible research source and your current research question. Use the 3-column chart to:
Record short source passages in the left column.
Paraphrase each passage in your own words in the middle column.
Decide whether each piece of evidence belongs in your essay as a paraphrase or a direct quote. Write those decisions and explanations in the right column.
Display this sample completed chart using the teacher model topic of employment:
Source/Evidence | My Paraphrase | Quote or Paraphrase? Why? |
|---|---|---|
In the section explaining how apprenticeships work, the U.S. Department of Labor says, “Apprenticeships combine paid on-the-job training with classroom instruction.” | Apprenticeships allow people to earn money while learning through both work experience and classes. | paraphrase, because this is a general fact and my reader mostly needs the idea |
In the section describing why apprenticeships matter, the source explains that workers can earn wages while learning a skilled trade. | People do not have to stop making money in order to train for a career. | could quote a short part like “earn wages while learning” if I want to emphasize the benefit |
Say: When paraphrasing or using a direct quote, I make sure to follow these steps:
First, I look for a passage that directly helps answer my research question, not just an interesting sentence.
Next, I read it for meaning and ask myself, “What is the idea I want to keep?”
Then I cover the original wording and say that idea in plain language.
After that, I write a new sentence structure that keeps the meaning but sounds like me.
Finally, I compare my sentence back to the source and decide whether I should keep it as a paraphrase or switch to a short quote because the exact wording adds power.
Say: This process helps me take ethical notes that I can use later in my argument.
Ask: Which passage(s) did you paraphrase, and how did you keep the meaning without copying the wording?
I paraphrased a passage from the section where my source explains paid internship programs. I kept the main idea that students gain work experience and income at the same time, but I changed the sentence structure and most of the words so it sounds like my own explanation.
Ask: How did you decide whether to paraphrase or quote each passage?
I decided to paraphrase my second passage because it gives background information, and the exact wording is not the important part. If I find a short phrase that is especially powerful, I might quote just that phrase later.
Say these Directions: Work silently for several minutes to complete your chart. Then share one row with your partner, and discuss:
Ask: Does this sound like your voice, or does it still sound too close to the source?
Reflection (W.7.8) | |
|---|---|
Use the Reflection routine to reflect on your ability to paraphrase sources without plagiarizing. | |
Modeling: If needed, guide students to notice that some topic-specific terms may stay the same, but the sentence structure and most of the wording should change. |
Say these Directions: Now you are going to use your research notes to draft a response to your research question. Your response will result in a potential body paragraph for your final performance task.
Display the following writing model if needed for support and guidance:
Apprenticeship programs seem like one of the strongest solutions to employment barriers because they connect training to real pay. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “Apprenticeships combine paid on-the-job training with classroom instruction.” This matters because people do not have to choose between earning money and building skills. In the section describing how these programs work, the source explains that workers learn in both classrooms and real job settings. Another source about job access argues that paid training can open doors for people who have been shut out of traditional pathways. Together, these sources suggest that apprenticeships can expand opportunity in a practical way.
Say: When I turn notes into writing,
I start with my own claim so the paragraph sounds like me, not just like my sources.
Then I choose one short direct quote if the exact words add strength or authority. I introduce that quote with a frame so the reader knows whose words they are.
After that, I add paraphrased evidence to show I understood the sources and can explain them in my own words.
Say: Each time I use evidence, I follow it with reasoning about how that solution could change opportunity. When I reread, I check that quotation marks, attribution, and my own voice are all working together.
Consult the Performance Task Handout to review the writing prompt.
Note that the prompt is asking you to accomplish two things: “How does this barrier shape people’s opportunities, and what can we do to make things more equitable?”
You are identifying a barrier that shapes people’s opportunities.
You are coming up with a potential solution that could “make things more equitable.”
With this task in mind:
Say these Directions: Use your notes to write a four- or five-sentence response answering this question:
Ask: Which solution seems most convincing so far, and why? Include at least two paraphrases and one direct quote with attribution.
The solution that seems most convincing so far is paid apprenticeship programs. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “Apprenticeships combine paid on-the-job training with classroom instruction.” This is convincing because people can build skills without losing income. In the section explaining the program structure, the source shows that apprentices learn in class and on the job. Another source explains that paid training can help people enter careers that might otherwise stay out of reach.
Pulse Check (W.7.8) |
|---|
Which sentence uses source material most ethically and effectively?
|
Say: Today’s skill is a must-have for writing a convincing argument essay. When you draft that essay, you will need to bring in evidence from your research without copying or losing your own voice. Ethical source use makes your argument stronger, more trustworthy, and more convincing.
Ask: Which sentence frame or paraphrasing step helped you most today?
The frame “According to ___” helped me most because it reminded me to name the source right away. Covering the original sentence before writing also helped me avoid copying.
Scoring Rubric
Consult the Performance Task Rubric in the Performance Task Handout.
Instruct students to take notes in their Journal in response to the following:
Review one of your credible sources.
Choose one sentence you will paraphrase.
Choose one sentence or short phrase you might quote later.
Write one attributed paraphrase and one quoted sentence using a frame.