CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.8

ELA6th GradeResearch to Build and Present Knowledge

The Standard

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources; assess the credibility of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and providing basic bibliographic information for sources.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Writing Standards

What This Standard Means

Students need to find information from more than one source, including books, articles, and websites. They need to decide if a source can be trusted, pull out details that match their research question, and keep track of where each fact came from.

Mastery looks like clean notes with source labels, accurate paraphrases, a few useful direct quotes, and a simple bibliography. Students often get stuck copying too closely, choosing the first search result, or forgetting page numbers, URLs, authors, and dates.

Ways to Teach It

Give students three short sources on the same topic and have them color-code facts, opinions, quotes, and source information.
Ask students to write: Which source would you trust most for a report, and what evidence proves it?
Collect one note card with a paraphrased fact, a direct quote, and basic source information before students leave.
Show a news article, a blog post, and a museum page about one event, then compare which one belongs in a school report.