Georgia 12.T.RA.1.c

ELA12th GradeResearch & Inquiry

The Standard

Integrate paraphrased, summarized, and quoted material into original texts in various ways for intended purposes that strengthen the writing, citing the sources of ideas following the guidelines of Modern Language Association (MLA) format or American Psychological Association (APA) format. (C)

Georgia's K-12 English Language Arts Standards · Texts (T) · Research & Analysis

Teacher's field guide

What This Standard Means

What Students Need to Do

Students choose whether to paraphrase, summarize, or quote based on what their claim needs. They blend source material into their own writing, explain its relevance, and cite it accurately in MLA or APA style.

What Mastery Looks Like

Students preserve the source’s meaning while keeping their own voice and line of reasoning clear. They use signal phrases, explain how evidence supports the claim, and format in-text and end citations consistently.

Common Misconceptions

Students often treat paraphrasing as swapping a few words, which can distort the meaning or become plagiarism. They may drop quotations into paragraphs without context or explanation. Some cite direct quotations but omit citations for paraphrases and summaries, or mix MLA and APA rules.

How to Assess It

Provide a 120-word source excerpt, publication details, and a claim. Students write one paragraph using a paraphrase, a brief quotation, explanation, and citations in the assigned style.

Lesson moves

Ways to Teach It

  1. Give groups printed source excerpts, claim cards, and citation cards, then have them build a paragraph and justify each placement.

  2. Ask students to write: When does a direct quotation support a claim better than a paraphrase or summary, and why?

  3. Run a citation relay where teams correct paragraphs containing dropped quotations, weak paraphrases, missing citations, and mixed citation styles.

  4. Have students combine a local news article and city report into a cited letter to the editor about a community issue.

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