South Dakota ELA 6-8.WHST.8.c

ELAGrades 6–8Writing: History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

The Standard

6-8.WHST.8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources.

Quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025) · Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students use someone else's data and conclusions accurately in their writing. They put quotation marks around exact wording. They cite the source when they quote or paraphrase.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can restate a reported count and the writer's conclusion without changing either claim. They can quote exact words and add a matching author-page citation to both quotes and paraphrases.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think changing a few words makes copied text a paraphrase. They may cite quotes but leave citations off borrowed numbers or conclusions. Some forget quotation marks around copied wording.
How to Assess It: Hand out a sample source card labeled 'Chen, p. 4' that says, '18 of 30 seeds sprouted in shade, so shade did not stop most seeds from sprouting.' Ask students to paraphrase the count and conclusion in one sentence and end it with (Chen 4).

Lesson moves

Give pairs two printed source cards with authors and page numbers; have them highlight one number and one conclusion, then write cited paraphrases.
Show a source card with a seed count; ask students, 'Why cite the count even if you put it in your own words?'
Play Citation Fix-It: teams correct three sentences with missing citations, copied wording, or altered numbers on mini whiteboards.
Print a National Weather Service daily climate report; students use its rainfall total in a mock field-trip advisory and cite the agency.

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A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 6-8.WHST.8.c, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

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