South Dakota ELA 8.W.8.c

ELA8th GradeWriting

The Standard

Quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students use someone else’s numbers and findings in their own writing. They quote exact words or restate the ideas accurately, then name the source.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student keeps numbers and conclusions accurate. They put quotation marks around copied words, use their own wording for a paraphrase, and credit the source for both.
Common Misconceptions: Students may change a few words and think they have paraphrased. Some credit direct quotes but not paraphrases, or report a conclusion as if the data proved more than it did.
How to Assess It: Give students this source card: “School Reading Survey: Of 100 students surveyed, 62 read daily. Researchers concluded that most students read daily.” Ask them to write two sentences using the number and conclusion, quoting one, paraphrasing the other, and naming the survey.

Lesson moves

Give pairs a printed survey summary to highlight numbers in one color and conclusions in another, then write a credited sentence using each.
Show a short source and two student versions, then ask: Which version paraphrases without changing the meaning, and how should it credit the source?
Play source-match with three source cards and a paragraph of borrowed facts, then have teams add the missing credits.
Use a cafeteria survey summary to write the principal a menu request that includes one chart number, the survey’s conclusion, and source credit.

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