8.12.I

ELA8th GradeThe student engages in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes for a variety of purposes.

The Standard

display academic citations and use source materials ethically

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for English Language Arts and Reading

Teacher's field guide

What This Standard Means

What Students Need to Do

Students credit the words, ideas, images, and information they borrow from sources. They use a consistent citation format and distinguish quotations, paraphrases, and their own thinking.

What Mastery Looks Like

Students format in-text citations and a works cited entry using the assigned style. They clearly mark quotations, cite paraphrases, and connect each borrowed idea to its source.

Common Misconceptions

Students may list a URL instead of giving a full citation, or cite a source only in the bibliography. They may also copy wording without quotation marks, assume paraphrasing needs no citation, or cite images incorrectly.

How to Assess It

Give students a short source and a three-sentence response containing a quotation and a paraphrase. Ask them to correct the citations and explain one change.

Lesson moves

Ways to Teach It

  1. Give pairs source cards and sample notes, then have them label each use as quotation, paraphrase, summary, or plagiarism.

  2. Ask students to explain in writing why changing a few words does not remove the need for a citation.

  3. Run a citation repair relay where teams correct missing quotation marks, incomplete entries, and uncited paraphrases in short passages.

  4. Have students cite a news article, photograph, and website used in a mock community presentation about a local issue.

Keep exploring

Related Standards

Turn this exact standard into a lesson

Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.