Virginia SOL 12.C.3.E
The Standard
Provide appropriate citation of all content from external sources.
Virginia Standards of Learning for English · Integrating Multimodal Literacies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify words, ideas, images, audio, video, and data taken from outside sources. They cite each item in a format and location that lets readers trace it to the original source.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student labels every borrowed element in a presentation, video, paper, or other product. Citations appear near the borrowed content and match complete entries in the source list or credits.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often cite quotations but omit paraphrases, images, audio, video, or data. They may paste only a URL or place one citation at the end without showing which content it supports. Some confuse giving credit with having permission to use copyrighted material.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Give students one slide containing a quotation, a paraphrase, and an image, plus source details. Have them add a citation for each item and a complete source list.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Print a sample infographic; students use colored sticky notes to mark borrowed text, data, and images, then add missing citations.
Ask students to explain in four sentences why a paraphrase and a stock photo both need attribution.
Run a citation relay where teams match source cards to correct in-text citations, captions, and reference entries.
Have students examine a news site's photo credits and source links, then create matching credits for one classroom slide.
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Printable 12.C.3.E Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 12.C.3.E, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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Related Standards
- 7.R.1.F
Give credit for information quoted or paraphrased, using standard citations (e.g., author, article title and webpage, and publication date).
- 4.R.1.F
Avoid plagiarism and give proper credit by providing citations whenever using another person’s media, facts, ideas, graphics, music, and direct quotations.
- 5.R.1.F
Avoid plagiarism and give proper credit by providing citations whenever using another person’s media, facts, ideas, graphics, music, and direct quotations.
- 6.R.1.F
Give credit for information quoted or paraphrased using standard citations (e.g., author, article title, webpage, and publication date).
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