Plagiarism+what+you+don't+know+CAN+hurt+you


 * Investigating Plagiarism: What you don’t know CAN hurt you!

by Katherine Faulman**

Plagiarism by students is a serious problem in colleges and universities across the United States and continues to be on the rise in today's society. Plagiarism is the act of passing off someone else's work or idea as your own, and is a serious offense that most people do not often realize. People who buy, borrow, or steal a work to turn it in as their own work are committing plagiarism. However, people do not need to just copy word for word, changing the words to a paper without enclosing the passage in quotation marks and properly citing the source is also plagiarism. The Literacy Lesson today will focus on student’s investigating and discussing what plagiarism is and what is ethically and morally wrong with it. Students will expound on their learning by producing a brochure for the library to use in order to share with peers what they have learned about plagiarism.
 * Introduction**

High School Students in language arts classes in 9-12th grade will begin the lesson by taking the plagiarism quiz online from the University of Michigan website: http://www.indiana.edu/~tedfrick/plagiarism/item1.html. Classroom teacher and librarian will circle the computer area giving assistance where needed. A simple discussion will follow in the computer bay area as to how the students felt they performed on the quiz. Students will be asked to write their personal definition of plagiarism on index cards
 * Pre –Assessment**

TPI - Technology Standard 2.0- Students will understand the importance of social, ethical and human issues associated with technology. TPI - Technology standard 4.0- Students will use technology communication tools.
 * Standards-Curriculum Goals and Objectives:**
 * ISTE.1.3.4 ||
 * ... Pl: design student learning activities that foster equitable, ethical, and legal use of technology by students ||
 * ISTE.1.3.5 ||
 * ... PI: practice responsible, ethical, and legal use of technology, information, and software resources ||
 * ... PI: practice responsible, ethical, and legal use of technology, information, and software resources ||


 * Instructional Objectives:**

Audience will be high-school students in Language Arts classes at all levels. The Needs Assessment recently conducted for the library indicated that around 30% of FHS students surveyed have never had library instruction about plagiarism.
 * Audience:**

-responses during discussion time will be encouraged to be honest and forthright in a non-judgmental atmosphere -students will demonstrate their thinking and conclusions by producing a brochure on plagiarism for the library to use in future classes
 * Behavior:**
 * -**discussion will be with both a partner at the computer and with a group during discussion time

Students will be evaluated as to their level of participation in the quiz and accompanying discussion. Students will demonstrate a useful definition of plagiarism as defined by //Merriam and Webster’s// dictionary. Lastly, team members will evaluate each other’s participation and work by assessing a number to a five question survey given at the end of the lesson. These will be added together for a Language Arts projects grade determined by the classroom teacher.
 * Conditions:**

Students are expected to create quality brochures that will be displayed and of use in the library.
 * Degree of success:**


 * Materials, Media, and other Resources:**
 * Teacher -** Merriam and Webster Dictionary, computer, LCD projector, large screen, and research guide
 * Student** - Computer, pencil or pen, and index cards for notes.

After the preliminary quiz on plagiarism, Students will access YouTube through a link placed on the desktop of the computer (Special permission given through the Williamson County WebMaster). Here they will view “Plagiarism Don’t Do It” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC2ew6qLa8U ). This video is approximately 1:45 long. It will serve to allow slower students to finish the quiz and to peek the interest of the students about our discussion on plagiarism.
 * Set Induction:**


 * Instructional Sequence:** -
 * -** Students will analyze the quiz (http://www.indiana.edu/~tedfrick/plagiarism/index2.html )and debate over answers given on the quiz.

- Students will view a very short (1:45) “set induction” video from YouTube that compares plagiarism to Identity Theft.

- Students will construct a preliminary definition of plagiarism defined in their own terms on an index card.


 * -** Students will view a video about plagiarism from the Public Broadcasting System entitled “**In the Mix**: Ethics: Cheating and Plagiarism.” This video is available in the library. They will evaluate the video using discussion prompts from the accompanying research guide, http://www-tc.pbs.org/inthemix/educators/ethics_guide.pdf.

- Students, teachers and librarians will discuss their position on plagiarism among small groups within the class. Teachers and Librarians will facilitate the discussion using questions from the research guide.

- Each Student will have a print-out of the results from the online quiz which includes tips, and strategies for research. - Each small group of students will design and construct a brochure about plagiarism using a Word Office Online Template to be laminated and used in the library for future student reference. The brochure will consist of 6 sections: (1.) a cool, interesting cover with artwork (2.) a definition of plagiarism (3.) a personal reflection of what they have learned. (4.) examples of plagiarism (5.) what students can do to avoid plagiarism (i.e. using quotes and footnotes freely,other ideas etc.) (6.) websites and citation places you can go to for help on citing sources. Grade will be determined by language arts teacher, but creativity will count.
 * Closure:**

Since this is an hour and a half lesson, I was limited in how much technology to use. I would like to collaborate with the new Video Arts Instruction teacher at Franklin to produce a video on Plagiarism that would be designed and produced by the students of Franklin. Obviously, a similar result could be obtained by using Windows Movie Maker with each group. This would take more class time than allotted. This lesson would work well for special needs kids, because they would be included in the discussion and in the design of the brochure.
 * Adaptation and Extensions:**

Evaluation will be both peer-reviewed and teacher assessed in the form of a grade on the overall project and participation in the group discussion.
 * Assessment:**

I will hopefully be able to present this lesson at the Franklin High School Library per approval from the school administration and the chair of the Language Arts Department. Return to Needs Assessment Page
 * Reflection:**