Helping kids past plagiarism

[Lynda Tempest <TEMPEST_L@POPMAIL.FIRN.EDU>]

I have good advise, but it will be tough to sell to teachers.  I see no
reason to require "reports" as such. Such reports only encourage
plagiarism.   Instead, be creative.  If you want them to be able to find
short answers to certain questions, provide a worksheet-like form and then
let them research and fill in the blanks.  Then, require that the research
information be used in a unique way, e.g.  if researching a president, have
them do a video interview.  Or they could write a first person account of
an important event in that person's life or perhaps a series of diary
entries that might be written by that person.  If they have researched a
state or country, they could use the facts they found to design and write a
travel brochure.  I know it is easier to tell students to "write a report,"
but some kids don't know what that means and then copy an encyclopedia out
of desparation.  There are many, many ways to use and show information
besides a "report."

Some of our fifth graders just did the most incredible reports on
presidents.  They used the chromokey function in our video studio to make
it appear that they were in various rooms of the white house where they
interviewed white house employees who were specialists about certain
presidents.  They did research, found information and reported it back
without copying.   Believe me, they did this with little or no help from
me.  Kids are terribly bright and creative if they are allowed to be.  I
know all people do not have these video capabilities, but I just use this
as an example of an alternative to a written "report".

Hyperstudio is another wonderful way to display and share research
information.

I was a classroom teacher of fourth and fifth grade.  Now I am a Media
Specialist.  If I ever go back into the classroom (at any grade level) I
will never again require a written "report" that could be copied from
reference materials.   It is a counterproductive and useless exercise.


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Brevard County, FL, The Home of the Kennedy Space Center        /\
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Lynda Tempest, Media Specialist                                 ll
Atlantis Elementary School                                     /  \
Cocoa, Florida                                                ///\\\
407-633-6143         TEMPEST_L@POPMAIL.FIRN.EDU              ///ll\\\

Visit Atlantis Home Page at:
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