Using Evidence from Sources
Whenever you use ideas from a source, you need to name the source and the author. Usually, you put the ideas in your own words (paraphrase them).
Glenda of the Giraffe People
By Leslie Fields
Glenda liked to hang around. Literally. Every recess, she hung from the monkey bars until the line of kids barked her down. Then she would hang from the side braces of the swings. At home, she . . .
In the story “Glenda of the Giraffe People,” Leslie Fields (Title and Author) shows a student who hangs from monkey bars and trees to stretch. . . . (Paraphrase)
If you use the writer’s exact words, put the words in quotation marks. If the quotation is followed by a comma or period, put it inside the end quotation mark.
In the story “Glenda of the Giraffe People,” Leslie Fields (Title and Author) shows a student who “likes to hang around. Literally.” (Quotation) Glenda wants . . .
Paraphrase and quote.
Paraphrase and quote the selection. Credit the title and author.
Robin Redbreast
William Allingham
Goodbye, goodbye to Summer!
For Summer’s nearly done;
The garden smiling faintly,
Cool breezes in the sun . . .
Our Thrushes now are silent,
Our Swallows flown away—
But Robin’s here, in coat of brown,
With ruddy breast-knot gay.
- Write a paraphrase, crediting the title and author.
- Write a quotation from the poem, giving credit.
Teaching Tip
Help students realize that they need to credit sources and authors for their ideas. Encourage them to paraphrase most often unless the exact wording perfectly expresses an idea.