1) This lesson focuses on teaching 9th grade students how to properly use MLA formatting to avoid plagiarism in research papers. 2) The lesson will include presentations, videos, guided practice, and games to teach students MLA guidelines for in-text citations and Works Cited pages. 3) Formative assessment includes class discussion and a group activity, while a summative quiz will evaluate student understanding of plagiarism and MLA citation.

1. Direct Instruction Lesson
Date: 3/28/13
Grade Level: 9
Target Students: whole class
Theme/Topic: This lesson is focused on using MLA correctly in a research paper and
avoiding plagiarism.
Rationale/Purpose: Students must integrate information from various sources to write
essays and thus need to know how to cite that information properly. This skill will be used
in an upcoming research project.
Common Core State and/or NC Essential Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.8:
Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using
advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the
research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of
ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
Behavioral Objectives / Performance Objective
Students will:
1. Students will learn how to avoid plagiarism through use of MLA
format citation by learning MLA guidelines.
2. Students will practice formatting in-text citations on a handout.
3. Student understanding will be assessed through an informal class
activity (online game) and individually through a quiz.
Student Friendly Objective or Essential Question: What is plagiarism, and how do we
avoid it? What are the guidelines of MLA formatting?
Materials: MLA guideline handouts, formatting examples, instructional YouTube videos,
citation game
Time:
Lesson Activities
Focus(Hook)/Review: Warm-up questions on board—1. What is
plagiarism? 2. List everything you know about citing your sources.
Introduction to the Lesson: Discuss why plagiarism is bad and possible
consequences of it. Invite students to share what they already know about
finding good sources and how those sources should be cited.
Teacher Input/Modeling: Present a PowerPoint lesson on MLA
guidelines, the Works Cited page, and in-text citation with examples of
correct vs. incorrect citations. Show two short instructional videos on intext citations and the differences between quoting and paraphrasing.

2. Guided Practice: Students will follow along with lesson using a fill-in
handout. As a class, we will complete several examples on the page. Find
out where students are struggling and reteach information as necessary.
Independent Practice: In groups of 3 or 4, students will play a citation
matching game using color-coded index codes. After a few minutes,
students will share answers with other groups.
Closure of the Lesson: The students will be given the opportunity to
complete an online version of the game as a class. After a brief review of
the material, there will be a quiz. If there is time after the quiz, we will
discuss tips for writing good research papers!
Evaluation/Assessment of Student Learning
Formative: Throughout the lesson, we will discuss any questions the students may have.
The group activity will provide students with hands-on practice.
Summative: A quiz will be administered at the end of class.
Post Lesson Reflection
Students:
Self/Lesson:
Next Steps:
Supervising Teacher’s Signature:
Student Teacher’s Signature: