Plagiarism

Introduction

Jailtime, lawsuits, termination, expulsion . . . what do all of the following have in common?  Each represents a possible punishment for the crime of plagiarism.  



Although many plagiarists will never be caught and some will get away with minor consequences, the reality is that plagiarism is a crime that involves stealing someone else's ideas and presenting them as your own.  



The saddest thing about plagiarism is that it can be easily avoided by simply understanding a few basic concepts, like paraphrasing, quoting, and citing.  These few steps may mean a  little more time needed to create a final product, but they can save much time and headache if one is caught committing plagiarism and faces the obstacle of redoing the assignment or facing an even harsher punishment.  



Don't become one of the headlines.  Learn how to avoid the pitfalls of plagiarism.  

Watch the following video 

https://youtu.be/5KKarKVX4-4

 

Task

Throughout this school year and your time at Dinuba High School, and beyond, you will be asked to complete many writing assignments.  It is important to understand what plagiarism is because committing plagiarism in any of your writing assignments—whether they are small practice assignments, quizzes, or full-length research papers—will result in a 0 on the assignment and a disciplinary referral, which could lead to In-School-Suspension or Out-of-School Suspension. This is a three part assignment that will be completed over the next 3 months. 

Complete these three tasks in order:

1.  Due 10-9-17   Become a plagiarism expert:  Be able to define plagiarism and give examples.  In Part 1, you will create a Wordle about plagiarism and complete a quiz to prove that you understand plagiarism.  You must make a 100% on the quiz before moving on to Part 2.  



2.     Learn ways to prevent plagiarism:  You will learn how to cite, paraphrase, and quote information that you get from an outside source (an outside source is anyone that is not you!).  Again, no matter if the assignment is for a practice grade or a test grade, these techniques will help you to avoid plagiarism!  In Part 2, you will complete a Paraphrasing Exercise that must be approved by the teacher before moving on to Part 3.



3.     Teach others about plagiarism: Create a digital poster using Glogster to teach your classmates and future students about the pitfalls of plagiarism.  You’ll use what you have learned in Parts 1 and Parts 2 to create an informational poster with examples of paraphrasing, quoting, and citing, and tips for avoiding plagiarism.  

Process

PART 1: BECOME A PLAGIARISM EXPERT

1. What is plagiarism?  



Visit the following websites to learn more about plagiarism.  Use the plagiarism packet provided for you to answer questions related to each website.

An article written for students about plagiarism 



An interactive tutorial on plagiarism 

 

2. Create a Wordle.



A Wordle is illustrated word art that depicts the definition of plagiarism.  Follow the steps to the right for doing so.

Visit at least three dictionary websites and locate the definition for "plagiarism."  You may have to search for the word "plagiarize" if your definition includes the word "plagiarize" or "plagiarism."  Copy the definition and the website address on your plagiarism packet.



Visit the following website to learn about the word origin for plagiarism.  Record it and the website address in your plagiarism packet.



Visit worditout.com.  Enter the three definitions and the word origin into the Wordle text box.  You should omit articles and prepositions like "a," "an," "the," "of," "for," and "by."  Create your Wordle.  



 Paste it in the appropriate section of your plagiarism packet.



In your plagiarism packet, write a one-paragraph reflection on plagiarism.  Include in your reflection what the Wordle shows you about common definitions of plagiarism, as well as your own understanding of plagiarism based on the work you have done so far in Part 1.

 

Evaluation

You will be graded on correct responses.