Useful Tips for MLA Citation

Lesson Plan-Proper Citation for Research Paper

Introduction
8 min. / Because most university foreign language departments and foreign language teachers require students to cite their resource sources in MLA format, I would like to introduce or go over this format with my students to make sure they will be able to use the MLA format when they do their research papers for my Spanish class. I will begin by explaining to students the requirements of their research paper. I broke the due dates of the research paper components into sections so that students will not procrastinate.
Focus/Objective
2 min. / These objectives come from the NC Standard Course of Study.
6.01Acquire information from a variety of authentic sources.
6.04Transfer information acquired in the foreign language class for uses in other disciplines
6.05Recognize and apply learning strategies, processes, and skills from other disciplines.
Teacher Input
20 min. / The teacher will explain the research paper details to the students that are found on the handout following this page. Then the teacher will pass out the following hand out to students and will go over the information on it, answering any questions that students may have regarding citation.
Guided Practice
10 min. / Then, students will complete the activity at the bottom of the worksheet along with the help of the teacher.
Independent Practice
30 min. / Next, students will go to the library with the teacher. They will be allowed to search on the Internet or in any books or journals for information that could be useful to them for their research paper. They must make note cards with the information they hope to include in their paper on one side and then how they will put it on their works cited page on the back.
Evaluation/Assessment
13 min. / The teacher will meet individually with students to determine how many possible sources they have found. Students must have chosen a topic and found at least two possible sources by the end of the class period.
Conclusion
2 min. / The teacher will remind students of the paper due dates and that if they need any assistance they need to ask her. Students must then take out a sheet of paper and write in their own words why it is important for them to cite their sources. They must turn in this sheet of paper before leaving the classroom.

Research Paper Directions

This course requires all students to write a 3-5-page research paper in English on any topic of their choice related to Spanish language or culture. Students could write about a cultural aspect of a Spanish-speaking country, a popular celebration in one of these countries, food of the countries, dialects, important political events or time periods during the history of one of the countries, or an important person from that country. Use what you have learned in class to decide what topic you would like to choose. Try to remember something that interested you. If you need help choosing a topic, please come see me.

Requirements

This paper should be double-spaced, with a 12-point font in Times New Roman. Students should consult at least one book source and one Internet source with the third source being any source of their choice. Students are required to have three sources but may have more. Students must use MLA format to document their sources. Students will also be required to make a 5-minute presentation to the class based on their research on the date the paper is due. This presentation should include a visual aid. Don’t just read your paper!! Be creative and ask for help if you need it!! I can’t wait to hear what you have learned!

Important Dates

September 30-Choose a topic

Locate 2 possible sources and make 4 note cards (2 for each source) (10 points)

October 15- All sources and note cards must be checked by teacher. (10 points)

October 30- Rough draft of paper is due. (10 points)

November 5- Rough drafts will be returned to you.

November 12-Final drafts (50 points) are due along with presentation (20 points).

Total points: 100

For each day that an assignment is late the student will lose 5 points off of the final grade for the paper.

Useful Tips for MLA Citation

Remember, citing your source is important because it gives credit to the original author. It is important to give credit so that you are not plagiarizing. Here are some commonly used examples of how to correctly cite your sources in the paper and then how to put them on your works cited page.

Fiction Books

“The missionaries had come to Umuofia. They had built their church there, won a handful of converts, and were already sending evangelists to the surrounding towns and villages. That was a source of great sorrow to the leaders of the clan; but many of them believed that the strange faith and the white man’s god would not last. None of his converts was a man whose word was heeded in the assembly of the people. None of them was a man of title” (Achebe 143).

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. 1959*. New York: Anchor Books, 1994.

*Note: The reason this date is located here is because this book was first published in 1959 and then republished in 1994.

Nonfiction Books

“The history of religions teaches us that, at one time or another, almost everything has been considered sacred” (Carrasco 65).

Carrasco, Davíd. Religions of Mesoamerica. San Francisco: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1990.

“The pelucones, or bigwigs, as the conservatives were called, were the realists of revolutionary Chile” (Worcester 54).

Worcester, Donald E. & Schaeffer, Wendell G. The Growth and Culture of Latin America: The Continuing Struggle for Independence. 2nd ed. 2 vols. New York, Oxford University Press: 1971.

Journal Articles

“A learning style can be defined as a “cognitive, affective, physiological trait that is a relatively stable indicator of how learners perceive, interact with, and respond to the learning environment” (Park 443).

Park, C. “Crosscultural Differences in learning styles of secondary English learners.” Bilingual Research Journal 26.2. (Summer 2002.) 443-461.

Internet Sites

It may be trickier to find information for an Internet site than for books, magazines, or journals. If you have a problem, find as much of the information listed as you can.

Title of the site. Ed. Name. Date of publication/update. Name institution. Access Date & URL.

Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 2002. Encyclopedia Britannica. 10 December 2005

Now, you try to fill in the following information. We will go over the activity in 10 minutes. You may work in pairs.

1. How would you put the information from this book on your works cited page?

Author: Charlotte Bronte

Publisher: New American Library

Place of publication: New York

Title: Jane Eyre

2. How would you cite information from your textbook and add it to your works cited page?

3. How would you put the information from this website on your works cited page?

Author: none

Organization: Oxfam

Access date: 12/5/05

Title: Cool Planet for teachers

URL:

4. Which of the following is the correct way to cite your source within the document?