If you’ve taught for any length of time, you’ll probably have to
confront plagiarism. Even in the age before the Internet,
students plagiarized, though it might be a little easier to do
now than it was when you were in high school. A variety of tools
can help you detect plagiarism, but what are you supposed to do
about it? First of all, consider the age of your students. I
think if you have middle schoolers, they likely don’t know or
haven’t learned how to attribute quotes. Students should be
taught how to attribute information. Model it. Teach them to use
just the part of the quote they need. I have a handout on
integrating quotes that might be helpful. Teach students what
plagiarism is and how to avoid it. Barry Gilmore’s book
Plagiarism: Why It Happens, How to Prevent It can help you.
Melissa Vosen has a great article in the July 2008 issue of
English Journal entitled “Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to Teach
Students About Plagiarism.” I’ve used it for two years (and will
use it again in January) and have found it