Plagiarism

A WebQuest for High School Students

Designed by
Group 9
Collierville High School

 

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion |


Introduction

"I found your speech to be good and original.

However, the part that was original was not good.

And the part that was good was not original."

Samuel Johnson, to one of his less-motivated students



Plagiarize--

  1. to steal and pass off the ideas or words of another as one's own

  2. to use a created production without crediting the source

  3. to commit literary theft

  4. to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source

from Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary Online




      Plagiarism can take many forms and it probably isn't too much of a stretch to suppose that 90% of us have either wanted to or actually have plagiarized at some time or another. With the advent of the internet, plagiarizing has been made so easy it is almost impossible to ignore the temptation to cut and paste!

      However, we may not realize is that this act of "borrowing" is as much plagiarism as copying or modifying (i.e. using a thesaurus to replace a few choice words here and there) from books, magazines, encyclopedias and newspapers. And the repercussions can be severe if plagiarism is detected by your teacher. In college, the penalties can be particularly serious, ranging from failing the class to monetary fines to expulsion.

 


The Task



      In this webquest, you will participate in a number of activities that will help you avoid the traps of plagiarism. You will go on an internet scavenger hunt to familiarize yourself with the concept of plagiarism. You will read about several situations and determine if they could be construed as plagiarism. Finally, you will put your paraphrasing skills to the test by putting the information in an article into your own words.


The Process

    Activity One - Scavenger Hunt

    Search a variety of web sites to learn basic information about plagiarism.

    Activity Two - You Be the Judge

    Read each scenario and determine if the situation is plagiarism or not.

    Activity Three - In Other Words...

    Put your skills to the test! Paraphrase an article.


Evaluation

Beginning

1

Developing

2

Accomplished

3

Exemplary

4

Score

 

Scavenger Hunt

 

0-2 Correct

3-4 Correct

5-6 Correct

7-10 Correct


 

You Be the Judge

 

 

1 Correct

2 Correct

3 Correct

4-5 Correct


 

In Other Words

 

 

1 Correct

2 Correct

3 Correct

4-5 Correct



Conclusion

Today, you have accomplished some activities that will last you the rest of your life. Understanding plagiarism and being able to successfully paraphrase what you have read allows you a deeper understanding of what people are really saying. This will be an invaluable tool throughout your academic and professional career.

Sign My Guestbook Guestbook by GuestWorld View My Guestbook

Please send your comments here.


Group Members:
M. Bowman, D. Coulson, M. Halliburton, K. Hancock, C. Justus, D. Morales, S. Smith, E. Winkelmann

Last updated on January 18, 2000.

Based on a template from The WebQuest Page