How to Cite Sources

Teacher Orientation Activity Guides

Getting Started 3: How to Cite Sources

Students learn how to prepare citations for resources they discover online.

Rationale

Bibliographies offer a roadmap to the sources that inform everything from a book to an article to a web site. The citations contained in a bibliography give us context, history and meaning. This activity helps develop an essential “habit of study” and provides students with an online tool for generating professional citations.

Materials

“How to Cite Sources” worksheet

Procedure

1. Introduce the activity and divide the class into small groups of 2 to 4 students.
2. Provide adequate time for the groups to access Virtual Expeditions and complete the worksheet. Challenge students to discover as many sources of information as possible. If necessary, ask key questions of the groups to support their research process.
3. Debrief the activity with a class discussion.
   • What did you learn about building a bibliography?
   • What was the most interesting source you found? Why?
   • Why do researchers need citations?
   • How do citations help to create history?