Suggested course level

Lower level undergraduate

Activity purpose

• Students will practice reading a source document and then writing an appropriate paraphrase and an appropriate direct quote with correct APA formatting.

Materials required

• Enough photocopies of a page from a source document (such as a textbook) for everyone in the class, along with information on the source of the material

Activity instructions

1. Distribute the photocopy of the source document to all students.
2. Partner students (or they can work individually).
3. Ask each pair to read the source material and then write down a paraphrase of an idea of their choosing from that page, including the APA in-text citation.
4. Circulate around the room to review student work and provide feedback. (This activity often takes a while for students to complete because of having to read the material, synthesize it, and then discuss/reach agreement with their partner about how to paraphrase and cite.)
5. Ask each pair to read the source material and then write down a direct quote of their choosing from that page, including the APA in-text citation.
6. Circulate around the room again to review student work and provide feedback.
7. Note the common errors that are seen. During the debrief, list/show these errors and explain the corrections.

Debrief questions / activities

• What information do we include in the in-text citation for a paraphrase? For a direct quote?
• What are some differences between a direct quote and a paraphrase?
• Debrief the common errors and list/show the corrections.

Activity variations

• Students can work individually or in partners.

Tags: research and documentation, hands-on, individual, small group, creating a product or document, reading, paraphrasing, direct quoting, APA format, reference list, in-text citations