Overview

Lesson Procedure

65-65 minutes of class time across 5 phases.

1. Warm-Up10 minutes
2. Direct Instruction20 minutes
3. Guided Practice15 minutes
4. Independent Practice15 minutes
5. Closure5 minutes

1. Warm-Up10 minutes

   Warm-Up Prompt

   "Your cousin says porcupines can shoot their quills. Write the exact words you would type into a search engine to find out. Then predict: who will have made the first three results?"

   Take four or five searches from volunteers and write them on the board. Many will be typed as questions. Ask who is likely to have made the top results (zoos, museums, companies, video makers, people posting opinions) and why each one made its page: to teach, to sell, to entertain or to get clicks.

   Introduce the research the lesson follows. Lina, an invented seventh grader, is writing a short report for Mr. Brennan's class after her dog came home with a nose full of quills. Lina, her family, her teachers and the park are invented, and the search results she describes are invented for this lesson. Source A, a Smithsonian's National Zoo web page, and Source B, a 1916 storybook, are real. Read Text 1 aloud and ask: why did Search 3 work better than Search 2?

   1Assignment from Mr. Brennan: Write a short research report of 400-600 words that answers one question about an animal. Use at least four sources, at least one in print and at least one online. Quote or paraphrase what you use, never copy, and end with a Works Cited list in MLA style.

   2What happened: Last Saturday at Pine Hollow State Park, our dog, Biscuit, ran into the bushes and came back with quills stuck in his nose and lip. A veterinarian in town pulled out 14 of them. My cousin Dario said the porcupine must have shot its quills at Biscuit.

   3My research question: How do a porcupine's quills protect it, and can a porcupine shoot them?

   4Search 1: porcupine. The results were about everything named porcupine: a pet store selling porcupine fish, a map of some mountains, a video of a baby porcupine eating corn, and a clothing company. Nothing answered my question.

   5Search 2: can porcupines shoot their quills. The top result was a page called "10 Wild Animal Weapons!" on a site called FactBlast Kids (Source C). Most of the other results were short videos and quiz games.

   6Mr. Delgado, our school librarian, gave me three tips. Use the words an expert would use. Add the kind of place that would really know, such as a zoo, a museum or a wildlife agency. And leave out words that do not name your topic, like "can" and "their."

   7Search 3: North American porcupine quills zoo. The second result was a page from Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (Source A).

   8Search 4: The zoo page gave the porcupine's scientific name, Erethizon dorsatum. I searched Erethizon dorsatum quills and found pages from wildlife agencies and universities. I saved two to read tomorrow.

   9Print sources: At the ranger station, I picked up a printed handout called Wildlife Safety for Campers (Source D). At home, Grandma found her old printed copy of The Adventures of Prickly Porky, a 1916 storybook by Thornton W. Burgess (Source B). Dario also sent me a text message about a video (Source E).

2. Direct Instruction20 minutes

   Break W.7.8 into the jobs it names:

   • Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources. Relevant means it helps answer the research question. Lina's assignment asks for at least four sources, with at least one in print.
   • Use search terms effectively. Search terms are the words typed into a search engine or library catalog. Diagram 1 shows how Lina's searches improved: expert words, the kind of place that would know, and the scientific name she found in a good source.
   • Assess the credibility and accuracy of each source. Credibility is about the source: who made it, what they know, why they made it and when. Accuracy is about the facts: do they match what other credible sources say? Diagram 2 shows that these are two different questions.
   • Quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism. Data are numbers and measurements, such as a count or a length. Conclusions are what the source decides the evidence shows. A quotation copies exact words inside quotation marks. A paraphrase puts the idea in new words and a new sentence pattern. Plagiarism is presenting someone else's words or ideas as your own, and patchwriting, keeping a source's sentence and swapping a few words, counts as plagiarism.
   • Follow a standard format for citation. This lesson uses MLA style (9th edition): a short in-text citation in parentheses and a Works Cited list at the end.

   Read Text 2, Lina's notes on the zoo page. Then work through the examples below.

   1Source A: "North American Porcupine," a web page by Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, at nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/north-american-porcupine. No author or date is given. I read it on October 1, 2026.

   2Data and conclusions I might use: Each quill "is hollow, 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7 centimeters) in length, and lightly attached to the porcupine's skin." "Porcupines are covered in about 30,000 quills." "Quills are not thrown or shot, as popularly conceived." "Because quills are so lightly attached, they come off easily when a predator encounters them." Once quills are in a predator's skin, "they work their way further into the skin at a rate of 1 mm an hour." Porcupines "are more likely to flee predators, but if cornered, it will erect its quills, turn its back to the attacker and lash its barbed tail."

   3Credibility: The Smithsonian's National Zoo keeps porcupines and has experts who care for them every day. The page is written to teach visitors, not to sell anything. One drawback: the page shows no date, so I can't tell when it was last checked.

   4Accuracy: One source is not enough to prove a fact, so I will compare it with my other sources. One small thing: the top of the page says "nearly 30,000 quills" and the fact sheet says "about 30,000," which is the same number in different words.

   5Citing it: The page has a "Cite this page" box, but its citation is in APA style, not MLA. I will write my own MLA entry.

   • Turning a question into search terms

     Search 2 is can porcupines shoot their quills. Search 3 is North American porcupine quills zoo (Text 1, paragraphs 5 and 7).

     Result: Search 3 drops the words that do not name the topic, uses the animal's full name, and adds zoo, a kind of place that has experts. The results change from videos and quiz games to a page by people who care for porcupines.

   • Harvesting a search term from a good source

     Source A gives the porcupine's scientific name, Erethizon dorsatum (Text 1, paragraph 8).

     Result: A scientific name is used mostly by scientists and wildlife experts, so it pulls up their pages and leaves out pet stores and clothing companies. Good sources often hand you the next search term.

   • Judging credibility: who, why and when

     Source B is The Adventures of Prickly Porky, a 1916 storybook by Thornton W. Burgess (Text 1, paragraph 9).

     Result: Who: a writer of animal stories for young children. Why: to entertain. When: 1916, more than a hundred years ago. A real, published book can still be a weak source of facts about animals, so any detail Lina wants to use must be checked against a credible science source.

   • Quoting data, then paraphrasing it

     Source A says each quill "is hollow, 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7 centimeters) in length" (Text 2, paragraph 2).

     Result: Quotation: The zoo reports that each quill "is hollow, 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7 centimeters) in length" ("North American Porcupine"). Paraphrase: Every quill is an empty tube that measures about 5 to 7 centimeters ("North American Porcupine"). The data stay exactly the same in both.

   • Writing an MLA entry for a web page with no author or date

     Source A has no author and no date. The zoo both wrote and published it, and its "Cite this page" box is in APA style (Text 2, paragraphs 1 and 5).

     Result: When an organization is both author and publisher, MLA starts with the title: "North American Porcupine." Then comes the website in italics and the address without https://. With no date on the page, MLA adds the date you read it: Accessed 1 Oct. 2026. The in-text citation is the title in quotation marks: ("North American Porcupine").

3. Guided Practice15 minutes

   Pairs read Text 3, the scene in Burgess's 1916 storybook where a hound meets a porcupine for the first time, and Text 4, Lina's notes on Sources B-E. (A waistcoat is an old word for a vest; here it means the porcupine's belly.) Then they fill in the source check table below. For Source B, pairs find one detail in Text 3 that Source A supports, one that Source A contradicts and one that Source A does not mention.

   1Now Striped Chipmunk had not heard Bowser the Hound at all when he spoke, but just then there was the patter of heavy feet among the dried leaves, and sure enough there was Bowser himself. My, how everybody did run,--everybody but the stranger from the North. He kept on coming down the tree just the same. Bowser saw him and stopped in surprise. He had never seen anything quite like this big dark fellow.

   2"Bow, wow, wow!" shouted Bowser in his deepest voice.

   3Now, when Bowser used that great deep voice of his, he was accustomed to seeing all the little meadow people and forest folk run, but this stranger did not even hurry. Bowser was so surprised that he just stood still and stared. Then he growled his deepest growl. Still the stranger paid no attention to him. Bowser did not know what to make of it.

   4"I'll teach that fellow a lesson," said Bowser to himself. "I'll shake him, and shake him and shake him until he hasn't any breath left."

   5By this time the stranger was down on the ground and starting for another tree, minding his own business. Then something happened. Bowser made a rush at him, and instead of running, what do you suppose the stranger did? He just rolled himself up in a tight ball with his head tucked down in his waistcoat. When he was rolled up that way, all the little spears hidden in the hair of his coat stood right out until he looked like a great chestnut-burr. Bowser stopped short. Then he reached out his nose and sniffed at this queer thing. Slap! The tail of the stranger struck Bowser the Hound right across the side of his face, and a dozen of those little spears were left sticking there just like pins in a pin-cushion.

   6"Wow! wow! wow! wow!" yelled Bowser at the top of his lungs, and started for home with his tail between his legs, and yelling with every jump. Then the stranger unrolled himself and smiled, and all the little meadow people and forest folk who had been watching shouted aloud for joy.

   7And this is the way that Prickly Porky the Porcupine made friends.

   1Source B: The Adventures of Prickly Porky, by Thornton W. Burgess, a printed storybook published by Little, Brown in 1916. Text 3 is from Chapter 3, pages 10-13 of the printed book. Burgess wrote many animal stories for young children. His animals talk and have names like Bowser the Hound.

   2My note on B: It is a story written to entertain young readers, so it is not proof of what real porcupines do. Before I use any detail from it, I have to check that detail against Source A.

   3Source C: "10 Wild Animal Weapons!" on the website FactBlast Kids. No author, no date and no list of sources. Four ads loaded before the article did. It says: "Porcupines fire their quills like darts at enemies up to six feet away!"

   4My note on C: I can't tell who wrote it or what they know, and all the ads make me think the page was made to get clicks. Its claim goes against Source A and Source D, so I won't use it for facts.

   5Source D: Wildlife Safety for Campers, a printed handout from Pine Hollow State Park, 2025, written by the park's staff. It says: "Porcupines cannot throw their quills. Dogs usually get quilled when they bite or paw at a porcupine. If your dog is quilled, keep it calm and take it to a veterinarian."

   6My note on D: The park's staff know the animals in this park, and they wrote the handout to keep visitors safe. It has a date, and it agrees with Source A.

   7Source E: A text message from Dario: "I saw a video where a porcupine shot its quills at a lion!!!" He didn't send the video.

   8My note on E: I can't watch the video, find out who made it or check what really happened in it.

   Source check table (pairs fill in the blank cells)

   Source	Print or digital?	Who made it, and why?	Date?	Do its facts match Source A?	Credible? Accurate?
   A: zoo page				(this is the check)
   B: 1916 storybook
   C: FactBlast Kids
   D: park handout
   E: Dario's text

   Discuss: (1) Source B is a real, published book. Why can't Lina use it as proof of what porcupines do? (2) Sources C and E say the same thing. Does that make the claim more likely to be true? Why or why not? Then place Source B on Diagram 2.

4. Independent Practice15 minutes

   Read Text 5, Lina's first draft of one paragraph, and Text 6, her revision. For each numbered sentence in Text 5, students write what happened to it in Text 6: kept and cited, rewritten, cut or replaced. Then they label each problem in Text 5 with one of these codes: NC (no citation for a fact or number), PW (patchwriting), QM (a quotation with no signal phrase or citation), BS (a source that is not credible or accurate enough for the claim) or ST (a story used as proof of a fact).

   The quiz uses Texts 1-6 (Warm-Up, Direct Instruction, Guided Practice and this phase). Point students back to them when they take it.

   1[1] Porcupines are covered in about 30,000 quills. [2] Because the quills are so loosely attached, they come off easily when an enemy meets them ("North American Porcupine"). [3] Porcupines fire their quills like darts at enemies up to six feet away (FactBlast Kids). [4] "Quills are not thrown or shot, as popularly conceived." [5] In a story from 1916, Prickly Porky rolls up in a ball and slaps a dog with his tail, so that is how porcupines defend themselves (Burgess 12). [6] Once they are stuck in the skin, quills move 1 mm an hour.

   1My cousin was sure that a porcupine had shot its quills at our dog, but experts disagree. Smithsonian's National Zoo, which cares for porcupines, states that "Quills are not thrown or shot, as popularly conceived" ("North American Porcupine"). Instead, a porcupine wears a coat of about 30,000 quills, each one 2 to 3 inches long, and they are attached so weakly that they pull free as soon as an attacker touches them ("North American Porcupine"). Staff at Pine Hollow State Park agree that porcupines "cannot throw their quills" and explain that dogs are usually quilled when they bite or paw at one (Wildlife Safety). A stuck quill keeps working its way deeper, about a millimeter every hour, according to the zoo ("North American Porcupine"). That is one reason a quilled dog should see a veterinarian quickly. Stories can mislead readers about how real animals behave. In one from 1916, a porcupine rolls up "in a tight ball" when a hound rushes at him (Burgess 12), and the zoo's page never mentions a porcupine rolling up at all.

   2Works Cited

   3Burgess, Thornton W. The Adventures of Prickly Porky. Little, Brown, 1916.

   4"North American Porcupine." Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/north-american-porcupine. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

   5Wildlife Safety for Campers. Pine Hollow State Park, 2025.

5. Closure5 minutes

   Exit ticket: (1) Write one search for a question of your own and explain what each word adds. (2) In one sentence each, explain what credibility means and what accuracy means.

   Hand out the homework texts below: the ostrich chapter from The Boys' and Girls' Pliny (Text 7) and Keenan's research log and sources (Text 8). Pliny's book is real; Keenan and Sources 1, 3 and 4 are invented, but the ostrich facts in Sources 1 and 4 are real. The web addresses use example.org, a domain reserved for examples, so they do not open real pages.

   Teacher notes: The quotations from the Smithsonian's National Zoo page were checked against the live page on October 1, 2026. Web pages change, so open the page before class. Pliny (who died in the year 79) calls ostriches stupid, and his 1885 editor kept his words as written; this is a good moment to talk about how old sources describe animals. Veterinarians advise taking a quilled pet to a vet rather than pulling the quills at home.

   1The history of birds follows next, the very largest of which, and indeed almost approaching to the nature of quadrupeds, is the ostrich of Africa or Æthiopia. This bird exceeds in height a man sitting on horseback, and can surpass him in swiftness, as wings have been given to aid it in running; in other respects ostriches cannot be considered as birds, and do not raise themselves from the earth. They have cloven talons, very similar to the hoof of the stag; with these they fight, and they also employ them in seizing stones for the purpose of throwing at those who pursue them. They have the marvellous property of being able to digest every substance without distinction, but their stupidity is no less remarkable; for although the rest of their body is so large, they imagine, when they have thrust their head and neck into a bush, that the whole of the body is concealed. Their eggs are prized on account of their large size, and are employed as vessels for certain purposes, while the feathers of the wing and tail are used as ornaments for the crest and helmet of the warrior.

   1Research question: Do ostriches really bury their heads in the sand?

   2Search 1: why do ostriches bury their heads in the sand. Most results were joke pictures and pages that repeated the saying.

   3Search 2: ostrich head sand myth zoo. This found Source 1.

   4Source 1: "Ostrich," an animal page on the website of the Riverbend Zoo, updated 2025, no author named, at www.example.org/riverbend-zoo/ostrich. It says: "Ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand. Ostriches dig shallow nests in the ground and turn their eggs with their beaks several times a day, so from far away a bird can look as if its head is underground. Ostriches can run about 43 miles per hour (70 kilometers per hour) and have only two toes on each foot."

   5Source 2: Pliny the Elder, The Boys' and Girls' Pliny, edited by John S. White, a printed book published by G. P. Putnam's Sons in 1885 and now on Project Gutenberg at www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58589. Pliny was a Roman writer who died in the year 79. Text 7 is the whole chapter on the ostrich.

   6Source 3: "Weird Bird Facts," a list on the website CoolCritterz, no author and no date, at www.example.org/coolcritterz/weird-birds. It says: "When an ostrich gets scared, it sticks its head in the sand and waits for danger to go away."

   7Source 4: The Young Reader's Encyclopedia of Birds, a printed book published by Harbor Press in 2021, page 88, no author named: "When a predator comes near its nest, an ostrich may lie flat and stretch its head and neck along the ground to hide."

   8My draft sentence: Ostriches dig shallow nests in the dirt and turn their eggs with their beaks many times a day, so from a distance a bird can look like its head is under the ground.

Differentiation Strategies

Assessment Guidance

1. Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In Text 1, paragraph 4, why did Search 1, porcupine, fail to answer Lina's question?

   AIt found too few results, so Lina had nothing to read. BIt found only print sources, and she needed websites. CIt was so broad that it found things named porcupine. DIt found only zoo pages, which are too hard to read.

2. Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   A student's question is How fast can a cheetah run? Which search follows Mr. Delgado's tips best?

   Acheetah top speed wildlife zoo Bhow fast can a cheetah run really Cfast animals Dcheetah

3. Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   A student researching killer whales reads on an aquarium's web page that scientists call the animal the orca, Orcinus orca. Why is adding Orcinus orca to her next search a good move?

   AIt makes the search engine show only pages from that one aquarium. BIt is the scientific name, a term that mostly experts use on their pages. CIt makes every result a printed source instead of a website. DIt is shorter than killer whale, and short searches always work best.

4. Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   According to Lina's notes in Text 2, paragraph 3, what makes Source A credible?

   AIt came up first in her second search, so many people have read it. BIt has a date at the top, so she knows it was checked this year. CIt is written for children, so its facts are simple and clear. DIts makers keep porcupines and wrote it to teach, not to sell.

5. Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   What drawback does Lina find in Source A (Text 2)?

   AIt shows no date, so she can't tell when it was last checked. BIt was made by a company that sells porcupine supplies and cages. CIt says porcupines can shoot quills a short distance. DIt gives no numbers, only opinions about porcupines.

6. Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Why does Lina decide not to use Source C for facts (Text 4, paragraph 4)?

   AIt is too short, so it cannot have enough facts to use. BIt is on a website, and the assignment asks for print sources only, not websites. CIts claim goes against two credible sources, and its writer is unknown. DIt is too new, because it was posted after the zoo page.

7. Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Compare Text 3 with Source A in Text 2. Which detail about Prickly Porky does Source A contradict?

   AThe other animals in the forest call him the stranger from the North. BHe does not run from the hound and keeps on without hurrying. CHis tail strikes the dog's face when the dog sniffs at him. DThe dog is left with quills sticking in his face after the attack.

8. Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which detail in Text 3 does Source A support?

   AThe porcupine rolls himself up into a tight ball like a chestnut-burr. BAll the forest animals shout for joy when the hound runs away. CBowser is surprised because no animal has ever stood up to his bark. DAfter the attack, quills stay stuck in the dog's face like pins.

9. Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In Text 5, what is the problem with sentence [2]?

   AIt is patchwriting: it keeps the source's sentence and swaps a few words. BIt gives the wrong number of quills, so the fact is not accurate. CIt cites a source that is not credible, so the fact cannot be used. DIt is a correct paraphrase with a citation, so nothing in it needs to change.

10. Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Source A says porcupines "weigh around 20 pounds (9 kilograms) and are 2 to 3 feet (60 to 90 centimeters) in length." Which paraphrase keeps the data accurate and avoids plagiarism?

    APorcupines weigh around 20 pounds and are 2 to 3 feet in length. BA typical porcupine is about 20 kilograms and grows up to a meter long, nose to tail ("North American Porcupine"). CA porcupine can be 60 to 90 centimeters long and weigh roughly 9 kilograms ("North American Porcupine"). DPorcupines weigh around 20 pounds (9 kilograms) and are 2 to 3 feet long ("North American Porcupine").

11. Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    A web page titled "How Hedgehogs Curl Up" has no author. Which MLA in-text citation should follow a paraphrase from it?

    A(Hedgehogs) B("How Hedgehogs Curl Up") C(no author, n.d.) D(www.example.org/hedgehogs)

12. Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Four Works Cited entries begin with these words. In what order should they appear in MLA style?

    A"Porcupine Facts."; Brooks, Tom; Delgado, Ana; Animal Armor BBrooks, Tom; Delgado, Ana; Animal Armor; "Porcupine Facts." CDelgado, Ana; Brooks, Tom; "Porcupine Facts."; Animal Armor DAnimal Armor; Brooks, Tom; Delgado, Ana; "Porcupine Facts."

13. Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    In Text 6, why does the Works Cited entry for the park handout begin with its title?

    AThe park wrote and published it, so the title comes first. BHandouts are always listed last in MLA, so the title goes first. CThe title is short, so MLA lets it replace the author. DThe handout has no date, so MLA moves the title first.

14. Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which sentence quotes Source A correctly and avoids plagiarism?

    APorcupines are covered in about 30,000 quills. BThe zoo says that "porcupines have nearly 40,000 quills on their backs and tails" ("North American Porcupine"). CThe zoo reports, "Porcupines are covered in about 30,000 quills" ("North American Porcupine"). D"Porcupines are covered in about 30,000 quills," which shows how well protected these animals are from enemies.

15. Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer

    Write two searches for this research question: Do sharks have to keep swimming to breathe? For each word in your searches, explain in a few words what it adds.

    Show model answer

16. Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer

    Explain the difference between credibility and accuracy, using Source C and Source D (Text 4) as your examples.

    Show model answer

17. Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer

    Source A says porcupines "are more likely to flee predators, but if cornered, it will erect its quills, turn its back to the attacker and lash its barbed tail." Write a paraphrase of this sentence that avoids patchwriting, with an MLA in-text citation.

    Show model answer

18. Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer

    Write an MLA Works Cited entry and an in-text citation for this invented source: an article by Sam Rivera called "Why Porcupines Climb Trees," posted on 14 March 2025 on the website Northwoods Nature Notes, at www.example.org/northwoods/porcupines-climb.

    Show model answer

19. Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer

    Should Lina use Source E, Dario's text message, in her report? Explain, using Texts 4 and 6.

    Show model answer

20. Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer

    Lina's assignment asks for at least one print and one online source. Name her print sources and her digital sources (Text 1), and explain one thing each kind added to her research.

    Show model answer

These standards connect to W.7.8: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.

Standard text: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy. © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.