Middle School Research Vocabulary & Quiz - Printable & Digital

Before you start your middle school research project, your students need to know what it means to find and cite sources, paraphrase information, and NOT plagiarize! Introduce beginning researchers to these essential research concepts and terms using fill-in-the-blank notes and a research process quiz.

(If you're teaching research to middle schoolers, you won't want to miss the rest of my Research Skills Project Bundle!)

This resource includes the following digital versions:

• Google Slides (link in PDF)
• Easel Activity (link in My Purchases)
• Easel Assessment (link in My Purchases)

Vocabulary words covered on the notes page include:

• Research
• Source
• Cite
• Citation
• Primary source
• Secondary source
• Bibliography
• Works cited
• Paraphrase
• Plagiarism

Hand out the blank notes page and let students fill in the blanks using the answer key, or if students are somewhat familiar with the research process, try letting them fill in the notes - in pencil - before showing them the answers.

However you use the notes page, it's a great discussion starter to get students talking about what research is, what types of sources may be appropriate for their projects, how to paraphrase the information they learn, and how to cite sources to avoid plagiarism. Students always seem to come up with interesting questions during this lesson, especially about plagiarism, so be prepared for a rich discussion!

The two-page quiz includes six true-or-false questions, ten multiple-choice questions, and a short-answer question. An answer key is included.

Use these no-prep resources to make sure your students know what they're talking about (and what you're telling them to do) before heading to the library!

Check out my Research Skills Project Bundle for more activities to engage your budding researchers!