Biblical Integration and Citing Sources
I am currently the 8th graders least favorite teacher because this week I introduced them to their new assignment which is a research paper. Most of them have written essays and short papers before, but the concept of citing your sources is completely new to almost all of them, and a bit terrifying.
Also, I will be the first to say that citations and MLA format is about the most boring topic to discuss in class. But unfortunately, while boring it is also necessary and they need to know how to do it.
I began today's class by writing the following question on the board:
"What is citing a resource and why is it important?"
We discussed what citing is and then as a class they gave me a few answers as to why it is important. As a group we decided on three reasons why citing our sources is necessary:
1. When thoughts are not our own, we need to cite the source so that we aren't plagiarizing.
2. Citing is helpful so that readers can do further research on a topic that might interest them.
3. When we cite good resources, our papers are more reliable.
I told the class that for the next few minutes we would be focusing on the third reason. I asked them if they had ever heard the argument that the Bible was not a reliable source. Most of them had heard this argument and agreed that many people view the Bible as unreliable.
We further discussed that few people and religions find fault with the Old Testament, which has been proven to be reliable from a historical perspective many times. What they generally find fault with is the New Testament and in particular, Jesus.
Then, I told them that the New Testament actually references (or cites) the Old Testament 283 times!
I pulled up this video from The Bible Project which focuses on Genesis 3:15 which says:
"Genesis 3:15 "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
The link to the video can be found here: https://bibleproject.com/explore/the-messiah/
After we finished the video, I had them answer the following questions as an exit ticket:
1. Why do we need to cite our sources?
2. How is Genesis 3:15 a "source" that is cited by the New Testament
3. How does Romans 16:20 refer to Genesis 3:15?
4. How does the New Testament seem more reliable after watching what we've learned?
They had some really excellent answer and all in all I felt like it was a really good exercise. My goal was that the students understand that citing is important and that we can apply the concept to how we speak to others about the reliability of the Bible.
One of the goals of our school is that our graduates know how to articulate their faith. This is a process and looks different for K4 students than it does for seniors. This is just one step in that process but my hope is that they can use this knowledge to articulate their faith, specifically in how they speak with others about the reliability of the Bible.
Also, I will be the first to say that citations and MLA format is about the most boring topic to discuss in class. But unfortunately, while boring it is also necessary and they need to know how to do it.
I began today's class by writing the following question on the board:
"What is citing a resource and why is it important?"
We discussed what citing is and then as a class they gave me a few answers as to why it is important. As a group we decided on three reasons why citing our sources is necessary:
1. When thoughts are not our own, we need to cite the source so that we aren't plagiarizing.
2. Citing is helpful so that readers can do further research on a topic that might interest them.
3. When we cite good resources, our papers are more reliable.
I told the class that for the next few minutes we would be focusing on the third reason. I asked them if they had ever heard the argument that the Bible was not a reliable source. Most of them had heard this argument and agreed that many people view the Bible as unreliable.
We further discussed that few people and religions find fault with the Old Testament, which has been proven to be reliable from a historical perspective many times. What they generally find fault with is the New Testament and in particular, Jesus.
Then, I told them that the New Testament actually references (or cites) the Old Testament 283 times!
I pulled up this video from The Bible Project which focuses on Genesis 3:15 which says:
"Genesis 3:15 "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
The link to the video can be found here: https://bibleproject.com/explore/the-messiah/
After we finished the video, I had them answer the following questions as an exit ticket:
1. Why do we need to cite our sources?
2. How is Genesis 3:15 a "source" that is cited by the New Testament
3. How does Romans 16:20 refer to Genesis 3:15?
4. How does the New Testament seem more reliable after watching what we've learned?
They had some really excellent answer and all in all I felt like it was a really good exercise. My goal was that the students understand that citing is important and that we can apply the concept to how we speak to others about the reliability of the Bible.
One of the goals of our school is that our graduates know how to articulate their faith. This is a process and looks different for K4 students than it does for seniors. This is just one step in that process but my hope is that they can use this knowledge to articulate their faith, specifically in how they speak with others about the reliability of the Bible.
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