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Information about fur trading on the Red River, The Lewis and Clark Expedition, and The Frontier Army.

https://www.ndstudies.gov/gr4/frontier-era-north-dakota

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Tons of information about agriculture of the past and present. Set-up with easy to find categories.

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Agency MABU Marketing Advertising Business Unlimited

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North Dakota Studies seeks to promote the teaching and learning about the geography, history, government, current issues, and citizenship of North Dakota.

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Plains Folk: North Dakota's Ethnic History

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Plains Folk: North Dakota's Ethnic History

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This book with multiple photographs represent all aspects of the lifestyles within the various counties and cities of early North Dakota. History of small ethnic groups including the Amish, the Mennonites, the Syrian-Lebanese, and more are included.

This book is available through Fargo Public Schools.
Call #: 978.4 P

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This article tells about

Sacagawea who explored with Lewis and Clark.

This information is accessed through Britannica's online database which is accessed through the FPS homepage. If accessing from home: Select Fargo Public Schools from the dropdown "select your library" list. (I am not posting the password info here).
https://school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/Sacagawea/353736

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This article talks about the first people in ND, the nationalities of people who immigrated, and the early industries of ND.

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Official North Dakota Travel & Tourism Guide

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Native American, agricultural and ranching roots run deep in North Dakota.

In North Dakota, history is only as old as yesterday's birding adventure or Badland's trail ride. Reach back to the Jurassic Period or into Lewis & Clark's exploration of the West and discover the stories of great leaders like Sitting Bull and Theodore Roosevelt. In North Dakota, you make legendary history.

First People & Major Immigrant Cultures
First People
The first people in North Dakota were big-game hunters who came to the area after the retreat of the glaciers around 10,000 B.C. The people hunted animals like wooly mammoths and giant bison. Hunter-gatherer and agriculture societies have existed here since 2,000 B.C.

Later civilizations were split between two methods of survival: nomadic groups dependent upon bison and agricultural societies that did some hunting. Nomadic groups consisted of tribes like the Dakota, Assiniboine and Cheyenne, and were greatly influenced by the arrival of the horse to the Northern Plains. Agricultural societies included the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara tribes, which were permanent residents whose villages served as major trading centers.

From 1905 to 1920, the population of North Dakota increased from 190,983 to 646,872. The two largest groups were Scandinavians and Germans from Russia, with people of English and Celtic background making up another substantial group.
Scandinavian
Immigrants came to North Dakota from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Most settled in east and north-central North Dakota, along the main line of the Great Northern Railroad, beginning in the 1870s. Today, 193,000 people of Norwegian heritage live in North Dakota. About 38% of the state's population is of Scandinavian descent, with about 33% being Norwegian. The continent's largest Scandinavian event, Norsk Hostfest, is celebrated each fall in Minot.
German
Many people of German descent came from Russia in the 1880s and settled in south-central North Dakota. Many left for a variety of political and social reasons, with half of the German immigrants coming from Russia and the other half coming directly from Germany to the United States. The land they settled on was semi-arid and similar to that of the steppe in Russia and they used it for pasture and to grow small-grain crops, living in sod houses, similar to "semeljankas" in Russia. North Dakotans from German or Germans from Russia descent total about 43%.
English or Celtic
Most immigrants to North Dakota from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales went first to Canada, then to the United States. Currently, about 7% of the state's population is of Irish descent. Many settlers came to North Dakota from Selkirk Colony, which was established in Canada by Britain. They generally settled in the northeast corner of the state. Many of North Dakota's early leaders came from this group, including John Miller, the state's first governor.
Pioneer Heritage
From wherever they came, North Dakota's first European settlers had much in common. Following is a list of attractions and events where you can turn back the clock to see how they lived and carved out a life on the prairie.

Bonanzaville - The sprawling Bonanzaville in West Fargo showcases farm machinery demonstrations and other "living history" year-round, including the main event, Pioneer Days, a weekend filled with pioneer demonstrations of threshing, rug making, butter churning, wood carving, blacksmithing and much more.

Bagg Bonanza Farm - One of the last remaining, largely intact farms from the bonanza farming era, as dramatized by Steinbeck in "Of Mice and Men."

Pioneer Villages - Many towns across the state have created replicas of their early history by preserving and moving old building to create a "walk-through" museum, many of which house the main museum properties of the local historical society. To name a few, check out Jamestown's Frontier Village, Bismarck's Buckstop Junction, Fort Ransom's Sunne Farm or Rugby's Prairie Village.

North Dakota Industry History
Fur Trade
Fur trade in what is now North Dakota led to the first interaction between American Indians and Europeans. The most popular furs for trade were buffalo hides and beaver pelts. The first white man in North Dakota was Pierre de La Verendrye, who visited the Mandan tribe on behalf of a trading company. The first trading post in North Dakota was established in 1801 at Pembina by Alexander Henry. Trading posts were established at Fort Union near present-day Williston and Fort Clark near Washburn to further enhance trade with American Indians or Metis trappers and hunters. Metis were children of marriages between European traders and American Indians. They were widely known for their trading skills and actively participated in the oxcart trade between eastern North Dakota and St. Paul, Minn.
North Dakota Agriculture
Agriculture has been important to the people of North Dakota since they arrived in this area thousands of years ago, and remains North Dakota's largest industry today. The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara nations were sedentary people who devoted much of their time to raising crops for food.

A great settlement boom occurred within North Dakota from 1879 to 1886, bringing in 100,000 new settlers, mostly farmers. Some settled on 160-acre homesteads, while some created bonanza farms that were highly mechanized, well-funded and usually focused on large-scale wheat production. These farms thrived in the rich black soil of the Red River Valley.

Farms gradually moved away from the monoculture focused on wheat in the early part of the 20th century and diversified with crops like sugar beets, sunflowers and various row crops. Farms grew in size as they became more mechanized and in 1920, North Dakota was home to 77,690 each averaging around 466 acres. Today, that number has dropped to less than 30,000, with the average farm size coming in at 1,280 acres.
Cattle Ranching
The land in western North Dakota is better suited for cattle ranching than large-scale farming. In the 1880s, a cattle boom occurred in western North Dakota, just as bonanza farms were booming in the eastern part of the state. The Badlands and surrounding Little Missouri River valley were the center of the cattle boom. The region provided water, ample grass and shelter for grazing cattle.

The cattle town of Medora was founded in 1883 by French nobleman Marquis de Mores, who named it after his wife. He built her a 26-room mansion, the Chateau de Mores, which still stands today. The town had a large meat packing plant, but competition from Chicago grain producers and a desire for corn-fed beef caused a downturn in business and the plant closed in 1886.

President Theodore Roosevelt had two cattle ranches near Medora in North Dakota in the 1880s, the Maltese Cross Ranch and the Elkhorn Ranch. The thriving cattle industry suffered a crushing blow in the winter of 1886-87 when blizzards beginning in early November killed off 75 percent of the region's cattle.
Energy Development
North Dakota is a leading producer of coal, oil, gas and wind energy. Beginning in the 1960s, Governor William Guy promoted the utilization of the vast lignite resources in North Dakota for energy development. Coal-fueled electricity generating plants grew in number during the 1970s and open-pit mining in the power-belt region of North Dakota provides coal for today's plants.

The Bakken oil boom in western North Dakota and vaulted the state to second in the nation in oil production. In 1983, a coal-to-synthetic natural gas plant opened in Beulah.

Today, North Dakota continues to explore development of renewable energy fuel sources. Production of E85, a mixture of 15% gasoline and 85% ethanol from corn, soybeans and canola, is used to fuel automobiles. And with an average wind speed of 10.2 mph, North Dakota wind farms are on the rise.

Visit the State Historical Society of North Dakota for more North Dakota history.

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In North Dakota, history is only as old as yesterday's birding adventure or Badland's trail ride. Reach back to the Jurassic Period or into Lewis & Clark's exploration of the West and discover the stories of great leaders like Sitting Bull and Theodore Roosevelt.

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Information on the tribes and cultures of the Native American Indians who lived/live in ND.

https://www.ndstudies.gov/gr4/american-indians-north-dakota

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Short read on ND's geography, history, and economy.

This information is accessed through Britannica's online database which is accessed through the FPS homepage. If accessing from home: Select Fargo Public Schools from the dropdown "select your library" list. (I am not posting the password info here).
https://school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/North-Dakota/345512

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Website with lots of information on the geography, history, and wildlife of ND.

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Theodore Roosevelt first came to the North Dakota territory to hunt buffalo but quickly fell in love with the land.

Experts aren't sure when people arrived in the land that is now North Dakota, but archaeologists have found 10,000-year-old artifacts from hunters in the area.

Native American tribes such as the Mandan, Hidatsa, Cheyenne, and Dakota Sioux have lived in the area, and about 30,000 Native Americans from several different tribes still call North Dakota home.

France controlled the area after an explorer named Pierre Gaultier La Vérendrye became the first European to arrive, in 1738. Later Spain and then England took over. In 1803 the land was acquired by the United States in the Louisiana Purchase. For a long time the region was called the Dakota territory, and included both North and South Dakota. Railroads were built in the late 1800s, bringing American settlers with them, and North Dakota was declared its own state in 1889.

WHY'S IT CALLED THAT?

Dakota is a Native American Sioux word that roughly means "friend" or "ally."

The International Peace Garden, which stands on the border between North Dakota and Canada, represents a 1932 pledge by the United States and Canada to never go to war with one another.

GEOGRAPHY AND LANDFORMS

North Dakota is bordered by Canada in the north, Minnesota in the east, South Dakota in the south, and Montana in the west. Elevation rises from east to west as the Rocky Mountains appear.

The Red River Valley in the east is a flat area that was once the floor of an ancient lake. It follows the Red River, which creates the state's wiggly border with Minnesota. The mineral-rich soil here makes it one of the world's most fertile areas, which is packed with farms.

Heading west, the Drift Prairie region is dotted with hills, valleys, lakes and wetlands.

West of the Drift Prairie is the Missouri Plateau, the state's highest region. It includes the Badlands, a harsh stone valley that wind and water have sculpted into pyramids, domes, and buttes (steep, flat-topped hills). The Badlands contain North Dakota's highest point, 3,506-foot White Butte. But North Dakota was once underwater and it bears the fossils of ancient sea creatures including swimming reptiles called mosasurs, clams, and other fish.

North Dakota's wide-open land is home to mammals such as bison, bighorn sheep, moose, and pronghorns, plus bobcats, eastern spotted skunks, arctic shrews, and muskrats. Bald eagles, prairie falcons, and American kestrels hunt overhead while red-headed woodpeckers knock their beaks into trees. Amphibians such as tiger salamanders scurry about, and bizarre reptiles like the softshell turtle and smooth green snake keep things interesting: The softshell turtle has a skin-covered shell, and the green snake's mouth appears to be smiling!

Ash, elm, pine trees, and willows dot the landscape, and colorful flowers such as black-eyed Susans, oxeye daisies, Queen Anne's lace, and white violets decorate the fields.

NATURAL RESOURCES

North Dakota contains the world's biggest deposit of lignite, a type of soft, brown coal. It's been mined since 1873, with enough to last for about another 800 years. The state is also rich in petroleum, oil, and gas.

-Inside the Peace Chapel at the International Peace Garden, you can walk from the United States to Canada and back!

-President Theodore Roosevelt was once a cattle rancher in North Dakota. Open for tours, his log cabin home is part of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

-Stand beside the world's largest (fake) buffalo in Jamestown, North Dakota. Called "Dakota Thunder," the statue stands 26 feet tall-taller than a two-story house!

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Theodore Roosevelt first came to the North Dakota territory to hunt buffalo but quickly fell in love with the land. Experts aren't sure when people arrived in the land that is now North Dakota, but archaeologists have found 10,000-year-old artifacts from hunters in the area.

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ND is made up of three major natural regions of land. They are the Red River Valley, the Drift Prairie, and the Missouri Plateau. Article features great photographs of the different regions of ND.

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Geography pertains to land location and features. North Dakota is positioned in the center of the continent of North America. The state covers 70,704 square miles. It is made up of three major natural regions of land. They are the Red River Valley, the Drift Prairie, and the Missouri Plateau.

The three regions of North Dakota are almost like three sloping stair steps as they go up in elevation (land height) from east to west. The fertility of the soil of each region is different. Soil fertility is a major factor in determining the type of agricultural activities that are carried out in each region.

The Red River Valley is the floor of the ancient Lake Agassiz (AG-ah-see), which was formed when glaciers in Canada blocked the flow of water trying to flow north. This lake has been gone for thousands of years, but its remaining lakebed, the Red River Valley, is extremely flat.

The Red River Valley covers the eastern strip of North Dakota next to the Red River and extends into Minnesota and up into Manitoba. It is about 10 miles wide near the South Dakota border but expands to about 40 miles wide near the Canadian border. Between 750 and 950 feet above sea level, the Red River Valley is the lowest land in North Dakota.

Some of the richest soil and best farmland in the world is found in the Red River Valley. There are two reasons for this: (1) fertile soil had been brought down from Canada by the glaciers; and (2) a great deal of organic matter had been left from Lake Agassiz.

The organic matter in the soil is called humus (HYOO-mus). Humus is important because it provides nutrients for plants, loosens the soil so that air can enter, and holds moisture in the soil. The more humus the soil contains, the more fertile it is. The Red River Valley contains a thick layer of humus.

Organic matter makes soil very rich, which means it is good for growing crops. The Red River Valley has been called the "Breadbasket of the World" because so much food is raised there. Wheat, corn, soybeans, sugarbeets, and potatoes are the main crops raised by farmers in the Red River Valley.

The Drift Prairie is the second highest land in North Dakota. "Drift" consists of the soil, rocks, and other materials that were deposited by glaciers. A "prairie" is a large, treeless region covered with grasses and wild flowers. The Drift Prairie is sometimes called the "Glaciated (GLAY-she-ate-ed) Plains."

The Drift Prairie is several hundred feet higher than the Red River Valley and covers most of the eastern half of North Dakota. In the southern part of the state, the Drift Prairie is about 75 miles wide, but it stretches out to about 200 miles wide in the northern part of the state.

Because glaciers deposited good soil in the Drift Prairie, many farms are located in this region. Some of the main crops are wheat, barley, flax, sunflowers, canola, and soybeans.

The Missouri Plateau (pla-TOE) lies west of the Drift Prairie and reaches to the Montana border. (A plateau is a high plain.) The eastern part of the Missouri Plateau is called the Missouri Coteau (koe-TOE). "Coteau" is a French word, meaning "little hill." The hills are made of the soil and rocks that were deposited when the last glacier melted.

The Missouri Plateau rises to be about 300 to 400 feet higher than the Drift Prairie. At about 2,000 to 3,000 feet above sea level, the Missouri Plateau is the highest land in the state. The soil of this region is sandy and less fertile than soils farther east. Small grains and livestock production are the main agricultural activities of the Missouri Plateau.

One of the most unusual areas in North Dakota is the Badlands, located along the Little Missouri River in the southwestern part of the state. When the last glacier advanced into North Dakota, it did not cover this area. The features of the Badlands were created by erosion (wearing away of land) from wind and rushing water.

The Badlands are about 20 miles wide and 150 miles long. They extend from the South Dakota border to Lake Sakakawea and cover about one million acres, or about 4 percent of North Dakota. The major agricultural activity of the Badlands is cattle ranching.

Climate is the average weather that a location has over a long period of time. Because of its location in the center of the continent, far from an ocean, North Dakota has a continental climate. A continental climate is characterized by long, cold winters and short, hot summers.

The climate of North Dakota varies from east to west. Eastern North Dakota gets much more moisture than does the western part of the state. Also, the northeastern part of the state has colder temperatures than the southwest. The climate factors, along with the fertility of the soil, determine the type of agriculture that can be practiced in each region of the state.

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Agency MABU Marketing Advertising Business Unlimited

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Section 1: Geography and Climate of North Dakota

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Geography pertains to land location and features. North Dakota is positioned in the center of the continent of North America. The state covers 70,704 square miles. It is made up of three major natural regions of land. They are the Red River Valley, the Drift Prairie, and the Missouri Plateau.

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Uses photographs and illustrations to teach children about the history of bonanza farming in North Dakota, including what a bonanza farm is, and what it was like to work on or grow up on a bonanza farm.

This book is available through Fargo Public Schools.
Call #: P 978.4 G pb

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Current information on state, local, federal, and tribal government.

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North Dakota State Government - ND Portal

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North Dakotans are very passionate about government policy issues and take our freedoms seriously as we elect the people who will represent us at the local, state and federal level.

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Information about the US Constitution and ND government. Also includes symbols of ND.

https://www.ndstudies.gov/gr4/citizenship

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Nicknamed "Honest John," Burke was a man of unquestioned integrity. As governor from 1907 to 1913, his great accomplishment was ridding North Dakota of corrupt political control.

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This statue of John Burke was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by North Dakota in 1963.

John Burke was born on February 25, 1859, in Sigourney, Iowa. He was educated in local schools and received his law degree from the University of Iowa in 1886. In 1888 he migrated to the Dakota Territory, where he worked as a harvest hand and schoolmaster. He began his law practice in his hotel room and helped publish the town newspaper. By 1889 he was a successful lawyer and was elected Rolette County judge. He later became state's attorney of Rolette County. Burke served in the North Dakota House of Representatives in 1891 and in the state Senate from 1893 to 1895.

Nicknamed "Honest John," Burke was a man of unquestioned integrity. As governor from 1907 to 1913, his great accomplishment was ridding North Dakota of corrupt political control. He initiated many reforms, including regulation of lobbying, establishment of a tax commission, and laws providing for the first primary election. He supported legislation regarding child labor, juvenile courts, and an employment compensation commission. His concern for the public welfare was reflected in food and sanitation laws; a public health law; and regulation of medicine, surgery, and public utilities.

In 1913, he was appointed treasurer of the United States by President Woodrow Wilson and served until 1921. He resumed law practice in Fargo. In 1924, he was elected a justice on the Supreme Court of North Dakota, serving as chief justice from 1929 to 1931 and from 1935 to 1937. He died on May 14, 1937.

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This statue of John Burke was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection in the U.S. Capitol by North Dakota in 1963. Burke served as governor of North Dakota from 1907 to 1913 before becoming treasurer of the United States.

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What's so great about North Dakota? Find out the top ten sites to see or things to do in the Sioux State! Explore North Dakota's breathtaking prairies, American Indian heritage, and exciting history. The North Dakota by Map feature shows where you'll find all the places covered in the book. A special section provides quick state facts such as the state motto, capital, population, animals, foods, and more. Take a fun-filled tour of all there is to discover in North Dakota!

This book is not yet available at Fargo Public Schools.
ISBN: 978-1467745390

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Where-to guide to 81 viewing sites of the best locations to watch wildlife including mammals and birds in their natural environment. Official field guide of the Watchable Wildlife Series.

This book is available through Fargo Public Schools.

Call #: | 574.9784 K pb

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This document has a list of facts about ND including the climate, the main economy, and popular attractions in the state.

This information is accessed through Britannica's online database which is accessed through the FPS homepage. If accessing from home: Select Fargo Public Schools from the dropdown "select your library" list. (I am not posting the password info here).
https://go.gale.com/ps/retrieve.do?resultListType=RELATED_DOCUMENT&searchType=ts&userGroupName=ndk12a_58102z117&inPS=true&contentSegment=&prodId=ITKE&docId=GALE|VQMOBM814308353&it=r

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About Gale In Context: Elementary

Introduce elementary students to database searching with resources featuring age-appropriate, curriculum-related content.

Don't know how to login?

Depending on this location's preferences, the log-in process could include your library card number, a student or user ID, or another provided password. If you don't know how to log in, please contact your library or school directly.

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About Gale In Context: Elementary Introduce elementary students to database searching with resources featuring age-appropriate, curriculum-related content. Don't know how to login? Depending on this location's preferences, the log-in process could include your library card number, a student or user ID, or another provided password.

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Article that discusses the diversity of ND's biggest commodities produced in the state.
https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2019/08/23/north-dakota-agriculture-one-word-diverse#:~:text=In%202017%2C%20North%20Dakota%20led,%2C%20all%20wheat%2C%20and%20sunflowers.

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Informative page with lots of links to find out more on how ND's landscape was formed.

https://www.ndstudies.gov/gr4/geology-geography-and-climate

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Short, helpful videos on the process of research.

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How to Write a Research Paper for Kids | Episode 1 | Brainstorming Topics

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Seven tips for writing a great paper.

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A research paper at the elementary school level meets many of the writing standards of the National Council of Teachers of English. A research paper allows students to read both print and nonprint texts, fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works. Students are also asked to comprehend, interpret, evaluate and appreciate resources. In the process of writing the paper itself, students utilize language structure and language conventions along with figurative language and media analysis skills. The goal of the research paper at the elementary level is to give students the opportunity to learn more about a topic that interests them through a step-by-step writing process.

Writing the Elementary School Research Paper

Create a list of several topics of interest for the paper. List subtopics for each of the topics. Choose the topic that has the most available resources and is most interesting.

Choose reference materials from source materials: magazines, encyclopedias, reference books, nonfiction books, newspaper articles and interviews. List these sources on a sheet of paper to use for the bibliography.

Evaluate the list of sources. Determine whether each source is relevant to the topic. Determine whether each source has been evaluated by another agency. Determine whether the author is credible.

Take notes from each resource on a separate sheet of paper or index cards. Use the notes to create an outline of information to share in the research paper. Include topics and ideas for each section of the research paper in the outline.

Highlight notes and sections of the outline that support the overall idea, or argument, of the research paper. Decide upon a good opening sentence or paragraph and concluding sentence or paragraph for the research paper. Write a draft including details, complete ideas and information for each point in the outline.

Edit the written draft. Check for correct capitalization, punctuation, spelling and complete sentences.

Organize the research paper to include a title page, written report and bibliography of sources used.

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Step-by-Step Explanation of How to Write a Research Paper for Elementary Students

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Step-by-Step Explanation of How to Write a Research Paper for Elementary Students. A research paper at the elementary school level meets many of the writing standards of the National Council of Teachers of English. A research paper allows students to read both print and nonprint texts, fiction and nonfiction, classic ...

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What exactly is plagiarism and how can you avoid doing it?

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Chris just found some good stuff on the Web for his science report about sharks. He highlights a paragraph that explains that most sharks grow to be only 3 to 4 feet long and can't hurt people. Chris copies it and pastes it into his report. He quickly changes the font so it matches the rest of the report and continues his research.

Uh-oh. Chris just made a big mistake. Do you know what he did? He committed plagiarism (say: PLAY-juh-rih-zem). Plagiarism is when you use someone else's words or ideas and pass them off as your own. It's not allowed in school, college, or beyond, so it's a good idea to learn the proper way to use resources, such as websites, books, and magazines.

Plagiarism is a form of cheating, but it's a little complicated so a kid might do it without understanding that it's wrong. Chris should have given the author and the website credit for the information. Why? Because Chris didn't know this information before he came to the website. These aren't his thoughts or ideas.

Plagiarism Steals Ideas

The word plagiarism comes from a Latin word for kidnapping. You know that kidnapping is stealing a person. Well, plagiarism is stealing a person's ideas or writing. You wouldn't take someone's lunch money or bike, right? Well, someone's words and thoughts are personal property, too.

What should Chris have done? He should have written down the name of the website and the name of the person who wrote the article. Then he could have added it and given credit to the source.

Teachers have different rules on how you list sources. Sometimes, you provide a list at the end of a report. Other times, a teacher might want you to list the source immediately after the information you took from that source. Or you might just make it part of the sentence (for example: "According to the National Institutes of Health, breathing secondhand smoke can cause problems for kids with asthma.").

All this shouldn't make you nervous to use websites, books, and other sources. It's great that you can get information from experts on stuff you don't know much about. You just have to make sure to show where the information came from. If you do that, you're in the clear.

It's not always easy to tell what's plagiarism and what's not. Sometimes, it's accidental - you really intended to do your own work, but instead ended up with some sentences that sound just like something you've read. You might not be doing it intentionally, but if you don't identify the original source, you're risking a lot of trouble.

So even if you put the information into your own words, you still should list the source. Ask yourself, "Would I know this if I hadn't read it on that website or in that book?" If the answer is no, list the source.

Plagiarism Is Lazy

Though plagiarism can be accidental, it's sometimes done on purpose and that's just being lazy. By copying whole paragraphs from different places, a kid doesn't have to spend the time thinking about the subject, gathering his or her own thoughts about it, and then putting it into original words. Cut, paste, and you're done.

But this is a shortcut that will probably catch up with a kid, even if he or she doesn't get caught for plagiarism. It's important for kids to be able to research a subject, think about it, and then come up with something interesting to say. This skill is important in elementary school, middle school, high school, college, and beyond. A kid who just lifts an entire report won't get the practice needed to become good at this.

Ask yourself, "Am I using this to avoid doing my own work? Is it easier just to copy this?" If the answer is yes, beware. You just might be plagiarizing.

What Happens if I Plagiarize?

Most schools are pretty strict about plagiarism. If you're caught, you can wind up suspended or worse. At the very least, you're probably going to fail the assignment. When you're older and in college, some schools will expel students who plagiarize. To be expelled means to be kicked out. And when you're kicked out of one college, it can be hard to get into another.

Also, when you apply for a job someday you want to be able to say, "I graduated from Supersmart University in 2020." You don't want to have to explain how Supersmart University kicked you out!

Avoiding Plagiarism

To be on the safe side, always make it clear where the information comes from. Your teacher will tell you how to do this. Sometimes, teachers ask kids to write a bibliography (say: bih-blee-OG-ruh-fee). That's a list of the sources you used for a project or report. To do that, you'll need to know the author, the title, and the date it was published. For instance, if you did a report on giraffes, you could give credit to an author this way:

Smith, Hazel B. "All About Giraffes." 2005.

But your most important guide on sourcing is your teacher. Different teachers will have different rules. If you're confused, ask questions to make sure you understand what your teacher expects. And if you write something really great about sharks or any other topic, maybe someday someone will be quoting you in a report!

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Chris just found some good stuff on the Web for his science report about sharks. He highlights a paragraph that explains that most sharks grow to be only 3 to 4 feet long and can't hurt people. Chris copies it and pastes it into his report.

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An introduction to the geography, history, government, politics, economy, resources, people, and culture of North Dakota, including maps, charts, and a recipe.

Call #:978.4 G

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Introduces North Dakota's prairies, explaining "what they are, what types there are, where they are located, which animals and plants depend on them, how they are threatened, and why they must be protected for future generations. Through reading and engaging in a variety of activities that accompany this text, you will find yourself on a dynamic and educational journey.

Call #:577.4 H pb

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Introduces North Dakota's Badlands, explaining "what they are, where they are located, which animals and plants call the Badlands their home, how they are threatened, and why they must be protected for future generations. Through reading and engaging in a variety of activities that accompany this text, you will find yourself on a dynamic and educational journey.

Call #:577.5 H pb

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How to Draw North Dakota's Sights and Symbols 

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How to Draw North Dakota's Sights and Symbols 

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Presents step-by-step instructions for drawing North Dakota's official symbols, including its seal, flag, flower, and tree.