How to Teach Kids to Write a Bibliography

Provide a consistent format when teaching kids how to write a bibliography.

Citing resources used in a paper may seem like an easy task, but there are many ways to format a bibliography and the amount of information needed--not to mention the different requirements, depending on the type of resource, can often overwhelm students. The best way to teach kids to write a bibliography is to provide them with examples and encourage them to stay organized as they write their paper.

Things You'll Need

• Sample bibliographies

Instructions

1. Decide on a format you wish students to follow on their bibliographies for their assignment. Many teachers choose MLA format, as it is accepted as one of the most standard formats in the professional world, but consistency is the most important thing to prevent students from feeling overwhelmed.

2. Compile a list of examples in the format you chose. You can write these yourself or use online guides such as the guide provided by TeacherVision. Depending on your resource requirements for this assignment, give students examples of book, magazine, journal, newspaper, Internet and encyclopedia references.

3. Review each item with your students, explaining what each component is (author, publisher, page number). Have the resource handy to show students where they can find the information for the bibliography. For example, when showing them your magazine example with an article from National Geographic, show students where in the magazine you found the volume number. Pass the magazine around so kids can see for themselves, as a more hands-on experience will help them remember.

4. Provide each student with a spreadsheet or chart to keep track of information as they go, including author names, titles and page numbers. Often the reason it is difficult for students to write a bibliography is that they do not remember precisely where they found the information once the paper is written. Instruct them to keep the chart close at hand as they research and to fill out the chart when they find a reference they might use. When it's time to write the bibliography, all of the information will be organized and all that will be left is for them to format it according to your instructions.

References

• A Research Guide for Students: Guidelines on How to Write a Bibliography in MLA Style
• TeacherVision: How to Write a Bibliography