The task can be a difficult one, especially if confrontation of some sort is not an option. You could attempt to put out a newsletter, purely informational in purpose, explaining various assignments to the parents (students would bring it home with them or you could mail it to ensure the delivery). The reports could be merely one of the assignments mentioned in the letter (camouflaging it, so to speak).

A general note where you emphasize your unique plan to cultivate their children’s imaginations, critical thinking skills, and organizing abilities would send the message without being accusatory. Also, if you really wish to do the aforementioned (which is sorely needed in our educational realm), then you could make mention of your intention to recognize and grade based upon progress of the student throughout the period. You could assign outlines, brainstorm sheets, rough drafts, etc…

or,

you could assign the reports, but request the students to personalize their papers.

if on a scientist or prominent historical figure, ask them to like or contrast their lives with those of their report subjects…

maybe ask them to indicate what they would’ve done differently had they been in the shoes of the ones they chose to research…

teach them good now, alright?

maybe you can start over with the writing process. i use an overhead projector and teach them how to take notes of what they read and make an outline. i know it sounds simplistic, but it has really helped my kids. content material can be tough for some students, especially if they are not at grade level in their reading and writing.

we go over the note taking together. everyone reads the same paragraph in a text, have them in groups. then, each group gives one sentence that best tells what that paragraph was about. it cannot be copied directly out of the book….then go on tell them, again, what it means and why you cannot.

have them do this for about a week, or however long you think they need. if it is a gen ed class, they will get it rather quickly. this is one of the techniques i use when teaching students with special needs how to go about taking notes and making outlines. you would be surprised just how many really dont know what they are doing. you can do this as class work to help them extend their writing or at a writing center and make sure you see their rough drafts. also using graphic organizers can help them a lot and takes them from the note taking step and on to putting their ideas into report form. you can do this as a class at first. i make one, fill it all out, read the material it was over. then i give them a blank one, i use overhead always, and then step by step fill it in as a class. after a couple of times, you decide, they can do it on their own and can be turned in with the report. lots of work, i know….sorry.

one side note: if they take the time to write and write well, it should also be published. like posted on the bulletin board for all to see and read. why write if it will not be read, right?

just a suggestion. it cant hurt! good luck, i know it can be tough.

Make the assignment something that they can’t just copy out of the book, well at least not verbatim. Something like “pretend you are an astronaut traveling through our solar system, describe what you see” with the idea that they will name planets and other bodies in space write some things about the planets (may need to use their sources for specific). Another one we do at our school has to do with the water cycle – something like pretend you are a drop (or molecule) of water and describe your travels through the water cycle. Same could be done with rock cycle. Make it more of a creative process, then they really do have to think on their own.

Make them write IN CLASS and KEEP it there (cuts down on parent plagerism). Assign them things they can not copy out of a book:

Write from the point of view of a rain molucule, what happened to you today (make sure you include all cycles of the water cycle) (narrative)

Find an American you think represents three important aspects of being an American. Include the three aspects and support your answers. (Persuasion)

Write a creative story set in a certain ecosystem. Make sure your characters are animals that would live in that system. Make sure to describe the rainfall, vegitation, and temperature (story)

Face the challenge head-on. Bring in sources for group projects. Challenge the students to rewrite them in ‘5th grade’ language. Rewriting is a skill that needs to be learned.

The internet has become the new source for all research projects. Parents are always ‘helping’. Encourage the students to be independent. Challenge the students to show how they ‘improved’ or combined information.

As they say on American Idol, “Make it your own”!

Try using turnitin.com. This is a website where students turn their work in. Anything that is quoted or copied from the Internet and well known books will come up in red, so if it isn’t sited, you will know it’s plagiarism.

Most of the work given in 5th grade is to hard for them anyway. Instead of it being Homework have it be an in class project. To much Homework is assigned to kids this age, they need help and creativity in class.

Copying is plagarism…. I’m sure you know it’s illegal… if they copy they fail…

Another way is to make them reference, and they must write at least …..so many words in their own words.