Never Let Your Students Forget How to Introduce a Cited Quote Again

Sometimes when I'm reading my students' essays, it feels more like I'm trying to piece together some sort of ancient code.

They don't always make it easy on me!

One of the things they really struggle with is how to put quotations from other sources into their paragraphs in a way that makes sense.

Often, they just plop their quote in the paragraph, tag it with an in-text citation, and keep writing on their merry way.

It’s not enough to tell them, “Introduce your quotes!” They don’t know what that means!

Finally, I decided to come up with an acronym that would help them remember four ways to introduce a quote in their essays: T.R.A.P. your quote!

Here’s what you do.

Tell your students to introduce their quotations with a(n) . . .

• "That" clause: Olivia Gold claimed that "deodorant is the worst gift you could give someone."

• Reporting verb: Olivia Gold said, "Deodorant is the worst gift you could give someone."

• "According to . . . ": According to Olivia Gold, "Deodorant is the worst gift you could give someone."

• Part of their own sentence: When choosing a gift for a special occasion, "Deodorant is the worst gift you could give someone" (Gold).

Once they remember the four types of introductions, they’ll just need a little practice!

To make it even more memorable, I have visions of myself wearing a cheese hat to school on the day we cover this for the first time. We’re going to have so much fun!