Welcome to MMS World! Hi, and welcome to the official MMS World Newspaper. Thank you for taking the time to read! However, in order for you to keep reading new and exciting articles, the MMS newspaper needs your help. We’re looking for any students in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade who have an interest in writing, and want to help write articles for the newspaper. Articles can be about anything. School news and book reviews, sports and custom cuisines, world affairs and DIYs, and much more! Happy reading!
What would you change, add, or remove from MMS? Genevieve Alex February 1, 2024 During rotation on February 1st, I interviewed a few kids in Mr. Goodstone’s 4th period Pre-Algebra class. All names that are included are included with the persons consent, people who didn’t want their names included are titled anonymous. Natchka More open gym activities Anonymous A salad bar Mila, Auggie, Henry, Jojo, and Phoebe Give Ms. Miller (Art 2D) a raise Caden Students get paid Shannon More school dances for 6th graders
Authors Note: GIVE MS. MILLER A RAISE!!!
MLK March By: Eloise McDonald January 7, 2024 Every year on the third Monday of January, we honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. This year, that day falls on January fifteenth, his birthday. On Friday, January twelfth, Maplewood Middle School will have a silent peace march In honor of Martin Luther King Day and to take a stand against racism and inequality. These marches are completely silent to show how there power in silence and peaceful protesting, and students will bring signs and posters they made for the occasion. The march will start during second period and go into town, and there will be no school on Martin Luther King day since it is a federal holiday.
Lockers By: Ethan Herbert
Have you ever had your locker butterflied? Or, has someone ever told you to take better care of your locker? Well look no further. Taking care of your locker and having good locker hygiene is very important because it won't smell and it will be easy to find things if your locker isn't cluttered. This will save a lot of time and will help you show up to class early more frequently. Ms. Klein, a 6th grade math teacher shares her experience with a kid who did not have the best locker hygiene. She says it started in the basement. In the beginning of the school year they had reminded students to take their things such as lunches their parents made for them and gym clothes home. This student had been getting ham sandwiches from their parents and they just kept leaving them in their locker. Over time the smell began to grow and the teachers had to keep students out of the hallways. They told everyone to clean out their lockers but afterward the smell was still there. Eventually they had to get a janitor to open the locker. You wouldn't want this to happen to you, would you? To prevent this it is imperative that you take home not eaten lunches and used gym clothes. Make sure you never share your locker codes, this is the best way to prevent getting butterflied. If you share your locker code with a friend something could happen between you two and the next day you aren’t friends anymore. Now you have someone you don't like that basically has access to your belongings.
Battle of the Classes Sylvia Castro-Green Battle of the classes is a school activity in which grades 6, 7, and 8 compete against each other in a series of competitions. It happens twice a year and kids can be nominated for activities or sit on the bleachers and watch. Another option available for students is a quiet room where they can stay for the duration of the event. This year, our activities will be Tug of War, Knockout, Name That Tune, Chase, and Steal the Bacon. Students are also encouraged to dress in their team color, white for 6th grade, black for 7th, and red for 8th. Doing so will help you earn points for your team. So whether you’re playing against other grades, or cheering from the sidelines, you’ll probably have a great time.
Halloween? By Eloise McDonald October 30, 2023 On Tuesday, October 31st, this year, many will celebrate the spooky, spectacular holiday known as Halloween. Halloween celebrations include carving pumpkins, dressing up in costumes, and decorating houses for the spooky season. Keep on reading to learn about the history of Halloween, the ban on Halloween in the SOMSD school district, fun facts, and more! The History of Halloween Despite it being the fun-filled and lively autumn holiday we know now, Halloween wasn’t always this way. This tradition originated in Europe and came from Celtic traditions. The Celts were a group of people who lived around 2,000 years ago mainly in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and France. They celebrated the new year on November 1, much like how we now welcome a new year on the first of January. But how did Halloween become associated with ghosts, spiders, and all things spooky? Well, for the Celts, the new year marked the end of summer and the beginning of a cold, desolate winter. The Celts only had two seasons- the season of cold and the season of warmth. The cold season was often associated with death and evil, so on October 31, the Celts started the tradition of Samhain (pronounced sow-in) because it was believed that this was when the ghosts returned to the earth. To celebrate the event the Celts built enormous sacred bonfires, where people sacrificed animals and crops to the Celtic deities. They also dressed up in costumes, usually consisting of animal heads and skins, which is probably where that tradition came from. The church declared the day after Halloween All-Saints Day, also known as All-Hallows, so the tradition of Samhain was known as All-Hallows Eve, eventually becoming what we remember today as Halloween. Halloween in school? “Give me a break.” complained an irritated Governor Murphy on Halloween in schools. As you may know, the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education recently banned Halloween celebrations from schools prohibiting Halloween celebrations and costumes being worn during school hours. As our superintendent, Dr. Ronald G. Taylor said in his letter, this was an effort to promote “diversity, equity and inclusion meaningfully.” and CBS News referred to it as “kicking the holiday out of the classroom.” The decision caused quite some controversy and even made multiple news sources, including CBS News, The New York Times, and now our own school newspaper, MMS World. One side of the argument is that the decision had very good reasons and that it was an intelligent choice to make. One of the reasons Halloween was banned from schools in the South Orange-Maplewood School District was that some families may not be able to afford elaborate costumes and students could feel left out if they do not have a costume for trick or treating. It was an effort to be more inclusive to students who could not celebrate the holiday because of religious or cultural reasons. SOMSD parents seemed to be more in agreement of having a “Fall Festival” instead of any Halloween celebrations, like the costume parade that some MMS students participated in, in elementary school. There will also be a Halloween event happening in town after school if you still want to participate in an activity. However, not everybody is completely in agreement with the idea of Halloween celebrations being prohibited from schools. While the information in the paragraph above seems fairly reasonable, this also sparked a lot of outrage, with many parents coming to complain on Facebook group Maplewood Moms and similar local Facebook groups. A lot of students at MMS felt the ban was unjust, as it was said, “The students are the only ones who don’t get a say in this.” One problem with Halloween in schools that was noted is that some families might not be able to afford a nice costume or get a costume at all. However, “They could just do a costume drive for the school,” stated Sylvia Castro-Green from MMS World. Mr. O’Dell, a 6th grade ELA teacher said, “Maybe it could be just be another spirit day,” If we can have “spirit week”, where students can dress up as characters and even teachers, then the argument is, why can’t Halloween just be another spirit day? “I think we should be able to wear costumes but not do any other celebrations,” said Josephine Abate, a 7th grader at MMS. Even the governor of New Jersey, Phillip D. Murphy, pitched in, saying, “Seriously? We can’t let kids celebrate Halloween? Give me a break.” On a more lighthearted note, here are the most popular Halloween costumes and candies! Most popular costumes of 2023: #1: Barbie- With the rise of the Barbie movie directed by Greta Gerwig in July of this year, It’s no surprise that many will be dressing up as Margot Robbie’s Barbie and many more versions of the iconic doll, and we will definitely see a lot of Kens as well. #2: Princess- It is many little girls’ dream to be a princess, so it makes sense that this classic Halloween costume is on the list. #3: Spider-Man- another popular Halloween costume that most have probably seen before, Spider-Man is a great addition to the list. #4: Witch- This is actually the all-time most popular Halloween costume and has become a staple of Halloween, as it is the first thing most people think about when thinking of a Halloween costume. #5: Fairy- Who wouldn’t want to wear sparkly wings and have a sparkly magic wand? This is a very popular costume, with searches for “Fairy Halloween costume” going up by 90 percent in the last 30 days. The most popular candy of 2023 is Reese’s peanut butter cups, followed by peanut M&M’s, which somehow beat the regular version of M&M’s, in 3rd place. In fourth place is Tootsie Pops which is also the most popular candy here in New Jersey, and finally Twizzlers is in fifth place. The “worst” candies, the ones least liked by Americans, include Peeps, Dots, and Branch’s Pumpkin. I hope you enjoyed reading this and Happy Halloween!
Student Council: 2023-24 By Claire Guiney
This year’s student council elections are starting; many candidates are collecting signatures, putting up posters, and announcing their plans if they get elected. Here are this year’s student council executive board candidates, as well as some students’ opinions on student council and their efforts. The student(s) running for Secretary are: Kira Eggert. Her goal as secretary is to inform more students of school events and support the rest of the executive board. She says, “I plan to take a lot of meeting notes and support the student population and support the executive board of the student council.” The student(s) running for Treasurer are: Beckett Meda. His goals, if he gets elected, is to improve the school store with school funds and host fundraisers for the students. When asked what he would do if he got elected, he says, “The Treasurer's job is to handle money, so I would like to put more fun things in the school store. I would also like to put money into certain charity drives, and events to encourage students to pitch in.” This year, there are three choices for the role of president: Violet Kessler, Bea Lombardi, and Henry Crofton. Violet Kessler’s plans are to , “...increase student voices in the school, and I want to incorporate more ideas from the students. I want to make sure that sixth graders have a good first year, the seventh graders have a good second year, and the eighth graders have a good final year.” Bea Lombardi states, “ I want more collaboration between 6th 7th and 8th grade and I want to switch battle of the classes to battle of the teams. I’m open to suggestions from the student body.” Henry Crofton says, “ I want to get better school lunches, better policies for phones and backpacks and plan more field trips for the grapes. I’m open to any suggestions from the students.” The students running for Vice President are Elsa Semcheski, Yuv Khanna, and Damien Fernando. Elsa Semcheski states, “ I want to listen to the student body and support student voices. I would also like to create a place in the school that will listen to all student voices. I want to put fun things in the school store and one of my goals is to make more people excited for school events. I want to make more planned events for the school and more ‘fun weeks’ for the students”. Yuv Khanna’s plans are “More fun activities, to work with all students to make sure they get what they want. I’m not like other candidates. I want to make more peer connections happen in the eighth grade. I also want more dances/socials in the school.” Damien Ferando says that if he gets elected, he will, “Push for more cafeteria options, better inclusivity for students and people of different backgrounds, and ultimately, I want to make the school a safer, better place.” Ms. Kleinwax says that she has high hopes for this year’s executive board. There are also several students in the 6th and 7th grade running as representatives. There’s a meet the candidates event on October 11th where you can personally meet the candidates and decide who you want to vote for. One thing’s for sure: the 2023 school elections will certainly be exciting.
AI Wrote This Article By Beckett Meda, Chat GPT, Google Bard, & KoalaChat When it comes to writing for newspapers (whether schoolwide or countrywide), it's important to put lots of effort into an article so you can put in the least biased, and most accurate information possible, or else it isn’t a very reliable source. But despite the effort I was talking about, I put almost no effort into this article! Because why do I need to put in the work of all this research, writing, and grammar when I could just ask an AI to do it all for me? Does this count as cheating? Can you even “cheat” when it comes to journalism? And, most importantly… Does it work? How this will work is I will ask the AI to write a single paragraph based on a topic/story I give them, and each AI will do it twice. Based on the responses we’ll see if they really are fit for the world of journalism. Chat GPT Topic 1: Why Blobfish Are The Best (Yes, this is objective & valuable info) Response: Blobfish, despite their unconventional appearance, possess unique qualities that make them truly remarkable creatures. Hailing from the deep ocean depths, they demonstrate remarkable adaptability and resilience to survive in extreme conditions. Their gelatinous bodies and lack of muscle enable them to effortlessly float near the ocean floor, conserving energy while waiting for their prey. Their distinct appearance, often described as endearingly blob-like, has garnered them attention and adoration from enthusiasts worldwide. Beyond their charm, blobfish contribute to maintaining the balance of marine ecosystems as they feed on bottom-dwelling organisms, effectively acting as nature’s cleaners. Despite facing threats due to deep-sea fishing practices, understanding and appreciating the blobfish’s ecological importance reminds us of the incredible diversity and wonder of our planet’s underwater world. Topic 2: Thermodynamics Response: Thermodynamics is a fundamental branch of physics that explores the relationships between heat, work, and energy in various systems. It provides a framework for understanding and predicting the behavior of physical processes from the microscopic scale of individual particles to the macroscopic scale of entire systems. At its core, thermodynamics deals with concepts such as temperature, entropy, and energy transfer. It encompasses laws and principles that govern the conversion of energy from one form to another and the efficiency of such conversions. Thermodynamics has broad applications across scientific disciplines and engineering fields, ranging from the design of efficient engines and powerplants to the study of chemical reactions and the behavior of materials. Understanding the principles of thermodynamics enables us to unravel the complexities of energy and its transformations, paving the way for technological advancements and a deeper comprehension of the physical world around us. Google Bard Topic 1: The Coronation Spoon The coronation spoon is a silver-gilt spoon that is used to anoint the monarch during their coronation. It is the oldest piece of the coronation regalia, dating back to the 12th century. The spoon is decorated with acanthus scrolls and pearls, and has a divided bowl. The divided bowl is thought to be so that the archbishop can dip two fingers into the holy oil. The coronation spoon is a sacred object, and its use in the coronation ceremony is a reminder of the monarch’s connection to God. Topic 2: The Gympie-Gympie The Gympie-Gympie is a plant native to Australia that is notorious for its extremely painful sting. The sting is caused by tiny hairs on the leaves and stems of the plant that inject toxin into the skin. The pain can be so severe that it has been compared to being burned with acid or electrocuted. The sting can also cause nausea, vomiting, and difficulty breathing. There is no known antidote for the sting, and pain can last for weeks or even months. The Gympie-Gympie is found in rainforest areas of Queensland and New South Wales, and it is important to be aware of it if you are planning to visit these areas. KoalaChat Topic 1: Titin Titin, also known as connectin, is a giant protein that is found in the muscle tissue. It is the largest known protein, with a molecular weight of around 3.7 million Dalton, and it plays a crucial role in muscle contraction and relaxation. Titin acts as a molecular spring, providing elasticity to muscles and helping them to resist stretching. It also serves as a scaffold, linking the various components of the muscle together. Titin mutations have been implicated in a number of muscle-related diseases, including muscular dystrophy and cardiomyopathy. Topic 2: The First Olympics The first ever Olympics, also known as the ancient Olympics, were held in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece. They were a religious festival in honor of the Greek god Zeus, and included athletic events such as running, jumping, and throwing. The games were open to male athletes from all over Greece and its colonies, and were held every four years. The first event was a foot race of about 192 meters, and the winner was a cook named Coroebus. The ancient Olympics continued for almost 12 centuries until they were abolished by the Christian Roman Emperor Theodosius I in 393 AD. Conclusion With all that, I can definitely answer the question of whether using AI for writing works or not (hint: it does). But with all this power, I could create articles in seconds, is that unfair? On one hand, breaking news and such can be covered immediately without any wait whatsoever, however, it also could cause thousands of people to lose their jobs. This has been the dilemma with many things related to AI, all this convenience but at the cost of people. What will happen to AI, and its effect on us? Only time will tell.
Shower Thoughts PART 1 By Sylvia Castro-Green, Naya Facto, Compiled from TikTok and Reddit
Randomly hearing your favorite song on the radio is much better than playing it on your phone.
Theme parks can snap a crystal clear picture of you on a roller coaster at 120 mph but bank cameras can't get a clear shot of a robber standing still.
If my calculator had a history, it would be more embarrassing than my browser history
Lawyers hope you get sued, doctors hope you get sick, cops hope you are a criminal, a car mechanic hopes your car breaks down, but only a criminal wishes prosperity on you.
Anything is edible if you are prepared to die.
Technically, I've never lost a fight with a tiger.
Because our cells are all constantly dying, we're all a little dead inside.
We will never truly know what it smells like underwater.
People say life is short even though it's the longest thing we will ever experience.
In order to fall asleep, you have to pretend to be asleep.
What are snails even trying to do?
Your belly button is your old mouth.
People are impressed because a car is either extremely old or extremely new.
You're Not Funny - Jake Holmes
On a scale of one to ten, how funny do you think you are? I'm guessing you ranked yourself over five, but are you actually that funny? There's a solid chance that you're just an annoying and irritating presence to those around you, there's also a chance you're not. Now, you might be saying, “But my friends laugh every time I make a joke,” and to that I say, are they laughing with you or at you? Your friends are gonna be too nice to tell you that you're annoying so I'll do it for them, here's a list of things that no one finds funny except you.
#1: Being unnecessarily rude to everyone around you. There's not one reason that justifies a person being malicious to everyone when they didn't do anything to you. I don't care if you've had a bad day or just a bad life in general, don't take that out on an innocent bystander, they're not the cause of your misfortune. If you feel the need to give a snappy, obnoxious answer to a question as simple as “can I borrow a pen?” I can almost guarantee that you have no actual friends. Stop being a nuisance, being rude doesn't make you cool, it doesn't make you quirky and it definitely doesn't make people want to be around you.
#2: Dark humor. There's a very, very thin line between a dark humor joke being funny and it just being offensive. If you're joking about your own trauma and terrible experiences, who am I to tell you that you can't. If anything, I encourage you to joke about it, it might help you cope. You, however, have no right to joke about trauma that isn't yours, you can't just ridicule serious issues for your own enjoyment and, trust me, nobody likes these jokes. There are so many things to joke about, so don't choose a serious issue, tell a knock-knock joke instead, maybe a one liner if you're feeling ambitious, just abstain from making a mockery of an actual issue.
#3: Never shutting up during class. There's nothing more annoying than when you're trying to work in silence and all of a sudden you hear a random noise coming from the back of the class. You cannot fathom the level of rage that flows through everyone in that room's veins when you decide to ruin the peace. Another subgenre of this is interrupting the teacher while they're talking. Raising your hand to ask to go to the bathroom can wait until the teacher finishes their lesson, you will most likely be fine. Asking the teacher a question that they've already answered twice before isn't funny, it's maddening and infuriating because you're just setting the rest of the class back with your stupidity. Nothing is worse than when you're trying to get something done and a nuisance just starts asking a bunch of questions, and making random noises, it's infuriating, and it's not funny.
Have you done any of these? If so, I hope that this serves as a wake up call to stop being a tiresome bother, and learn to be funny. These are more common than they should be, so I'm urging you to be the one to start the change. If your friends tell these types of jokes or act in these irritating ways, don't be afraid to tell them to simply shut up. The world will thank you. Please, abstain from anything on the list because over time your friends will just start disappearing and you'll end up lonely with no one else to tell your ‘jokes’ to. If you've never done anything on this list, I hope your days are joy-filled, and your life is spectacular, because you are an angel on earth.
Dating in Middle School -Jake Holmes
Heartstopper. Never have I ever. Ginny and Georgia. Glee. What do all these shows have in common? They are all about dating in high school, and what not to do or what to do. What about us middle schoolers? How do we know what to do? High schoolers get it all while we're just left out to fend for ourselves. Some would agree that we need more help when it comes to dating than high schoolers since we're young and impressionable. Well, I'm no dating expert, but I've run around the block a few times, so here are my three tips for dating in middle school.
Tip #1: Don’t. Just don't do it. It's not a good idea, there's gonna be one person that ends up genuinely hurt by the break-up and the other walks away unscathed. 70 percent of you are the unscathed, nonchalant one that doesn't think it's a big deal. You're not the one who's getting overly obsessed with a temporary partner. On the off chance that you are the one getting attached, I feel for you. I mean, reading into everything and getting obsessed with this person that's gonna break up with you in two months, if your relationship even lasts that long, is a real problem. Since your thoughts are crowded with your partner, you'll probably be focusing on them and not your own life and studies. If you have a class with your partner, best believe you're not getting anything done. Dating in middle school is a stupid idea and I can not recommend it.
Tip #2: Don't date friends. If you're still going to date, date someone you have no previous attachment to. Choose someone you have one class with if any. Don't date in your friend group, it may seem like an easier decision at the moment since you already know everything about them, but it makes everything worse after the breakup. When you guys break up, the friend group has to choose between you and them and they might not choose you, which would hurt more than the actual break up. Your life will be filled with drama for the next few weeks. In worse cases, the friend group splits and it's not good, in better cases, everyone moves past it. Even in the best case, things won't go back to the way they were before. Imagine this: It's been around two months since the break-up, everyone moved past it, you're doing good, and your ex is doing good. Then, your ex has a crush on somebody but they don't tell you because at the end of the day, you're their ex, but they do tell everyone else in the friend group. You find out that they hid this from just you and you now feel terrible because your friend hid something from just you, and no one else. Not a good picture, I know, and when you get upset, all of a sudden you're the crazy ex and everyone in your friend group turns against you. Moral of the story date people you have no other attachment to.
Tip #3: don't date your friend's ex/crush. This one is just common decency. Why would you date your friends' leftovers, you can do better. To add to that, because their friends are ex you can't tell your friends about how much you like them because that would be awkward. If you go for your friend's crush, that is just cruel. Your friend confides in you and tells you that they like somebody and you choose to go for them and not anybody else. You shouldn't be competing with your friend for a date. ‘But you can't control who you love,’ no you can't, but you can choose not to act upon it, it's what I wish I had done. Dating your friend's ex just puts everyone in a bad position. it doesn't matter if you think you're meant for each other, cause I guarantee you're not. At the end of the day, you're feelings are temporary, they're gonna fade overtime so don't pursue your friend's crush or ex.
There's a lot of room for error when it comes to dating in middle school, hence why I'm here, trying to reduce that room. If you ever feel like you've made a fatal mistake, just remember that you're leaving the school in a few months and you'll be ok. It's not gonna permanently change the course of your life, you're gonna forget about it in a year. Dating in middle school is simple yet so difficult and even though no one asked, that’s my three cents on dating in middle school.
Archived Articles Worth Reading!
What did Mr. O'Dell Say??!! (an ongoing list) As he would say, "That'spowerful." By Ella Levy “Enjoy it. Have fun. Have a twinkie!” (10.06.2021)
“I don’t know if any of that’s true, but it sounds GREAT.” (10.06.2021)
(In response to someone asking how to start a memoir) “With a capital letter.” (10.11.2021)
Mr. O’Dell hysterically laughing when the Pez wall did the domino effect during period 1. (10.14.2021)
“It’s not about the grades, it’s about the learning. And you know how you learn? By telling creepy stories!” (10.28.2021)
“No. No. No, no, no! Wait for it in Spanish...no.” (10.28.2021)
“You’re dull. embrace it!”
In response to Ms. Hansen saying that she is forever in his debt: “I like that.”
Mr. O’Dell’s 4 phobias: clowns, applesauce, Walmart, and small hands. (So if you want to scare him into giving you a good grade, get a clown with small hands to sell applesauce at Walmart)
"What doesn't happen at Walmart?"
"Applesauce is my kryptonite."
*Kicks a notebook across the room* "Now you have something to remember."
Plagiarism By Max Richman and Justin Strugger
What is Plagiarism? What is Copyright? What is acceptable and not acceptable for copying? All these questions require more than just a simple answer. Keep on reading to find the confusing ways of researching and more. And remember, when in doubt just add quotes.
So let's start with the simple facts. What is the definition of plagiarism? Plagiarism is the stealing or copying of someone’s work without direct permission as a violation of the law. People will sometimes copyright their creative works in order to protect others from taking credit from what they have made. You can only copyright something that is physically existent or made, so you can’t just copyright an idea, procedure, or a fact. Plagiarism is using other people's copyrighted work and claiming it as your own, or not citing the source you got your information from. But it’s much more than just this. There are exceptions to this law.
What can be copyrighted? Well, that can be difficult to answer. The instructions of how to copyright something specify it as “Original Creative Material”. This can include anything such as a book, movie, song, poetry, and even things like architecture. You can copyright things like art pieces or software for a computer. If you want to copyright a name, logo, or slogan, unfortunately you can’t do that. Copyright in a very complicated concept, but all in all, make sure to never directly copy work from an author. However this is also trademark. A Trademark is a symbol or slogan registered to refer or be part of a company or a business. The symbol for a trademark is a capital T and M → ™. You will often find this symbol in the corner of logo’s to represent that you cannot steal it, but it’s not under the laws of copyright.
One of the ways to prevent violating the law is to cite a source. There are many different ways to cite a source. One way you can do it is by adding the URL of the site or the title of the book used directly. Another way you can cite a source is in an MLA (Modern Language Citation) format. For this I suggest this website called Easybib. You can just copy and paste the link and it automatically creates an MLA citation. Another site for this is NoodleTools. Another way to cite is a Chicago Style Citation. At the bottom of some articles there is already a way to copy and paste the citations ready for you. Another way to do it is an APA (American Psychological Association) citation. Each of these ways are used for different industries and topics. MLA citation are most commonly used by Humanitarians (someone who encourages the success and joy of people). Chicago Style Citation is used for Business matters, in Historic related documents and in Fine Arts. Finally APA is used for Education, Psychology (The idea of the Brain of an Human and how it works), and Sciences. Whichever way you do it, it’s better than not giving credit. Although citing your sources is good, it doesn’t mean you can copy whole articles. For that you use a cool little technique calledparaphrasing. Paraphrasing means you take what you learned from the article and you rephrase it by switching up the words and using different word choice. This doesn’t mean you can just copy and paste and then change a few words. In general try to stay away from paraphrasing and instead use the information from the source and completely transfer it into your writing and try to change the structure of the sentence. For example, if you wanted to paraphrase the sentence “Learning is very important to the human mind.” don’t say “Education is quite crucial to people’s brains.” Instead say something like “People’s minds need education because of the positive effects it has.”. This is one way you can paraphrase a sentence by changing the words and structure of the sentence.
ThePublic Domain is a place where pieces of work are not protected by any specific laws holding people back from using them. The public can access anything in the Public Domain without permission, but it won’t be their own. It’s much more complicated than that, because copyright rules may still apply to some things in the public domain, but only in certain ways. For example, a collection of things could still hold a copyright status, but the specific works inside it don’t. Creative Work pieces usually get in the Public Domain when an item is unable to be copyrighted or the original copyright expired. It is also possible that a creator puts their work in the Public Domain out of choice and want.
And yet, it gets more complicated. There is also another factor that comes into play during copyright calledFair Use. Fair Use allows people to use copyrighted information for specific reasons such as parodies, or criticism. Fair Use only lets people use copyrighted work for limited amounts of time and under vague but severe laws. Criticism of copyrighted work allows someone to take the actual piece of work in order to use the work and analyze/make commentary about it. This allows us students to take some pieces of work, like an article, to prove a point we want to make. When we use “Textual evidence” for a book report, we are able to do that because of Fair Use. The next section of Fair Use is for a Parody. A Parody makes fun of and mimics a piece of work and allows you to use a large amount of work to tease and change up the Copyrighted piece. There is also a section of Fair Use devoted to Educational reasons and non-profit organizations. Education and Non-Profit organization mostly use Fair Use for noncommercial reasonings.
We’ve talked a lot about plagiarism, but you may be wondering where the word plagiarism came from. It originally came from the latin word plagiare which meant to kidnap or abduct. It started to be used in english in the 1800’s. It had the same meaning as the latin word when transferred to english, but eventually came to mean what it means now.
Overall, plagiarism and copyrighting is a complicated idea. Trust me, even judges and lawyers struggle with the meaning of copyright and the many laws surrounding it. You should never take risks when dealing with copying or taking a portion of work. If you think that you’ve gone overboard, you probably have. So when you are scared that you may be stealing work, make sure you're doing the copyright thing and check that it’s legal.
MLA Citation ↓ "What Does Copyright Protect?" Copyright. CopyCopyright.gov, n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2017.
APA Citation ↓ All About Plagiarism - Academic Integrity - UIS. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2017, from https://www.uis.edu/academicintegrity/students/plagiarism/
Chicago Style CItation ↓ Stim, Richard, and ="image" / Rich Stim Attorney at Law, Nolo Legal Editor, Blogger - Dear Rich: Nolo's Patent, Copyright and Trademark Blog, Author, Nolo Press Website Twitter Facebook Google Posts. "Educational Uses of Non-coursepack Materials." Stanford Copyright and Fair Use Center. March 11, 2014. Accessed March 23, 2017. http://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/academic-and-educational-permissions/non-coursepack/.