Plagiarism at 7 years old

[mrsdisneyfan]

I need some quick advice from other parents. My 7 year old son had to write a story and draw a picture for school. He did the artwork and wrote the story completely on his own. Or so I thought. He brought it to me to check for spelling and other errors. When I read the story I was very amused and told him it was very good and that it was perfect. Then he tells me that it is a story he read in school. He just changed some of the characters and animals. I am at a loss as what to do. I explained to him that you cannot copy someone elses story. He is insisting he didn't copy it. It is just "LIKE" the story from school. I do not know if I should make him do it all over. He just does not get that this is not right.


Please let me know what you all would do.

Thanks

 

[summerrluvv]

I don't think it's that big of a deal. The kid is 7. What grade is he in? 2nd? I don't think that many 2nd graders are capable of creating an entire story on their own without some sort of influence. If he was in 4th or 5th grade, I would have a different opinion.

 

[mrsdisneyfan]

I told him it was ok to turn in the story and the picture. It is due 11-1 and now there is no time to change it anyway. I just wish I could figure out how to explain to him how this is wrong.

Also, I did not make a big deal about it to him because he is the most serious child on the face of the earth. He reads EVERY safety instruction on EVERYTHING. He follows EVERY rule. I cannot ever explain how serious he is. If I made a bigger deal about it he would have freaked out. And if he ever thought that it was cheating he would stroke out.

 

[Captain Brain]

Most kids can't write a story without some kind of influence until they are nine or ten. My brother, for instance, based one of his stories off the Haunted Mansion, he changed the names around and changed the title to the Haunted Castle.

 

[JimB.]

I would tell him that changing the characters in someone else's story is NOT original work. He needs to know his ideas have to be ORIGINAL. If he is changing something, it is NOT original, it is copying.

How are you going to explain it if his teacher recognizes this as someone else's altered work?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Since you do not have the story in front of you, it is hard to say "plagiarism" at 7yo.

I consider plagiarism copying the material word for word. Now if he did in fact copy the material and just change the names then he did not write the story.

He said it is "like" the story which is not plagiarism.

 

[Papa Deuce]

I would make him re-do it, but help him. and then I would keep working at explaining why "his' story is not allowed.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I was in 3rd grade. We had to write a paper on what we wanted to be when we grew up and use the Encyclopedia for reference.

Well--we weren't exactly tought how to paraphrase and reword...so I had copied a good bit (like when you had to say what the XYZ profession did) and had my mom proofread. I told her what I did and she said it was no problem and shouldn't be a big deal.

My teacher thought differently and told me that copying (or changing just a word or two) is bad.

I would have a word with your son and it is possible that even in 2nd grade, the teacher may penalize him for it--or say something that could make him feel bad.

Better to catch it early than later.

Of course ever since--that became a huge huge huge paranoia of mine. Many papers I quoted a lot if I couldn't figure out a good way to paraphrase that didn't sound like copying.

 

[Cool-Beans]

The way to explain plagiarism to a 7 year old is to say, "When you copy off of something, it is called 'plagiarism' and you aren't allowed to do that in school."

Honestly, I'd probably make the kid re-write it. But if you don't, I don't think it is that big a deal, as long as he learns that he can't do it again.

Can't blame him for trying!!!!

 

[CEDmom]

I wouldn't make a big deal about it. My DD is 7 and I could see her doing this. It would be completely innocent. Honestly, aren't many new stories based on ones that have already been writting?

 

[mrsdisneyfan]

Thanks everybody.

I am sure the teacher will recognize the story because it was a book that she gave him to read. He did change the title and the character names. The story in the book was about a lion and he changed it to a sea monster. So everything that happens changes from the land to the sea. I am going to write a note to his teacher and explain what happened. Then I will try again to explain it to him. But as of right now he just doesn't see how it is not his story.

I know it sounds like I am trying to rationalize letting him hand it in but maybe the teacher can explain it to him better than I can.

 

[Serena]

You're being a good mom. You don't want to over react, and you don't want to under react. Hopefully the teacher will make it a little bit clearer to all the students, I'm sure your son is probably not the only one thinking this way.

 

[Free4Life11]

I would let it go. How often in life is he going to write stories? It is busy work that won't really matter in the long run. Not everyone is creative and that isn't always a bad thing.

Now if he does this when he is older -- yes that is a problem, but I wouldn't worry about it now.

 

[LadyyRedd]

I consider plagiarism copying the material word for word.

Plagiarism is copying someone else's words or ideas and passing them off as your own. It does not have to be verbatim to be plagiarism.

Kimya

 

[Hedy]

I'd nip this in the bud, intentional or not now. I'd send him in with a note tomorrow telling the teacher what you told us, because it is highly probable that his school has a policy on this.

 

[Cool-Beans]

Now if he does this when he is older -- yes that is a problem, but I wouldn't worry about it now.

I don't know...Joe Biden got caught for it and ended up sitting on the Ethics Commitee. This kid might have a very bright future!

 

[MariDisney]

Boy...first he vomits all over the Liberty Tree Tavern and now this. What's with this kid? Too many video games, I say!!!

Seriously, you have to tell him that the "main idea" has to be his and it's not his if the "main idea" is in another story. He's reasonably bright...he'll understand.

If not, tell him to call me, I'll explain it.