AASL B.VI: Create & Engage - Strengthening Student Inquiry and Respectful Dialogue

Introduction

AASL B.VI – Create: Engage helps students learn how to use and credit sources properly when they make original work. It supports skills like digital citizenship, information literacy, and basic citation, starting from the early grades.

What Is AASL B.VI Create & Engage?

AASL B.VI is part of the Shared Foundation "Create" and emphasizes the "Engage" domain within the learner standards. The main idea is that students are not only expected to produce knowledge but must do it in an ethically responsible way. The standard asks students to:

1. Ethically using and reproducing others’ work.
2. Acknowledging authorship and demonstrating respect for the intellectual property of others.
3. Including elements in personal-knowledge products that allow others to credit content appropriately

At its heart, this is about digital citizenship and information literacy. It’s the point where creativity meets responsibility. Students are expected to consider the origins of information, give credit where it's due, and understand that the things they find online, in books, or from peers aren’t just free to use without care.

What Is Ethical Use of Information in K–8 Classrooms?

Ethical use means students learn to:

• Credit their sources
• Avoid plagiarism
• Respect ownership of digital and creative work

This is part of developing digital citizenship. It helps students navigate content they find online or in books, and prepares them to use information correctly in their own work.

Skills Students Develop through AASL B.VI Create & Engage

This standard supports a wide range of habits and thinking skills, including:

• Choosing sources that are okay to reuse or share
• Deciding when credit is needed and how to give it
• Understanding rules about copyright and fair use
• Adding author names or source labels in a clear way
  

These are not just compliance tasks. They help students grow into thoughtful users and creators of information.

What AASL A.VI Engage and Think Asks Students to Do

AASL A.VI asks students to think carefully when they gather, use, and share information. This includes recognizing when a situation calls for ethical awareness, such as quoting a source, choosing a photo, or posting online. Students are expected to apply what they know about fairness, accuracy, and responsibility as part of their everyday learning.

They also learn to use information and media tools with purpose and respect. This means understanding the value of giving credit, seeking permission when needed, and making thoughtful choices about what to include or share.

Finally, students are asked to evaluate information for truthfulness, context, and appropriateness. They consider where information comes from, how cultural or social influences shape it, and whether it fits their purpose. These habits support ethical thinking not as a separate skill, but as part of how students think and learn across subjects.

Hands-On Citation Activities for Elementary and Middle School

To make these ideas stick, students need practice. Here are examples of activities that help:

• Labeling where a fact or image came from on a project
• Adding a “source slide” to a slideshow
• Practicing saying or writing an author’s name after reading a book
  

These reinforce habits that support creativity and respect for others' work.

Teaching Students to Respect Intellectual Property

By exploring copyright, Creative Commons, and the public domain, students begin to see that creative work belongs to someone. With guidance, they learn how to check whether something can be used in a school project and how to give credit properly. These lessons also help students understand their own rights when they create something original.

Key Focus Areas in Ethical Use of Information

• Information Literacy and Source Evaluation

Students learn to ask basic questions like:
Who made this? Where did it come from? Is it reliable?

• Responsible Use of Media

They learn that many images, songs, or texts online aren’t free to reuse. They also learn how to check permissions or use open-license materials.

• Age-Appropriate Citation

Younger students might name the source out loud or write the author’s name. Older students begin using proper formats like MLA or APA, depending on the assignment.

• Understanding Copyright and Creative Commons

Students get a basic understanding of what these terms mean, how to respect them, and how to find material that can be reused legally.

Key Competencies in AASL B.VI Create & Engage

Competency 1: Using Others’ Work Ethically

This means understanding that content has a source and should be used responsibly. Students learn to avoid copying without permission and always to give credit.

K–3 Activities

• Whose Picture Is This?
  Sort images with and without artist names. Talk about why credit matters.
• My Book, Your Book
  Choose a library book, copy the cover, and write: “I got this from [Title] by [Author].”
• Music or Mine?
  Listen to song clips and discuss when using music in school projects is okay.
  

Grades 4–8 Activities

• Fair or Foul?
  Decide whether real-world examples of content use are ethical or not.
• Citation Detective
  Find and fix missing or incorrect citations in a sample project.
• Remix with Respect
  Make a collage using Creative Commons images, then add a slide with source details.
  

Competency 2: Acknowledging Authorship and Respecting Intellectual Property

Students learn that creative work comes from real people who deserve recognition.

K–3 Activities

• Name That Author
  After reading a book, students name the author and illustrator and describe their roles.
• Maker’s Mark
  Add name and date to student-made work, then discuss why attribution matters.
• Copy or Credit?
  Compare copied vs. credited work. Identify which shows respect.
  

Grades 4–8 Activities

• Spot the Source
  Find the author and publisher of a short article and explain why that matters.
• Real or Ripped Off?
  Examine short writing samples and decide if they are quoted, paraphrased, or plagiarized.
• Creator Code
  Write a short pledge about using and sharing creative work respectfully.
  

Competency 3: Including Credit Details in Student Work

This builds habits of transparency. It means showing others where information came from so credit can continue to be passed along.

K–3 Activities

• Where Did I Get It?
  After a project, fill in a chart with the source and author.
• Label My Learning
  Write a sentence on a poster like “This fact came from [Title] by [Author].”
• My Info Card
  Add name, date, and any sources used on student-created work.
  

Grades 4–8 Activities

• Source Slide
  Add a final slide to a slideshow listing image and fact sources.
• Credit Builder
  Use fill-in-the-blank templates to practice citation.
• Pass It On, Properly
  Share a quote or image and keep the original credit attached in the new version.

What Students Gain through AASL B.VI Create & Engage

AASL B.VI helps students grow into responsible creators of knowledge. They learn that using information goes hand in hand with respecting where it came from. This includes giving proper credit, using content within allowed boundaries, and ensuring their work consists of the information others need to do the same. These skills support honesty, clarity, and trust in everything students produce.

Teacher Takeaways
These lessons help students:

• Credit images, texts, and media in age-appropriate ways
• Understand how citation supports honesty and trust in schoolwork
• Explore concepts like copyright and Creative Commons with simple examples
• Build habits that grow into academic integrity
  

The activities work well in both classroom and homeschool settings. They support project-based learning, encourage careful thinking about content use, and introduce students to the idea that creating knowledge also means recognizing its sources.

Conclusion

Ethical information use is a habit that starts early. When students learn to name sources, credit authors, and include clear citations in their work, they build a strong foundation for learning and communication. AASL B.VI gives teachers and students a structure to practice these skills in simple, consistent, and age-appropriate ways. Over time, students become more aware of their role in a larger learning community that values fairness and transparency.

References & Image Sources

American Association of School Librarians. AASL Standards Framework for Learners.

Common Sense Education. Digital Citizenship Curriculum.

Purdue OWL. Research and Citation Resources.

Children painting

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