If you have to do some writing (like the planet presentation)
Look in books or the internet. See if you can find anything which well give you the information you need. Read the information. If you don't understand it, don't use it. If you do understand it, keep it. Carry on looking to see if there is anything better or anything extra. When you have found all that you need, read it, choose the bits that you want and REWRITE it in your own words. DO NOT copy everything from a book or website.
If you are finding a small amount of data or some very brief facts
In this case, where only a few words are needed (like the weather homework), it is ok to copy straight from a book or website because there is only one correct answer. You do not need to use your words because you are only using two or three words anyway.
I know that this will take time to learn and it is a hard thing to do, but too many people are copying things directly from books or websites and they just don't understand what they've written. Understanding is the most important part of learning, and without it all you can do is repeat things you have been told like a parrot.
If you have a little bit of information that you really understand, that is much better than 10 pages of printing that you cannot read or explain properly.
So Mums and Dads, thank you for all the support you are giving your children with their research. They have found a lot of interesting and useful stuff but you must make sure that they are doing the work and that they understand what they have found.
