MLA Style Powerpoint

A lecture-style slideshow walks students through MLA in-text citation and Works Cited formatting for print, electronic, and media sources.

Grades: Grades 9–12, High School
File type: Microsoft PowerPoint
Use: Digital activity

Updated Jul 14, 2021

Subject: Writing, ELA
Topic: Research, MLA
Resource types: Presentations, Teacher Tools
Use: Digital activity

From the author

About this resource

MLA in-text citation rules and Works Cited page formatting are explained across a lecture-style slideshow, moving from why and when to cite through how to build a parenthetical citation and a full Works Cited entry. The deck works through worked examples for books (single author, multiple authors, editors, corporate authors), periodical articles (journal, magazine, newspaper), and electronic and media sources such as websites, online journals, television, film, and sound recordings, each annotated to show which citation element goes where. It distinguishes summary, paraphrase, and direct quotation as three ways to incorporate a source, and closes with links to Purdue OWL and EasyBib for further reference. The presentation is intended for a teacher to project and narrate before students draft a research paper's citations rather than for independent student use.

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

Students format an in-text parenthetical citation using author last name and page number for a print source.
Students construct a properly ordered Works Cited entry for a book, periodical, or electronic source.
Students distinguish between summary, paraphrase, and direct quotation when incorporating source material.

Teaching tips

Project the deck as a guided lecture before students begin drafting citations for a research paper, since it is built as sequential instruction rather than a student worksheet.
Pause on the worked book, journal, and website examples to have students identify each citation element (author, title, publisher, date, format descriptor) before moving to the next slide.
Direct students to the Purdue OWL and EasyBib links on the final slides for citation practice beyond the examples shown.

Skills covered

MLA in-text citation — students format parenthetical citations using author last name and page number for print sources.
Works Cited formatting — students learn the element order and punctuation for book, periodical, and electronic Works Cited entries.
Source integration — students distinguish direct quotation, paraphrase, and summary as methods of using another author's material.
Electronic and media citation — students learn to cite websites, online periodicals, television, film, and sound recordings under MLA conventions.

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