Writing Styles

In CCSS, students are required to "cite" throughout the reading process.  There are three (3) primary writing styles used in universities.  These are as follows: MLA (Modern Language Association); APA (American Psychological Association); and CMS (Chicago Manual of Style).  Now I've been doing some thinking.  (Dangerous, I know!)  But honestly, our students need exposure to all three of these all the time in small chunks.  So I am requesting some THINK TANK TALK (TTT, Cool I just made that up.) from my friends. Let's look at each style for a moment and think and talk about where and when this should fit into a middle and high school classroom.

1.  MLA - style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities.
MLA style specifies guidelines for formatting manuscripts and using the English language in writing. MLA style also provides writers with a system for referencing their sources through parenthetical citation in their essays and Works Cited pages.
Writers who properly use MLA also build their credibility by demonstrating accountability to their source material. Most importantly, the use of MLA style can protect writers from accusations of plagiarism, which is the purposeful or accidental uncredited use of source material by other writers.
2.  APA - is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences.
APA Style describes rules for the preparation of manuscripts for writers and students in:

• Social Sciences, such as Psychology, Linguistics, Sociology, Economics, and Criminology
• Business
• Nursing

Before you adopt this style for your paper, you should check to see what citation style your discipline uses in its journals and for student research.
3.  CMS -
The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) covers a variety of topics from manuscript preparation and publication to grammar, usage, and documentation and has been lovingly called the “editors’ bible.” The material in this resource focuses primarily on one of the two CMS documentation styles: the Notes-Bibliography System (NB), which is used by those in literature, history, and the arts. The other documentation style, the Author-Date System, is nearly identical in content but slightly different in form and is preferred in the social/sciences.
In addition to consulting the The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition, for more information, students may also find it useful to consult Kate L. Turabian's Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7th edition. This manual, which presents what is commonly known as the "Turabian" citation style, follows the two CMS patterns of documentation but offers slight modifications suited to student texts.
The Chicago NB system is often used in the humanities and provides writers with a system for referencing their sources through footnote or endnote citation in their writing and through bibliography pages. It also offers writers an outlet for commenting on those cited sources. The NB system is most commonly used in the discipline of history.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ Purdue OWL is the best website I have ever found or used for checking writing styles.  Every student needs to know where this website is and how to use it.  I have also attached a Citation Style Chart found on the OWL website.

Now here's my question:  What method should middle and high schools use to make sure their students are proficient at "citing" and using all three of the major styes of technical writing?

1.  When would it be best to use APA?  Personally, I feel like all science classes should use APA.  However, I have also used APA in all my educational classes.  Typically, APA is used in research papers associated with Business as well.  So...perhaps Science and Technical reading/writing would be a great place to make sure students can use APA effectively.  Thoughts?

2.  When would it be best to use MLA?  Personally, language and history classes would be excellent places in which to use MLA. Thoughts?

3.  When would it be best to use CMS?  This is perhaps the most simple style of all, or at least that is what is written of CMS.  Perhaps it is an excellent place to start with students in middle school in the humanities courses (i.e. literature, history, and music).  Thoughts?