"My mother knows I don't use periods, so I don't even care."

Well.
The kids are in the computer lab typing their research papers on social issues. We spent three days in the library researching, and two days in the computer lab typing. Their papers have to be 500 words. I taught them how to use the "word count" function in Microsoft Word, so I have to get word count updates every five seconds.
Plagarism is a huge HUGE HUGE issue. I get it. It wasn't that long ago that I was typing papers. I want to go back and ask my teachers, was it so completely obvious? My kids will copy/past entire paragraphs. In the past four days, I have said, "IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE WORD MEANS, DO NOT PUT IT IN YOUR PAPER!" about, oh, 3948320948093483204i32 times.
So, we'll be in the computer lab, a kid will raise his/her hand to say they are finished. I will walk over, start reading the essay and then find a big word. "Uh, Taylor, what does it mean to have democratic values?"..."Ummm, it means...uhh..."
Right, you're aren't finished.
Everyone else will just sigh and go back to work (using the "synonym" function to try and find a word they do know). Oh, but not Tre. Tre's issue was the death penalty. He told me he was finished. I asked him if he knew all the words in his paper. He said, "most." I told him I wasn't coming over there until he knew what his paper said. Five minutes later, he says he is finished. I walk over.
"Tre, what does 'consulted' mean?"
"It means, like, the same as assaulted."
"No. it doesn't."
"Well, it does to me."
"Tre, I can call this keyboard ice cream, but it's still a keyboard and it's not ice cream."
"Uggghhh. Can't you just look at the rest?"
"fine." 5 seconds later "what does 'a moral issue' mean?"
"that's what the librarian told me to put so I put it."
"But what does it mean?"
"I don't know. She told me it."
"IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE WORD MEANS, DO NOT PUT IT IN YOUR PAPER."
"Well, you said 500 words, and I wrote 500 words, so I don't even care."
"You don't care that you have an essay that you don't understand? What about this part, it says, 'is the death penalty the death penalty is'?"
"It's two separate sentences."
"Where's the period?"
"I don't use periods when I write."
"Tre, is this the essay you want to turn in to me? Because if it is, I'm going to have to have a conference with your mother."
*See title.*