In Your Own Words
Learning How to Paraphrase
Stage of Literacy Development:
Stage 2: Consolidation / FluencyStage 3: Literacy for Growth
Ages:
7-11
Grade Range:
2nd 3rd 4th 5thFood Groups:
Primary: Reading Comprehension Strategies
Activity Description
Preparation:
1. Select a short narrative passage that is appropriate to the students’ reading level
a. Ensure that this passage has at least 4-5 paragraphs
2. Write out the passage on chart paper
3. Choose another narrative passage and make copies for each student
Implementation:
1. Introduce the term, “paraphrase”
a. Explain that it means to say something more concisely and in your own words
2. Provide an overview of the activity
a. Explain that you will be reading through a short narrative passage and, after each paragraph, will be paraphrasing the text
b. Describe how good readers periodically stop when reading, look away from the text, and put what they have read into their own words
c. Emphasize that putting text into one’s own words helps us understand it better, which is the goal of reading
d. Remind students that they can reread the text if necessary
3. Model the activity
a. Read a passage and pause after each paragraph to think aloud and share paraphrasing strategies
• Model how to paraphrase at least three paragraphs
b. Be sure to model the rereading of parts that may be more complex
4. Encourage students to participate in the paraphrasing
a. Paraphrase the first portion of a paragraph and then invite a few students to share how they would paraphrase the remainder
5. Have students work in pairs to paraphrase another paragraph aloud
6. Invite students to share their paraphrasing in small groups or with the class
a. Encourage students to compare and offer helpful feedback
Adaptations For
English Language Learners/ESL:
- Review difficult vocabulary from the passage before beginning the activity - Pair with students with more proficient reading skills
LD/Reading & Writing Difficulties:
- Review difficult vocabulary from the passage before beginning the activity - Pair with students with more proficient reading skills
Cultural Appropriateness & Diversity:
- Ensure that the text used is meaningful to all students
Differentiated Instruction:
- Review the paraphrasing process with a small group of students - Assign students different passages based on their reading level
Related References
Source: Kletzien, S. (2009). Paraphrasing: an effective comprehension strategy. The Reading Teacher, 63, 73-77.
Evidence: Blomberg, G. (2011). The power of informal talk. Reading Teacher, 46, 460.
Activity Objective
The goal of In Your Own Words: Learning How to Paraphrase is to teach students how to paraphrase to promote deeper understanding of text.
What You Need
Prep Time:
10 minutes - Select a short narrative passage for modeling - Write out the passage on chart paper - Choose another narrative passage and make copies for each student
Task Time:
30 minutes - Teacher introduces the term paraphrasing - Teacher models how to paraphrase a text using a think-aloud technique - Teacher invites students to participate in group paraphrasing activity - Students paraphrase independently and then share their work with a partner or in small groups
Materials Required:
Teacher: - Short narrative passage - Chart paper - Markers Students: - Copies of a short narrative passage
What You Do
Teacher Role:
Modeling: - when explaining how to paraphrase text Facilitator: - as students work in groups to paraphrase and share their work
Student Grouping:
Whole class: - during modeling of paraphrasing Pairs: - when students paraphrase text on their own
Assessment Ideas:
- Take some observation notes throughout the activity, especially when students are paraphrasing on their own - Work with students independently and assess whether or not they can paraphrase a short text on their own
Quick Tips
Activity Extensions:
- Engage the class in a discussion about paraphrasing and why it is important - Have students paraphrase expository texts
Additional Comments:
- This activity would need to build on students' prior understanding and practice with finding the main idea, re-writing things in their own words, and other related skills. Initially having students use aids sticky notes to write out ideas for each paragraph would be helpful. - The short passage used can be typed into a word document and displayed using the SMART Board or overhead projector if available. - This activity should be repeated regularly. - Once students have done this activity many times as a group, students may paraphrase larger texts as a homework assignment. - Paraphrasing promotes comprehension of the text but can also be shown as a strategy for researching and writing reports. - You may wish to pair this activity with a discussion about plagiarizing and why we need to write things in our own words.
