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Paraphrasing Practice

shared by ISUComm on August 18, 2014

Activity Summary:

This activity teaches students how to paraphrase. I use an example paragraph and model my own paraphrasing technique. The activity provides a number of activities that both give students examples and provide opportunities to practice.

Instructions:

 

“This activity works best in the classroom. If you are trying to teach students how to paraphrase, say before a large research paper, I recommend this activity as a way to both model paraphrasing and to practice the art of paraphrasing in the classroom. I find that many students struggle with proper paraphrasing: they may copy too much from the original text or use too many quotes in their own essays. This activity helps them see what might be a more appropriate amount of paraphrasing and direct quotes.”

This activity teaches students how to paraphrase. I use an example paragraph and model my own paraphrasing technique. The activity provides a number of activities that both give students examples and provide opportunities for students to practice paraphrasing.
  1. For this activity, the students should bring at least once source with them to class.
  2. I start by placing a paragraph on the screen with my own notes placed next to the paragraph.
  3. Then, I place another paragraph on the screen. I ask them how they would take notes.
  4. As they are talking, I am writing their ideas on the whiteboard.
  5. Once we finish our class paraphrase, I give them another paragraph that they are to practice with partners. Once the students finish paraphrasing in groups, I put those examples on the screen for the whole class to discuss.
  6. Finally, I give them a sheet on which they are to list a source and to have taken ten notes on the source. This way they can practice doing short phrases in their own notes.
  7. I think it is important to show examples and to repeat the action of paraphrasing as a class, as a small group, and finally on your own.