Britannica Education logo in blue square

Instructional Strategy

PRINT
DOWNLOAD
Britannica Education logo in blue square

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY

Paraphrasing

Grade:

3-5, 6-8, 9-12, UNIV

Type:

Summarize & Synthesize
/ Develop Language (MLL)
20-30

Minutes

When:

During reading

Materials:

Paraphrasing graphic organizer or Paraphrasing & Original Thinking graphic organizer, preselected text, whiteboard or display, writing utensils or highlighters
Chat bubble with list icon in green on white background

Description

Profile of person speaking, blue cone shape emerging from mouth, against purple background.
© Jasmin Merdan— Moment/Getty Images
The Paraphrasing instructional strategy assists students in highlighting key information in a passage and enhancing their ability to remember main ideas and specific facts. Students engage with brief passages, identify the main idea along with supporting details, and then express the content using their own words.
Curved arrows forming square in orange on white background

Procedure

1
Preselect a reading passage from Britannica School or another reliable source.
2
Explain to students that you’ll be “thinking aloud” to demonstrate paraphrasing steps. Mention that these steps are identifying key details, rephrasing them in your own words, and checking accuracy.
3
Read the passage aloud (or use the read-aloud feature), and pause at key points. As you do, model underlining or highlighting this information and transferring it to a graphic organizer (a chart with columns for original text and paraphrasing).
4
Model paraphrasing by rephrasing the key details in your own words and recording them in the second column of the graphic organizer.
5
Continue for two or three examples or the entire passage. Ask students to help find key information and support you in paraphrasing the information on the organizer.
6
Provide another reading passage for students to paraphrase independently, with partners, or in small groups. Distribute a copy of the text and a Paraphrasing graphic organizer or Paraphrasing & Original Thinking graphic organizer to each student. (Consider offering different passages to cater to learning styles and interests.)
7
Encourage students to work together to identify and record key information from the passage. Ask them to
Read the text carefully, focusing on the main ideas and important details.
Record these details in the graphic organizer’s left column.
8
Invite students to rewrite the main ideas and important details in the right column of the graphic organizer using different words and sentence structures. Emphasize that the paraphrase should convey the original meaning.
9
Allow students to share their paraphrases with the class or in small groups. Encourage peer review and feedback, focusing on whether the meaning was clear and accurately conveyed.
Expanding arrows icon in white on purple background

Differentiation

Chunking Text: Breaking down the text into smaller sections helps students focus on manageable pieces of information, building their paraphrasing skills gradually.
Visual Aids: Graphic organizers or pictures help students grasp main ideas and facilitate paraphrasing by providing a visual framework.
Note: These supports help students by providing clear steps, visual aids, and prompts to break down the task and build confidence.
Leveled Text: Using leveled texts can increase rigor and critical thinking by expanding students’ vocabulary and teaching them to adapt paraphrasing for different texts. This activity encourages students to paraphrase texts of varying difficulty on the same topic. Students compare their paraphrases and analyze how the text’s complexity affects their wording and explanation.

Multilingual Learning Support

Beginning Proficiency: Support students in paraphrasing in their home languages first. Provide bilingual sentence frames (e.g., “The main idea is …“ / “La idea principal es…“). Use visuals to help identify key details. Create side-by-side examples showing original text and paraphrasing in both languages. Partner students with same-language peers for initial practice.
Intermediate Proficiency: Build academic language through structured paraphrasing practice in both languages. Provide transition words and academic vocabulary in English and students’ home language. Guide students in identifying key information and expressing it in their own words using both languages. Support cross-language paraphrasing skills with clear examples and models.
Advanced Proficiency: Help students develop effective ways to restate ideas across languages while preserving their original meaning. Guide students in choosing the right words and varying how they structure sentences to express ideas clearly. Support them in paraphrasing academic content accurately while building strong vocabulary in both languages. Show students how to identify key points and express them naturally in their own words.
Overlapping documents icon in light blue on white background

Variations

Technology Integration: Using online tools and creating multimedia presentations allows students to compare paraphrases and creatively showcase their understanding. This extends learning by making paraphrasing fun and challenging, allowing students to showcase their understanding in different formats.
Color-Coding: Implement a color-coding system to visually organize information from different source types. For example:
Blue: Information from databases
Pink: Content from websites
Yellow: Material from books
Green: Other sources (e.g., interviews, newspapers)
This system helps students quickly identify the origin of each piece of information and ensures a balanced use of various sources in their research.
© Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.
Teach Britannica logo in light blue and navy text

Top Picks

Try Britannica Studio for Free

No credit card or promo code needed, try out Britannica Studio’s teacher-first AI workspace free for 30 days!

In the News

Level-up current events into dynamic learning!

Products

Resources

Learn

About

FOLLOW BRITANNICA EDUCATION

Instagram X-twitter Facebook Linkedin Youtube Pinterest