Instructional Strategy

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY

Paraphrasing

Grade:

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

Type:

Summarize & Synthesize

/ Read Actively

20-30

Minutes

When:

During reading

Materials:

Paraphrasing graphic organizer or Paraphrasing and Original Thinking graphic organizer, preselected text, whiteboard or display, writing utensil or highlighters

Description

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.

Procedure

Preselect a reading passage from Britannica School or another reliable source.

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.

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).

Model paraphrasing by rephrasing the key details in your own words and recording them in the second column of the graphic organizer.

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.

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 and Original Thinking graphic organizer to each student. (Consider offering different passages to cater to learning styles and interests.)

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.

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.

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.

Differentiation

Sentence Starters: These prompts guide students to identify key details and rephrase them, making it easier to get started with paraphrasing.

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.

Sentence Stem Completion: Pre-made sentence stems with key points allow students to complete sentences in their own words, practicing paraphrasing in a structured way.

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.

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: Information from databases

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.

Instructional Strategy

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY

Paraphrasing

Description

Procedure

Differentiation

Variations

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