How to Teach Students How to Paraphrase

Teaching students to paraphrase takes time and practice.

Paraphrasing is an essential skill for students to obtain. Without paraphrasing, students are at risk for plagiarism. It is important to lay the ground work for successful instruction of paraphrasing through explanation of key concepts, modeling and practice of the skill. Only through practice and constant feedback will a student's paraphrasing ability grow.

Instructions

1. Teach the key differences between retelling, summarizing and paraphrasing. Author of "Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Retelling," Emily Kissner suggests, the three concepts are similar, but are different in development, formation, and final product. Summaries contain main ideas, some supporting details and are in chronological order, yet shorter in length. Retelling is orally sharing information, while recalling important information from the text. According to Purdue's Online Writing Lab, successful paraphrasing puts the information from the passage in your own words, while attributing the original source. It is shorter in length because you abbreviate the information.

2. Remind students that although paraphrased material is not in quotes, one must credit the original source. Explain that making small changes in wording, rearranging the original quote or failing to cite the source is plagiarism.

3. Indiana University of Bloomington's Writing Tutorial Service suggests teaching several key strategies, including to rewrite using your own words while covering the quote you are paraphrasing to avoid the urge to copy; also check your paraphrased work to ensure you have not accidentally written anything word for word from the original and that the information included is correct.

4. Begin small by introducing paraphrasing with sentences instead of lengthy paragraphs. Ensure students understand information stated in each sentence. Consider a student's ability levels in reading.

5. Model the concept of paraphrasing to students. Show students what good paraphrasing looks like. Give examples based on appropriate change in words and structure. Prepare examples and have students explain their reasoning on whether the paraphrasing is correct or not.

6. Provide students the opportunity to orally paraphrase sentences in their own words. Work as a group to recognize what works with a student's paraphrased responses and what does not. Instant feedback guides students toward correct paraphrasing. Independent practice then evaluates student progress and growth.

Tips & Warnings

• Differentiate your independent practice. Lower performing students need an opportunity to work through easier material, while advanced students will need a challenge.

• Paraphrasing takes time and practice. It will take more than one lesson to cover the topic.

References

• Indiana University Bloomington: Writing Tutorial Service: Plagiarism: What It Is and How to Recognize and Avoid it; 2004
• Plagiarism Prevention for Students: How to Avoid Plagiarism; Sue Thompson; 2008
• Purdue Online Writing Lab: Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing; Allen Brizee et. al; 2010.
• "Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Retelling Skills for Better Reading, Writing, and Test Taking"; Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Retelling: Related, But Not the Same; Emily Kissner; 2011

Resources

• Study & Learning Centre, RMIT: Paraphrasing Activity; 2005