Directed Paraphrasing - Active Learning Activity

Directed ParaphrasePhoto credit: Missouri S&T Photo Library

Category

Information
Alias None
Bloom's Level Understand
CAFE Level Side Dish
Class Size Any Class Size
Difficulty Easy
Modality Face-to-Face, Hybrid, Online
Prep Time/
Materials		 Requires Planning
Time to Run 3-5 Minutes

Students are directed to paraphrase part of a lesson for a specific audience and purpose, using their own words. This prepares students to translate highly specialized information into language that clients or customers will understand and to apply their learning to real- world contexts. Instructions typically consist of “Paraphrase [topic]. Direct your paraphrase to [audience] in order to [purpose].”

RETURN TO INDEX

Choices of audience and purpose are particularly important. Use this more than once and treat each time like a learning experience for all of you.
Discuss examples of useful paraphrases (perhaps anonymous student work) with your class.

  • Canvas
  • Padlet
  • Top Hat - Fill in the Blank or Word Answer

Have students work individually or in pairs to create a pros-and-cons chart or paraphrased explanation for a specific audience using Microsoft Whiteboard, Padlet, or Google Docs/Slides. Then, debrief or have students post summaries on collaborative boards to
share their work and insights.