Paraphrasing Lesson Plan: Research to Build and Present Knowledge

*Click to open and customize your own copy of the Paraphrasing Lesson Plan. 

This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic Paraphrasing, and supports the standard of paraphrasing information in notes and finished work. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Display a few sentences from an article, such as this:

“One of the first companies to make non-toxic crayons safe for toddlers, Crayola was an instant success. According to the company’s website, Crayola produced more than 100 billion crayons in its first 100 years, and it continues to produce an astounding 3 billion each year!”

Ask students:

• How would you paraphrase this, or say it in your own words?
• Why might you paraphrase something you’ve read? 

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

• Read the description on the Paraphrasing topic page.
• Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding. 
• Have students read one of the following Related Reading articles: “Way Back When,” “Arts and Entertainment,” or “Language.” Partner them with someone who read a different article to share what they learned with each other.
  

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS 

Students take the Paraphrasing Quiz, applying essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.

Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND

Students express what they learned about paraphrasing while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.

• Make-a-Movie: Produce a preview for a movie about an article you’ve read that paraphrases its key ideas.
• Make-a-Map: Make a concept map identifying strategies for paraphrasing a page in a textbook. Use specific examples.
• Creative Coding: Code a conversation where one character speaks and the other paraphrases what they say.

More to Explore

Related BrainPOP Topics: Deepen understanding of research and writing strategies with these topics: Plagiarism, Citing Sources, and Research. 

Teacher Support Resources:

• Pause Point Overview: Video tutorial showing how Pause Points actively engage students to stop, think, and express ideas. 
• Learning Activities Modifications: Strategies to meet ELL and other instructional and student needs.
• Learning Activities Support: Resources for best practices using BrainPOP.