How do I teach paraphrasing?

[dovrar]

DD 7th says that she doesn't know how to put something into her own words. How do I teach that? Do I just show her several examples and hope she gets it eventually?

 

Thanks ; )

[woolybear]

I have tried to do this with oral narration by example. My ds often did (still does not:glare:) want to narrate. In large part this is due to his thinking he has to repeat back every word verbatim. Sometimes I say "It's my turn to narrate." And that way I show him how to summarize and paraphrase.

[Ester Maria]

In Italian schools you master this with Dante. :lol:

 

Not that it has to be Dante, but it has to be a piece of text that you give to your students, asking them to rewrite it but finding as many synonyms as possible (i.e. replacing every word they can) as well as changing expressions where possible and modifying syntax, if the text is poetic. Make them do it in writing, helped by a dictionary and a thesaurus. After a few of such writing exercises, move to ex abrupto paraphrasing right away, orally, when you read the text and have it in front of you.

 

After that, move to more "loose" paraphrasing, which doesn't aim to cover the text in its entirety, but which is more of a mix of summarizing and paraphrasing: allow the student to consult the text, but minimally, insisting on brevity AND on diversity of expression. Do it both orally and in writing.

[coffeefreak]

Here's the gist of what you do:

 

1. You take a piece of writing, or even a paragraph, and you read it with your child.

 

2. You discuss it with the child.

 

3. You have the child re-write the segment in their own words without looking.

 

4. Wait a day or two and have them re-write it and make it "better." Change at least 3 nouns, add adverbs and adjectives, etc.

 

I think SWB has a video on You Tube where she says if the child cannot even do a paragraph, start with 2-3 sentences and work from there.

 

I'm doing it with Writing Tales, but it's for 4th and 5th graders. Doesn't IEW and Classical Writing teach the same model? I think they do. It might be worth checking out their websites. I've heard IEW is worth the money if your child is older and still struggling with the basics.

 

Blessings!

Dorinda

[redsquirrel]

SWB discusses this on the audio downloads. I am not sure if it is "focus on the elementary years' or 'focus on the middle years.'

 

She says something along the lines of 'let's have a synonym lesson" and walk the child through their sentence finding ways to change what they wrote.

 

I am also sure that the difference between paraphrasing and direct quotations is covered many times in FLL year 3 or 4, if you happen to have one of those about.

[SailorMom]

All of the above - but additionally teaching how to write a precis is a great exercise in paraphrasing - google it :) It is perfect.

[Mallory]

The 6 sentance shuffle in CW is great!

 

But you can also make a key word or picture outline, then just use your outline to create your own sentances.

[DaffodilDreams]

Put your child in theatre! My newly 7 yr old understands paraphrasing very well! You either know your lines perfectly, get the point across in your own words, or you blank out and hope someone covers. We had a lead in a play this past spring who paraphrased often, so dd learned that concept several months ago. Now that she is the lead and has an enormous amt of lines, she is up close and personal with paraphrasing.