Paraphrasing

Session 3: Review and Guided Practice With Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing Demonstrate comprehension by paraphrasing facts from informational texts

Gain knowledge and apply what they have learned about paraphrasing by reading information about three unusual animals

1Objective:Demonstrate comprehension by paraphrasing facts from informational texts

Gain knowledge and apply what they have learned about paraphrasing by reading information about three unusual animals

1. Remind students what paraphrasing is, how to do it, when to do it, and why it is useful. This explanation should be brief.

Review: What is paraphrasing?What is it? What do you already know about this animal?

The GirlFemaleAlbertaSex: FemaleAlberta, aka Fat Albert or Fatty Boomsticks, is a favourite with all the keepers.At feed time she is sure to greet you with her long slimy tongue flickering and is always the first to get stuck into her tucker! The keepers at Australia Zoo like to bond as much as possible with the animals we care for, and Fatty seems to thrive on it. Whenever her keepers get in the enclosure, be it feed time, cleaning or just doing a little maintenance, Fatty will always come to say hi.Echidnas are usually very shy and timid and stick there quills out and curl up into protective mode at the first hint of noise or movement - but not our Fatty. She is quite inquisitive and doesn't mind getting the odd pat. Now believe it or not, Echidnas are quite proficient swimmers and guess who uses our pond more than anyone else does?... Yep you guessed it, Fatty Boomsticks!

AlbertaThe BoyDameMale

Dame is a much loved character by all the keepers. Full of what seems like boundless energy, inexhaustible curiosity and by far the sweetest little face you have ever seen, you can't help but fall in love with him.A typical day for Dame includes eating as much yummy ants and termites he can find crawling around his enclosure, meeting lots of new people along the wall of his enclosure and posing for lots of photos (Dame sure loves his photo shoots), but his favorite part of the day is the Spiky Little Echidna Encounter! During Encounters, not only does Dame get to make some new friends but he even gets to sit on their lap while they hand feed him deliciously gooey, slimy echidna food! Whoo-hoo!After an Encounter, Dame will often huddle up with the rest of his echidna mates and take a nap, or if it's a hot day he might even go for a dip in his special echidna swimming pool.

The Echidna!The ParaphraseThe Text

"Okay, I'm going to put this into my own words so I can be sure I have understood it and can remember it. The echidna has a long tongue and it has spines. Uh-oh, that's all I remember; there was something about curling inside, but I don't remember what. I'd better read it again!" Reread and then start again, "The echidna has a narrow nose and long tongue to catch insects. Its spines protect it from enemies, and it curls up when it's scared."

Short-beaked Echidna

Fact Sheet (Tachyglossus aculeatus)The Echidna has a slender snout and long, flicking tongue, ideal for catching insects. The Echidna also has distinctive sharp spines (quills) along its back and sides for protection against predators. When threatened, the Echidna will curl inwards, leaving only their sharp spines exposed.

Grouped Paraphrasing

* You will read in pairs and paraphrase subsequent paragraphs about the echidna. * For each paragraph, both of you will read the paragraph. *As one student paraphrases, the other student checks for "using your own words" and remembering the points in the paragraph.

The end result a paraphrase!

Write what you now know about the echidna without referring to the article.