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Reflect & Relay

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Lesson Plan

Relay Reflection Plan

Students will master active paraphrasing by reflecting peer statements accurately and relaying them in their own words to demonstrate comprehension and reduce misunderstandings.

Accurate paraphrasing strengthens listening, clarifies intent, and builds trust in academic and social interactions, enhancing communication skills for life.

Audience

10th Grade Student

Time

20 minutes

Approach

Guided modeling, practice, and reflection.

Materials

Echo Circle Prompt, Paraphrase in Practice, Paraphrase Pair Challenge, and Relay Reflection Log

Prep

Teacher Preparation

5 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up: Echo Circle Prompt

3 minutes

  • Display Echo Circle Prompt
  • Model echoing: repeat a sentence exactly as heard
  • Ask the student to echo one of your example statements
  • Provide immediate feedback on accuracy

Step 2

Direct Instruction: Paraphrase in Practice Slide-Deck

5 minutes

  • Navigate through Paraphrase in Practice
  • Highlight difference between echoing, relaying intent, and paraphrasing
  • Demonstrate paraphrasing with a short passage
  • Encourage questions to ensure understanding

Step 3

Activity: Paraphrase Pair Challenge

7 minutes

  • Introduce Paraphrase Pair Challenge
  • Provide conversational prompts (e.g., "I felt frustrated when...")
  • Student listens and then paraphrases the prompt back
  • Teacher acts as conversational partner, observes and corrects paraphrase form
  • Offer sentence stems for support if needed

Step 4

Reflection: Relay Reflection Log

5 minutes

  • Distribute Relay Reflection Log
  • Student writes one real-life recent conversation and their paraphrase of it
  • Review log together, noting strengths and areas for improvement
  • Use entries to assess comprehension and plan next steps
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Slide Deck

Paraphrase in Practice

In this session, you will learn what paraphrasing is, why it matters, and how to do it effectively.

Welcome the student and outline today’s focus: understanding paraphrasing vs. echoing and practicing the technique.

Echo vs. Paraphrase

• Echoing: Repeating the speaker’s exact words
• Paraphrasing: Restating the speaker’s ideas in your own words to show you understand

Explain that echoing is word-for-word repetition, while paraphrasing captures meaning with new words. Invite questions.

3 Steps to Paraphrasing

  1. Listen Actively
  2. Reflect the Speaker’s Intent
  3. Relay the Message in Your Own Words

Walk through each step. Use a simple example verbally to illustrate each one before moving on.

Example: Echo vs. Paraphrase

Original: “I felt frustrated when my group members didn’t contribute.”

Echo: “I felt frustrated when my group members didn’t contribute.”

Paraphrase: “You were upset because your teammates weren’t pulling their weight.”

Show this example on screen. Ask the student to identify what changed from echo to paraphrase.

Example: Complex Statement

Original: “Sometimes I don’t share my ideas because I worry they’ll think it’s silly.”

Paraphrase: “You hold back your thoughts when you’re afraid others might judge them.”

Highlight how the paraphrase shifts pronouns and condenses meaning while preserving emotion.

Practice Prompts

  1. “I missed the bus and was late to class.”
  2. “My friend canceled our plans at the last minute.”
  3. “I studied hard but still got a low grade.”

Invite the student to choose a prompt and attempt a paraphrase. Provide feedback after each attempt.

Key Takeaways

• Paraphrasing builds trust and clarity.
• Use three steps: Listen, Reflect, Relay.
• Always check back for accuracy.

Summarize the benefits of paraphrasing. Ask the student to reflect on how paraphrasing can help in real conversations.

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Warm Up

Reflect & Relay Warm-Up: Echo Circle Prompt

Instructions:

  • Read each sentence aloud clearly.
  • Ask the student to echo (repeat) the sentence exactly as they heard it.
  • Provide gentle correction if any words, order, or intonation differ.

Sentences for Echo Practice:

  1. “The book was more exciting than I expected.”


  2. “I enjoy playing basketball with my friends.”


  3. “Summer break felt too short this year.”


  4. “My dog loves chasing the tennis ball in the park.”




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Activity

Paraphrase Pair Challenge

Objective: Practice active paraphrasing by listening to prompts and restating them accurately in your own words.

Instructions:

  • Teacher reads one prompt aloud, pausing at the end.
  • Student listens without interrupting.
  • Student uses one of the sentence stems below to paraphrase the prompt.
  • Teacher gives feedback, highlighting accuracy of content and feeling.

Sentence Stems:

  • "What I hear you saying is…"
  • "So you’re feeling… because…"
  • "It sounds like…"

Prompts (Teacher reads each, then student paraphrases):

  1. “I felt stressed when I had three tests in one day and I didn’t have enough time to study.”





  2. “My friend forgot my birthday, and I was upset because I thought they didn’t care.”





  3. “I want to join the soccer team, but I’m worried I won’t make the cut.”





  4. “I worked hard on my project, but my partner didn’t do their share, and I felt disappointed.”





Reflection & Feedback:

  • After each paraphrase, discuss:
    • Was the main idea captured accurately?
    • Which words best described the speaker’s emotion?
    • How could the paraphrase be improved?






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Journal

Relay Reflection Log

Purpose: Reflect on a real-life conversation and practice paraphrasing to enhance your listening and communication skills.

  1. Describe a recent conversation you had (with a friend, family member, or teacher). Include the main topic and context.






  1. Write down the exact words or main idea of what the other person said.






  1. Paraphrase their message in your own words. Use one of our sentence stems if it helps:
  • “What I hear you saying is…”
  • “So you’re feeling… because…”
  • “It sounds like…”











  1. Reflect on your paraphrase:
  • Did you capture the speaker’s main idea accurately? Why or why not?
  • Which emotion or key detail did you emphasize?
  • What might you adjust next time to improve clarity or empathy?












  1. Goal Setting: Based on this reflection, set one goal for your next conversation to become a stronger paraphraser.






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