Paraphrasing and Direct Quotes Lesson for Middle School

Use the picture book The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers to help your students better understand paraphrasing and direct quotes.

Students review and practice paraphrasing skills using a book they already know and love. The Crayons’ letters become model texts for students to use as they practice paraphrasing and using direct quotes with proper punctuation.

FULLY Editable in PowerPoint so you can make this lesson work for YOU and your students!

This lesson has 25 total pages & slides and includes:

•  16-slide Lesson Presentation to teach what paraphrasing is, and compare it to summarizing and direct quotes
  • Editable in Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides file formats
  • Slides include lesson objective, key vocabulary, student directions, and presenter notes.
  • Three (3) example texts about the invention of crayons to show examples of a summary, paraphrase, and direct quote
  • How to paraphrase Red Crayon’s letter by highlighting parts of the text, or using colored text
  • Due to copyright law, you will need to add the book cover image and the text from Red Crayon’s letter to the presentation.
• Paraphrasing and Direct Quotes Handout for student reference (1 page)
  • Editable in Microsoft PowerPoint only
  • Definitions of paraphrasing and direct quote
  • Examples of how to paraphrase and use a direct quote from Red Crayon’s letter, as in the presentation
  • In-text citations are mentioned as essential, but not taught in this lesson.
  • Due to copyright law, you will need to add the text from Red Crayon’s letter to the handout.
• Student Paraphrasing and Direct Quote Activities or Assignments (6 pages)
  • Editable in Microsoft PowerPoint only
  • One page per Crayon character: Black, Purple, Green, Yellow, Orange, and Blue
  • The different Crayon colors can be used to differentiate the activity for different student abilities, or to let students choose their favorite character.
  • Due to copyright law, you will need to add the text from each Crayon’s letter to the assignment sheet.
• Editable Lesson Plan for 5th, 6th, and 7th Grades (2 pages) in Microsoft PowerPoint only, aligned to:
  • AASL National School Library Standards for Learners, and
  • National Common Core ELA Standards.
  • Also includes: objectives, links to resources, teaching ideas, and assessment suggestions
• Teacher Notes and Terms of Use

Standards Addressed:

AASL National School Library Standards – See the AASL Standards Framework for Learners to view full text.

• Inquire – A.2. – B.3. – C.1.
• Engage – A.2. – B.1. – B.2.

Common Core English Language Arts Standards –
© Copyright 2010 National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.8.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.8. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.8. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.8. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.8.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.9. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.9. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.9. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.9.

Terms of Use
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