Created by Erin Herrmann
Context: Dove chocolate messages are typically fairly short and easy to understand, so they serve as a useful starting point for students to practice quoting and paraphrasing. This assignment is one I use in courses that require research writing, such as Composition II or literary analysis courses. I introduce this activity in class after we have discussed the research process with a librarian and after students have gathered some potential sources for their papers, but before they have started integrating sources into their drafts. The purpose of the activity is for students to understand the process of paraphrasing through the relatively accessible Dove messages that can later be applied to more complex ideas within research that student writers need to paraphrase for their own writing. It helps students meet course objectives that require them to use various primary and/or secondary sources and to use appropriate methods of documentation to integrate outside information into their own writing.
Directions:
Pre-Activity: Ensure students have been introduced to the concepts of quoting and paraphrasing through course readings, lessons, and/or past assignments. It may also be useful for students to have started their research process for a current project and bring a few sources with them to class.
- Distribute a Dove chocolate to each student and encourage them to open and enjoy while also holding onto the wrapper.
- Have students read the messages on their wrappers and write them properly as a quotation, using accurate punctuation and citation for a parenthetical citation (APA, MLA, or whatever style is used in the course). I have students practice as though there is not author as well as use ‘Dove’ as the author’s last name. This demonstrates that different types of source, such as digital vs. print, will have different considerations.
- Next, have students write a paraphrase of the message. This should use their own words and their own sentence structure but still convey the idea within the message.
- Ask students to share their paraphrases with the group for review of the paraphrasing concept. Or try THINK-PAIR-SHARE activity depending on class size.
Post-Activity: For further classroom work, students can practice quoting and paraphrasing using source material they have gathered/researched for an upcoming assignment.
Student Response: I have used this activity in numerous courses that I have taught, and student response has been consistently positive. Many students enjoy the chocolate treat, and moreover, most are successful at applying the principles of paraphrase to their Dove chocolate quote. At the same time, this activity alone is not sufficient for teaching paraphrase, and I strongly suggest additional activities (in or out of class) to provide students the opportunity to practice paraphrasing with their own source material.
