Paraphrase Activity
Research, for the most part, tends to support the belief in the benefits of small classes. While not all studies on the subject have shown that students learn more in smaller settings—and while many are still ongoing—most studies have found some benefits. The biggest and most credible of them, a statewide study begun in Tennessee in the late 1970s, has even found that the learning gains students make in classes of 13 to 17 students persist long after the students move back into average-size classes. What's more, the Tennessee researchers found, poor and African-American students appeared to reap the greatest learning gains in smaller classes. After kindergarten, the gains black students made in smaller classes were typically twice as large as those for whites.
Class Size. Education Week on the Web. Retrieved November 12, 2003 from http://www.edweek.org/context/topics/issuespage.cfm?id=44
↑ Above is the original paragraph, and below is my paraphrased version of it...↓
In general, studies tend to show that students benefit from being in smaller classes. Although not all studies support this belief – and while more studies on this topic are being conducted – the majority have established several benefits. One of the most extensive and credible investigations, a statewide study that initiated in Tennessee in the late 1970’s, has found that students persistently make gains long after they move back into average-size classes after they have been in classes of 13 to 17 students. Researchers in Tennessee have also found that the students that appear to reap the maximum learning gains in smaller classes are economically disadvantaged African Americans. After kindergarten, the gains that African American students made in smaller classes were typically double than those for whites.
