paraphrasing lesson grade 5

Paraphrasing Worksheets

The Communist Manifesto

Restate The Passage

Synonymous Words

Make It Brief

Just The Main Idea

Key Details

Take Notes And Think

Listing Supporting Points

Learn The Process

Articulate The Structure

Paraphrase The Story

Conduct A Research

5 Wh And 1 H

Consulting Sources

All about these 15 worksheets.

Our paraphrasing worksheets will help students practice the skill of rephrasing sentences, paragraphs, or larger pieces of text in their own words. These worksheets typically provide a sentence or passage, followed by a space where the user is encouraged to rewrite the given text without changing its meaning. The goal of these exercises is to improve one’s ability to understand and convey information in a way that demonstrates comprehension while avoiding direct copying. By breaking down the structure and meaning of the original text, students develop a stronger grasp of language patterns, vocabulary, and syntax.

One of the primary benefits of using paraphrasing worksheets is that they enhance reading comprehension. When students rephrase sentences, they must first fully understand the meaning of the text before expressing it in their own words. This process forces them to think critically about word choice, sentence structure, and context, which in turn leads to a deeper understanding of the material. By regularly practicing this skill, learners become more adept at breaking down complex texts, making it easier for them to analyze and interpret various forms of writing, whether it be fiction, non-fiction, or academic material.

Paraphrasing worksheets also encourage the development of a more versatile vocabulary. When rewording a sentence or passage, students are challenged to use synonyms and alternative phrasing without altering the intended meaning. This stretches their vocabulary and exposes them to new words and expressions, making them more confident in their language use. Additionally, it helps them become more aware of subtle differences in meaning between words, fostering precision in their writing and communication.

For those looking to improve their writing skills, paraphrasing exercises are invaluable. They help learners practice creating original text that avoids plagiarism while still accurately conveying information. This is a crucial skill for academic and professional writing, where originality and clarity are paramount. By working on these worksheets, students gain confidence in producing their own work and learn how to structure their sentences and ideas in a clearer and more coherent manner.

This collection of worksheets can be particularly helpful for English language learners (ELLs) or individuals looking to enhance their fluency in a second language. Since these worksheets focus on rewording rather than directly translating, learners are encouraged to think in the target language, building stronger linguistic connections. This not only improves their language comprehension but also helps them develop a natural feel for idiomatic expressions and the nuances of grammar in the new language.

Paraphrasing involves rephrasing the words of others to convey the same meaning in a new and original way. It’s an important skill to develop for writing essays, research papers, and for understanding complex texts. We work on a wide variety of skills including:

Passages to Paraphrase –  These include short passages that students are asked to paraphrase. This helps students practice putting ideas into their own words.

Comparing Paraphrases – Students might be given an original passage and several paraphrased versions, and asked to identify the best paraphrase. This can help students understand what makes a good paraphrase.

Paraphrase and Original Side by Side – These include an original text and a paraphrase side by side, asking students to identify the similarities and differences. This can help students understand how to maintain the original meaning while changing the wording.

Originality Awareness –  The focus here is on distinguishing between paraphrasing and plagiarism, teaching students the importance of changing the structure and words of the original text significantly, and of giving credit to the original source.

What Are the 3 Ways of Paraphrasing?

Here are three common techniques for paraphrasing:

1. Change the Word Order

Changing the sentence structure can be an effective way to paraphrase. Be careful to ensure that the new sentence still accurately represents the original meaning.

2. Use Synonyms

Replace words with their synonyms, but be careful about the words that have no exact synonym or whose meanings vary based on context. Always double-check to make sure that the synonyms fit the context and preserve the original meaning.

3. Change the Voice

If the sentence is in active voice, you can change it to passive voice, and vice versa. However, you should use this method judiciously as overuse of the passive voice can make your writing seem weak or awkward.

Let’s take an example sentence to illustrate these techniques:

Original sentence: “The cat chased the mouse.”

Change the Word Order: “The mouse was chased by the cat.”

Use Synonyms: “The feline pursued the rodent.”

Change the Voice: “The mouse was being chased by the cat.”

Remember, even when you paraphrase, you must provide appropriate citation. Paraphrasing is not just about changing words but about fully understanding and conveying the original idea in your own style. Even if you’ve put the idea into your own words, it’s still someone else’s idea, so it’s important to give credit where it’s due.

What Are the 5 Steps of Paraphrasing?

Step 1: Read and Understand the Original Text

First, thoroughly read the original text to ensure you fully understand the meaning. You might need to read difficult or complex texts several times before you grasp the core idea.

Step 2: Identify the Main Ideas

Once you understand the text, identify the main ideas that you want to include in your paraphrase. This step might involve taking notes or highlighting key points in the text.

Step 3: Write Without Looking at the Original

Put the original text aside and write the paraphrase in your own words. This helps to ensure that you’re not just substituting words with synonyms but truly expressing the idea in a new way.

Step 4: Compare With the Original

After writing, compare your paraphrase with the original text. Make sure you have accurately represented the main ideas and details, and that your paraphrase is significantly different from the original. Check that you haven’t inadvertently used the same phrases or sentence structures.

Step 5: Cite the Source

Even though you are paraphrasing, the ideas are still someone else’s, so it’s important to appropriately cite the source of the information. The citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago) you use will depend on the academic discipline or the preference of your instructor or institution.

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Paraphrasing Worksheets

Related ela standard: w.5.8.

When we have a serious task in front of us it is often helpful to reflect on work that has already been performed by others. Why reinvent the wheel or fire? We will often summarize a body of work to put the thoughts of an author in our own words. This means that we took the main points the author put forward and just redirected them. Paraphrasing is when you pinpoint an exact section of an author's words and make sense of them by putting them in your own words. You will want to paraphrase when you feel the need to clarify a short text based reading passage. It is also helpful when you are writing research pieces where you want to avoid using quotations too much. These worksheets will ask you to both summarize and paraphrase the work of other authors.

Paraphrasing Worksheets:

In Summary - You will need a 4-5 page reading passage to go along with this organizer. Write the text's main idea in one sentence. Then write only the important details that explain the main idea. Use your own words as much as possible.

Paraphrasing - You'll need more text for this one. Read the text twice, to make sure you understand it. Now set the text aside. In the thought bubble write down what you remember, in your own words, answering the questions who, what, where, when, why and how. Then use your notes to paraphrase the text on the lines.

Summarizing from your Sources - All parts of research are broken down here. When you take notes while doing research, write down only the important information and ideas. Use your own words. Be sure to make a note of each source.

Summarizing - Can you get it all in one sentence? What is the most important detail in the mix?

Summary | Paraphrase - This does flow nice. Many teachers use this as a template for their classes. It helps you get a handle on both skills in one nice worksheet.

Fishing For Information - Write the text's main idea in one sentence. Then write only the important details that explain the main idea.

Keep it Short! - Write the text's main idea in one sentence. Then write only the important details that explain the main idea. Use your own words as much as possible.

Paraphrasing - When you paraphrase, you write the ideas from the text in your own words.

Writing a Summary - Write the text's main idea in one sentence. Then write only the important details that explain the main idea.

Out for Pizza - Write the text's main idea in one sentence. Then write only the important details that explain the main idea.

In Your Own Words... - When you paraphrase, you write the ideas from the text in your own words.

Short and Sweet - Write the text's main idea in one sentence. Then write only the important details that explain the main idea.

Sharing Great Ideas - Read the text twice, to make sure you understand it. Now set the text aside.

Trick or Treat - In your own words, answer the questions who, what, where, when, why and how. Then use your notes to paraphrase the text on the lines.

The Mechanics - You will be given a reading passage about gardening that you will put your skills to work for.

Plotting - Complete all of the sentences by choosing the proper wording.

Paraphrase vs. Summarize - We compare and contrast the two closely related concepts.

Introduction - This is perfect for class discussions where you introduce the topic. It can also be used as a review worksheet.

True or False - We cover some serious detail on this technique in here.

Practice Passage - You will be given an detailed example to work off of and then asked to use this technique with a reading passage.

Citing Sheet - This is a great note sheet to have handy.

Article Practice - Find an article in a print periodical that you want to read. Read the article. Then choose a passage from the article that you find particular interesting and paraphrase it.

Inaugural Address - You read John F. Kennedy's 1961 address and reference it in your own work.

Three Things - As you conduct your research, fill out the questionnaire for each of your sources.

Fiction - We look at how to apply this skill to fictional works.

Passage Breakdown - This worksheet walks you through the steps you need to take to apply this skill to an assigned reading passage.

Sentences - You will paraphrase a series of sentences.

Explain the Concept - Why is it an important technique to learn?

Exercises - Flex your muscles and get some real quality work in on this worksheet.

What is Paraphrasing?

One of the most common tasks assigned to students in their initial stages of learning is paraphrasing. Paraphrasing is the practice of rewriting a text in your own words without adding anything to it or removing anything from the original text. While this may be aimed at strengthening the written skills of students from an early age, learning paraphrasing becomes inevitable after one reaches a stage where they have to cite and add someone else's works in their own research to substantiate their work with suitable evidences.

The Process of Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is an important academic skill a student must acquire. In order to paraphrase any text, one has to thoroughly and carefully read it twice or even more times. The purpose of such a detailed reading is to understand the text to its very core, ensuring that no chunk of information in the actual text is left unnoticed. Once careful reading is done, the person has to rewrite the whole idea in his or her own words. This rewriting does not merely mean using synonyms for words in the original text, but also includes changing sentence structure, making ideas more clear and easier to understand, and can also be a total different sequence of sub-ideas put down to ultimately convey the exact sense as has been conveyed by the original text.

What Makes a Paraphrased Text Excellent?

There are a few points to be kept in mind while paraphrasing anything to make sure that the text has been excellently paraphrased. A good paraphrased text only includes ideas that were there in the actual text and there is no addition or subtraction of ideas by the one who is paraphrasing. It is simple and cited without any personal ideas being narrated by the second author.

How To Paraphrase Properly

If your work or degree revolves around submitting written content, you probably already understand the importance of proper paraphrasing. In today's world, one can find ample information online on every possible topic. Although this can help gather data for your work, it makes writing an original piece of content extremely challenging.

Submitting poorly paraphrased work can lead to your work being categorized as plagiarized. Plagiarism is a serious offense in many countries worldwide and can cancel your admission and degree and even affect your job.

Paraphrasing or rephrasing is the use of different words, expressions, phrases, and texts to restate a passage or concept while keeping the gist of the content the same.

Paraphrasing is often used by students, writers, and professional content creators to avoid plagiarism and produce an original written piece of work. Not only does paraphrasing help avoid the consequences of submitting plagiarized work, but it also helps an individual gain recognition as a writer with good work ethic who respects intellectual property.

Step 1: Spend Time Reading the Passage Carefully

There is nothing wrong with using a book or internet sources to write your content, as a one person can't know everything. However, you must respect the original writer's intellectual property and refrain from copying their work as your own.

Instead, to paraphrase the information, spend time reading the passage carefully. Read the content three to four times before you start penning down the information. Doing so will help you understand the main concept or the gist of the information.

Step 2: Pen Down the Key Ideas

Once you have read the content thoroughly and have gained insight into the author's words, the next step is to pen down the key ideas or concepts on a rough piece of paper. Although many writers tend to skip this step, doing this will greatly help you structure your work with greater coherence.

Step 3: Get to Writing

Keep the paper containing the key ideas before you and get to writing. For this step, refrain from looking at the author's original work and stick to the key ideas you have penned down. Doing so will make help you write as originally as possible.

Step 4: Compare Your Work with The Original Text

Once you are done writing, compare what you have written with the original text. This step is not to copy the author's tone or expression; instead, it is to make any necessary factual or conceptual adjustments.

Step 5: Provide Accurate Citations

To write as ethically as possible, never forget to give credit to the source that helped you produce your content. Remember to provide proper citations for all the papers, journals, online sources, etc., that you used to complete your task.

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