Paraphrase Practice

Students have been working on pre-researching and finding a good topic for their expository book. Students should have a topic and chapter topics chosen for their book. We are now working on research and paraphrasing our information. Today, we will discuss how to paraphrase effectively.


Paraphrasing involves taking a set of facts or opinions and rewording them. When paraphrasing, it is important to keep the original meaning and to present it in a new form. Basically, you are simply writing something in your own words that expresses the original idea. Read more at here.

It's essential to paraphrase thoroughly to avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism is taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as your own. Plagiarism is very serious; however, it can be easily avoided through paraphrasing AND giving credit to the source of the information. Today, we will practice paraphrasing, so you can paraphrase the direct quotes you have been saving in your research. Once you think you have paraphrased effectively, use the checklist below to check your work.

Paraphrase Practice

Paraphrase Checklist
Reference the source	Provides a reference to the source at the opening of the paraphrase.
Your own words	The paraphrased version is entirely the student’s own words.
Vocabulary	The paraphrased version uses words that are appropriate for the 6th grade writer.
Quotations	If there is an original quote from the author, it has quotation marks around it.
Important points and details	The paraphrased version contains all of the same points and details as the direct quote.
Makes sense	The paraphrased version makes sense to the reader (complete sentences, correct wording, states the point, etc.)
Sources	The article title of the original source for the direct quote is provided.
Grammar, spelling, and mechanics	The paraphrased version contains no errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, or capitalization.