- Provide a short passage and have students paraphrase it in their own words. Focus on using synonyms and rewording the passage, not just changing a few words.
Grade 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 Worksheet for Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and Quoting
Paraphrasing involves researching and collecting the best ideas,
facts, questions, and/or opinions from a passage or collection of passages; those key details are then condensed and clarified by either discussions and/or written in your own words. A paraphrase that is used in academic writing must be cited and or attributed to the original text source!
Paraphrasing is a critical process and skill for close reading and one of the first strategies that should be taught to improve reading comprehension! The deepest reading comprehension and best understanding of complex texts is reached when students have a good working understanding and skill of paraphrasing.
Paraphrasing involves researching and collecting the best ideas,
Paraphrasing Teaching Sequence
[PDF] PARAPHRASING W R I T I N G1. W R I T I N G paraphrasing 1 exercises exercises. A Make a different word, using the prompt in brackets. e.g. development (change to verb) - to develop.
[PDF]Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing - Hardin County ...distinctions among quotations, paraphrases, and summaries. This handout ... What are the differences among quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing?
[PDF]PARAPHRASING ACTIVITIESPARAPHRASING ACTIVITIES. ACTIVITY 1. Read the original text below. Highlight the words that you think are specialized words or words that should not be ...
[PDF]Paraphrasing ExerciseParaphrasing is a verbal summary of the key ideas of your partner's ... Make a statement in response to one of the items on the paraphrase activity exercises.
[PDF]Paraphrase Writing - ESL WritingLesson 1: Paraphrase with Synonyms. What to do: Find a synonym for the words/phrases that are underlined. Re-write each sentence using these new words or ...
[PDF]Paraphrasing and Summarising - Curtin UniversityParaphrasing is re-writing another person's words so that the original meaning of their ..... following exercises will allow you to practice that skill. Practice activity.
[PDF]ParaphrasingWhen paraphrasing, a writer should restate the author's words or ideas in ... Paraphrasing also allows a writer to express another author's key points using fewer ...
[PDF]Paraphrase WorksheetParaphrase Worksheet. Whether working on a research paper or a personal narrative, presenting the ideas of a credible source using your own language is an ...
[PDF]Paraphrasing Without Plagiarizing - Douglas CollegeParaphrasing is using your own words to tell the reader what another author said while .... Do the exercises below to test your understanding of paraphrasing.
[PDF]Paraphrasing ExercisesParaphrasing Exercises adapted from
[PDF]Summarizing and ParaphrasingBell Labs serves as the original location of the discovery of cosmic background radiation. In 1964, During research on satellite signals, a quiet hum was.
[PDF]Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing - Hardin County ...distinctions among quotations, paraphrases, and summaries. This handout ... What are the differences among quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing?
[PDF]PARAPHRASING ACTIVITIESPARAPHRASING ACTIVITIES. ACTIVITY 1. Read the original text below. Highlight the words that you think are specialized words or words that should not be ...
[PDF]Paraphrasing ExerciseParaphrasing is a verbal summary of the key ideas of your partner's ... Make a statement in response to one of the items on the paraphrase activity exercises.
[PDF]Paraphrase Writing - ESL WritingLesson 1: Paraphrase with Synonyms. What to do: Find a synonym for the words/phrases that are underlined. Re-write each sentence using these new words or ...
[PDF]Paraphrasing and Summarising - Curtin UniversityParaphrasing is re-writing another person's words so that the original meaning of their ..... following exercises will allow you to practice that skill. Practice activity.
[PDF]ParaphrasingWhen paraphrasing, a writer should restate the author's words or ideas in ... Paraphrasing also allows a writer to express another author's key points using fewer ...
[PDF]Paraphrase WorksheetParaphrase Worksheet. Whether working on a research paper or a personal narrative, presenting the ideas of a credible source using your own language is an ...
[PDF]Paraphrasing Without Plagiarizing - Douglas CollegeParaphrasing is using your own words to tell the reader what another author said while .... Do the exercises below to test your understanding of paraphrasing.
[PDF]Paraphrasing ExercisesParaphrasing Exercises adapted from
[PDF]Summarizing and ParaphrasingBell Labs serves as the original location of the discovery of cosmic background radiation. In 1964, During research on satellite signals, a quiet hum was.
Reading Comprehension Skill: Summarize Fiction and Nonfiction Reading Passages and Worksheets with Answer Keys GRADE 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 pdf
Summarizing Reading Strategies for Reading Comprehension
Grade 3 Readings Passages with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Animal Studies
REALISTIC FICTION: Community Meeting
Grade 4 Readings Passages with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
Grade 3 Readings Passages with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Animal Studies
REALISTIC FICTION: Community Meeting
Grade 4 Readings Passages with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: A Chicago Changer
REALISTIC FICTION: I Like Plants
Grade 5 Readings Passages with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
REALISTIC FICTION: I Like Plants
Grade 5 Readings Passages with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: City Systems
REALISTIC FICTION: More Trees
Grade 6 Readings Passages with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
REALISTIC FICTION: More Trees
Grade 6 Readings Passages with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Prairie Ecology
FICTION: Letter to Grandmother
Grade 7 Readings Passages with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
FICTION: Letter to Grandmother
Grade 7 Readings Passages with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Prairie Keepers
REALISTIC FICTION: See Our Progress
Grade 8 Readings passages with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
SPEECH: What is Your Own Big Plan? Excerpts from a speech by President Barack Obama in Arlington, Virginia
REALISTIC FICTION: See Our Progress
Grade 8 Readings passages with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
SPEECH: What is Your Own Big Plan? Excerpts from a speech by President Barack Obama in Arlington, Virginia
Summarizing teaches students how to discern the most important ideas in a text, how to ignore irrelevant information, and how to integrate the central ideas in a meaningful way. Teaching students to summarize improves their memory for what is read. Summarization strategies can be used in almost every content area. https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/summarizing
Summarizing Sentence Starters:
- In summary...
- The story/passage is mainly about...
- The character solved the conflict by...
- To sum up...
- To summarize...
- Putting it all together...
- My initial/final ideas are...
- My rating/ranking...
- To wrap things up...
- To conclude/review/analyze...
- To weigh in...
- My appraisal...
- In short...
- All in all...
- All things considered...
Reading Comprehension Skill: Infer the Main Idea
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Saving Your Family's Energy Dollar
FICTION: The Ants and the Grasshopper
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Space Food
REALISTIC FICTION: The Challenge
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Animal Studies
REALISTIC FICTION: Mousie
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Plants and Food
FABLE: North American Fable
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Pilsen
REALISTIC FICTION: John's Bright Idea
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: My Job
HISTORICAL FICTION: The Gulls of Salt Lake
Skill: Identify Fact and Opinion
Grade 3 NONFICTION Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
A Very Helpful Resource
Ghana
Grade 4 NONFICTION Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
Egypt
Natural Gas: An American Treasure
Grade 5 NONFICTION Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
Chicago Changes
Ethiopia
Grade 6 NONFICTION Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
Seasons on the Prairie
Zambia
Grade 7 NONFICTION Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
Bold Plans, Big Dreams, City Progress
Kenya
Grade 8 NONFICTION Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
South Africa
Changing the Ecosystem
Skill: Infer Meaning from Context
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: What is a Fable?
FABLE: The Tortoise and the Hare
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Learning about the Solar System
FICTION: The Astronaut's Diary
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: An American Legacy
HISTORICAL FICTION: His First Dollar
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Prairie Ecology
REALISTIC FICTION: Prairie Summer
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Symbols, Maps and Art--Read to Learn
REALISTIC FICTION: My Painting
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Plants and Places
FICTION: My Career as a Botanist
Skill: Identify/Analyze Sequence
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Chicago Changes
FICTION: Letter to Grandmother
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Staying in Phoenix
FICTION: Living in the Desert
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: American Explorers
FICTION: Traveling with Lewis and Clark
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Traveling West
FICTION: Stopping in Denver
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Today's Telephone
FICTION: Pigeon Express
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Transportation Changes
FICTION: Pilot
Skill: Infer Predictions
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Working at the Hospital
FICTION: My New Brother
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Working at the Television Station
REALISTIC FICTION: We're on the News
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Our Streets
REALISTIC FICTION: Changing Our Street
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Transportation Workers
FICTION: The Technology Trip
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: City Systems
REALISTIC FICTION: 24 Hours
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Chicago High Schools
REALISTIC FICTION: My First Day of High School
Skill: Compare and Contrast
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Chicago's First Leader
HISTORICAL FICTION: Potawatomie Prairie
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Seasons
HISTORICAL FICTION: Potawatomie Prairie
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Reversing the Chicago River
HISTORICAL FICTION: Potawatomie Prairie
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Before Chicago
HISTORICAL FICTION: Potawatomie Prairie
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Learning about the Solar System
HISTORICAL FICTION: Potawatomie Prairie
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Harold Washington's Acceptance Speech
HISTORICAL FICTION: Potawatomie Prairie
Skill: Locate and Classify Information
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Before Chicago
FICTION: Spring is Coming
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Changing the Prairie
REALISTIC FICTION: The Prairie Project
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: From Many Places
REALISTIC FICTION: Our Lemons
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Nutrition Lesson
FICTION: The Food Change
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Breaking the Food Chain
REALISTIC FICTION: Letter from Chicago
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Public Transportation
FICTION: Changing Transportation Routes
Skill: Identify and Infer Character Traits
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
FICTION: The Turtle and the Ducks
NONFICTION: The Chicago Fire
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
FICTION: A Proud Flight
NONFICTION: Pigeon Creek
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
HISTORICAL FICTION: Soldier's Letter
NONFICTION: Valley Forge
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
FABLE: The Lion and the Spider
NONFICTION: Maintaining Cultural Continuity
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
HISTORICAL FICTION: The Nominee
NONFICTION: Honest Abe
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Remarks of Senator Barack Obama--Wesleyan University Commencement
FICTION: A New Day
Skill: Analyze/Infer Motive
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Choosing a Park
REALISTIC FICTION: Letter from Chicago
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Prairie Pioneers
FOLKTALE: How the Firefly Got Its Light
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Election Choices
HISTORICAL FICTION: Lincoln's Choice
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: The First Flyers
FICTION: My Cousin's Lesson
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Changing America
REALISTIC FICTION: The Big Game
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: A Chicago Changer
REALISTIC FICTION: The Missing Money
Skill: Analyze/Infer Relationships
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Block Clubs
REALISTIC FICTION: The New Family
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: City Government
REALISTIC FICTION: Community Meeting
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Pioneer Families
REALISTIC FICTION: Pioneer Diary
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: The Captain's Job
FICTION: The Hero
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Changing Chicago
REALISTIC FICTION: My Father's Miracle
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: The Football Team
REALISTIC FICTION: The Quarterback
Skill: Analyze/Infer Mood, Tone
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
FICTION: The Little Red Hen
REALISTIC FICTION: The New Student
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
FICTION: The Little Red Hen
REALISTIC FICTION: The History Mystery
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
FICTION: Nature's Violet Children
FICTION: The Cloud
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
FICTION: The Elves and the Shoemaker
HISTORICAL FICTION: The First Flag
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
REALISTIC FICTION: My First Baseball Game
REALISTIC FICTION: The Train Ride
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
REALISTIC FICTION: My New President
REALISTIC FICTION: My Sister, the Soldier
Skill: Figure out how the Author Uses Techniques to Communicate
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
POEM: This Little Light of Mine
REALISTIC FICTION: The Train
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
FICTION: The Different Bird
POEM: We Shall Overcome
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
POEM: His Eye is on the Sparrow
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
FICTION: Sir Gobble
POEM: I've Got Peace Like a River
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
REALISTIC FICTION: The Red Apples
SPEECH: Inaugural Address by John F. Kennedy
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
POETRY: He Had His Dream
HISTORICAL FICTION: Lexington
Skill: Analyze/Infer the Author's Point of View
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
FABLE: The Boy Who Cried Wolf
POEM: Raindrops
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: The Working Tools of Insects
REALISTIC FICTION: Why Did Mama Change Her Mind?
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Who Am I?
REALISTIC FICTION: Mama's Happy Christmas
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
REALISTIC FICTION: The Lost Dog
SPEECH: President Obama Labor Day Address
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
HISTORICAL FICTION: Columbus and the Egg
SPEECH: Deval Patrick's Acceptance Speech
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
SPEECH: Deval Patrick's Acceptance Speech
HISTORICAL FICTION: Training for the Presidency
NONFICTION: Saving Your Family's Energy Dollar
FICTION: The Ants and the Grasshopper
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Space Food
REALISTIC FICTION: The Challenge
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Animal Studies
REALISTIC FICTION: Mousie
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Plants and Food
FABLE: North American Fable
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Pilsen
REALISTIC FICTION: John's Bright Idea
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: My Job
HISTORICAL FICTION: The Gulls of Salt Lake
Grade 3 NONFICTION Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
A Very Helpful Resource
Ghana
Grade 4 NONFICTION Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
Egypt
Natural Gas: An American Treasure
Grade 5 NONFICTION Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
Chicago Changes
Ethiopia
Grade 6 NONFICTION Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
Seasons on the Prairie
Zambia
Grade 7 NONFICTION Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
Bold Plans, Big Dreams, City Progress
Kenya
Grade 8 NONFICTION Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
South Africa
Changing the Ecosystem
Skill: Infer Meaning from Context
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: What is a Fable?
FABLE: The Tortoise and the Hare
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Learning about the Solar System
FICTION: The Astronaut's Diary
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: An American Legacy
HISTORICAL FICTION: His First Dollar
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Prairie Ecology
REALISTIC FICTION: Prairie Summer
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Symbols, Maps and Art--Read to Learn
REALISTIC FICTION: My Painting
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Plants and Places
FICTION: My Career as a Botanist
Skill: Identify/Analyze Sequence
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Chicago Changes
FICTION: Letter to Grandmother
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Staying in Phoenix
FICTION: Living in the Desert
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: American Explorers
FICTION: Traveling with Lewis and Clark
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Traveling West
FICTION: Stopping in Denver
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Today's Telephone
FICTION: Pigeon Express
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Transportation Changes
FICTION: Pilot
Skill: Infer Predictions
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Working at the Hospital
FICTION: My New Brother
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Working at the Television Station
REALISTIC FICTION: We're on the News
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Our Streets
REALISTIC FICTION: Changing Our Street
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Transportation Workers
FICTION: The Technology Trip
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: City Systems
REALISTIC FICTION: 24 Hours
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Chicago High Schools
REALISTIC FICTION: My First Day of High School
Skill: Compare and Contrast
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Chicago's First Leader
HISTORICAL FICTION: Potawatomie Prairie
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Seasons
HISTORICAL FICTION: Potawatomie Prairie
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Reversing the Chicago River
HISTORICAL FICTION: Potawatomie Prairie
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Before Chicago
HISTORICAL FICTION: Potawatomie Prairie
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Learning about the Solar System
HISTORICAL FICTION: Potawatomie Prairie
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Harold Washington's Acceptance Speech
HISTORICAL FICTION: Potawatomie Prairie
Skill: Locate and Classify Information
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Before Chicago
FICTION: Spring is Coming
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Changing the Prairie
REALISTIC FICTION: The Prairie Project
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: From Many Places
REALISTIC FICTION: Our Lemons
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Nutrition Lesson
FICTION: The Food Change
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Breaking the Food Chain
REALISTIC FICTION: Letter from Chicago
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Public Transportation
FICTION: Changing Transportation Routes
Skill: Identify and Infer Character Traits
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
FICTION: The Turtle and the Ducks
NONFICTION: The Chicago Fire
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
FICTION: A Proud Flight
NONFICTION: Pigeon Creek
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
HISTORICAL FICTION: Soldier's Letter
NONFICTION: Valley Forge
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
FABLE: The Lion and the Spider
NONFICTION: Maintaining Cultural Continuity
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
HISTORICAL FICTION: The Nominee
NONFICTION: Honest Abe
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Remarks of Senator Barack Obama--Wesleyan University Commencement
FICTION: A New Day
Skill: Analyze/Infer Motive
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Choosing a Park
REALISTIC FICTION: Letter from Chicago
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Prairie Pioneers
FOLKTALE: How the Firefly Got Its Light
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Election Choices
HISTORICAL FICTION: Lincoln's Choice
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: The First Flyers
FICTION: My Cousin's Lesson
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Changing America
REALISTIC FICTION: The Big Game
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: A Chicago Changer
REALISTIC FICTION: The Missing Money
Skill: Analyze/Infer Relationships
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Block Clubs
REALISTIC FICTION: The New Family
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: City Government
REALISTIC FICTION: Community Meeting
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Pioneer Families
REALISTIC FICTION: Pioneer Diary
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: The Captain's Job
FICTION: The Hero
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Changing Chicago
REALISTIC FICTION: My Father's Miracle
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: The Football Team
REALISTIC FICTION: The Quarterback
Skill: Analyze/Infer Mood, Tone
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
FICTION: The Little Red Hen
REALISTIC FICTION: The New Student
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
FICTION: The Little Red Hen
REALISTIC FICTION: The History Mystery
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
FICTION: Nature's Violet Children
FICTION: The Cloud
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
FICTION: The Elves and the Shoemaker
HISTORICAL FICTION: The First Flag
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
REALISTIC FICTION: My First Baseball Game
REALISTIC FICTION: The Train Ride
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
REALISTIC FICTION: My New President
REALISTIC FICTION: My Sister, the Soldier
Skill: Figure out how the Author Uses Techniques to Communicate
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
POEM: This Little Light of Mine
REALISTIC FICTION: The Train
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
FICTION: The Different Bird
POEM: We Shall Overcome
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
POEM: His Eye is on the Sparrow
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
FICTION: Sir Gobble
POEM: I've Got Peace Like a River
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
REALISTIC FICTION: The Red Apples
SPEECH: Inaugural Address by John F. Kennedy
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
POETRY: He Had His Dream
HISTORICAL FICTION: Lexington
Skill: Analyze/Infer the Author's Point of View
Grade 3 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
FABLE: The Boy Who Cried Wolf
POEM: Raindrops
Grade 4 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: The Working Tools of Insects
REALISTIC FICTION: Why Did Mama Change Her Mind?
Grade 5 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
NONFICTION: Who Am I?
REALISTIC FICTION: Mama's Happy Christmas
Grade 6 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
REALISTIC FICTION: The Lost Dog
SPEECH: President Obama Labor Day Address
Grade 7 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
HISTORICAL FICTION: Columbus and the Egg
SPEECH: Deval Patrick's Acceptance Speech
Grade 8 Readings with Multiple Choice and Short Response Questions:
SPEECH: Deval Patrick's Acceptance Speech
HISTORICAL FICTION: Training for the Presidency
Here is a paraphrasing worksheet with directions and 4 short passages:
Paraphrasing Worksheet
Directions: Paraphrasing means restating information from a source using your own words and sentence structures. It's more than just replacing a few words - you need to completely reword the original text.
Read each passage below and paraphrase it in the space provided. Try to reword as much as you can while still expressing the same essential ideas.
Original: The Louvre Museum in Paris, France is one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. It is located along the Seine River and was originally built as a fortress in the 12th century. Today, the Louvre contains over 380,000 objects and displays 35,000 works of art. Some of the most famous pieces in its collection are the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. Over 10 million people visit the Louvre each year.
Paraphrased:
Original: Wolves are predators that live and hunt in packs of around 6 to 10 animals. They prey on large mammals like deer, elk, and moose. Wolves live and breed in a pack with an alpha male and an alpha female as the leaders. They communicate by making howls, barks, and whines. Wolves inhabit forests, tundra, and grasslands in North America, Europe, and Asia. They play an important role in their ecosystems.
Paraphrased:
Original: Polar bears are marine mammals that live throughout the Arctic region. They evolved to occupy and survive in some of the planet's coldest environments. Polar bears have thick, water-repellent fur and a layer of insulating fat to keep them warm. They are also excellent swimmers and have partially webbed feet. Polar bears mainly prey on seals and use their keen sense of smell to hunt them. They are at the top of the Arctic food chain but face threats from climate change and human activity.
Paraphrased:
Original: Hurricanes are large, swirling storm systems that form over warm ocean waters. As the warm moisture rises, it causes powerful thunderstorms with heavy rain and high winds. Hurricanes rotate counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. They can last over tropical waters for several days. Hurricanes have an organized eye at the center that is relatively calm. When hurricanes make landfall, the storm surge, high winds, and flooding can cause extensive damage.
Paraphrased:
- Give students famous quotes or sayings and have them paraphrase the meaning.
Here is a paraphrasing activity with famous quotes and sayings:
Paraphrasing Quotes and Sayings
Directions: Read each famous quote or saying below. In the space provided, paraphrase the essence or meaning of the quote in your own words.
Original: "Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
Paraphrased:
Original: "When one door closes, another opens."
Paraphrased:
Original: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." - Golden Rule
Paraphrased:
Original: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." - Lao Tzu
Paraphrased:
Original: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." - Wayne Gretzky
Paraphrased:
Original: "Out of difficulties grow miracles." - Jean de la Bruyere
Paraphrased:
This activity helps students understand and express the underlying meaning of famous sayings by paraphrasing them in their own words. It's great practice for comprehending ideas and restating them effectively.
- Find news articles, paragraphs from books, song lyrics, etc. and create a "Paraphrase This" worksheet.
Here is an example "Paraphrase This" worksheet using a news article excerpt:
Paraphrase This
Directions: Read the following excerpt from a news article. Paraphrase the information in your own words in the space provided.
Original:
A rapidly intensifying, late-season storm is churning across the North Central states and Upper Midwest on Monday, unleashing heavy snow, gusty winds and travel-disrupting ice. The storm is dumping heavy snow from northeast Colorado and northwest Kansas to much of Nebraska, southern South Dakota, southwest Minnesota and northwest Iowa. Snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour are occurring in some areas. In addition, freezing rain and sleet is creating icy conditions across parts of eastern Kansas, Missouri and central Illinois. This storm has the potential to produce more than a foot of snow in some locations by Tuesday as it slowly spins over the region. Strong winds gusting as high as 50 mph will also lead to reduced visibility in blowing and drifting snow.
Paraphrased:
Lessons:
- Explain what paraphrasing is - restating ideas or information from a source using your own words and sentence structures. It's not just replacing words.
Here is an example lesson explaining what paraphrasing is:
Paraphrasing Lesson
Objective: Students will understand what paraphrasing is and how to paraphrase effectively.
What is paraphrasing?
- Paraphrasing is restating ideas or information from a source text using your own words and sentence structures.
- It involves taking a passage and re-expressing it in your own writing style with different vocabulary and phrasing.
- Paraphrasing goes beyond just changing a few words or phrases here and there. You need to completely rewrite the original text in your own words.
- The paraphrased version should express the same essential ideas as the original but use different vocabulary and sentence structures. It's not just find-replace of synonyms.
- Paraphrasing is an important skill for research writing because it allows you to take information from sources and restate it in a new form with your own voice.
- Proper paraphrasing gives credit to the original source by citing it, rather than plagiarizing.
Let's look at some examples of effective paraphrasing versus weak paraphrasing. [Show examples].
Now let's practice paraphrasing short passages to improve our skills. [Provide paraphrasing exercise].
- Show examples of good and bad paraphrasing. Have students identify why one is effective and one isn't.
- Teach how to paraphrase: read to understand, take notes/highlight key ideas, set text aside, rewrite in own words.
- Give tips like: focus on ideas more than specific words or phrasing, change sentence structures, cite sources.
Activities:
- Paraphrasing races - break into teams, provide a short text, see who can paraphrase it accurately the fastest.
- Paraphrasing presentations - have students paraphrase short articles or passages to present to class.
- Paraphrasing posters - turn a factual paragraph into an eye-catching poster by paraphrasing the key information.
- Paraphrasing practice - give daily warm-ups with a short text to paraphrase, followed by discussion of students' versions.
- Peer paraphrasing - have students exchange original paragraphs and paraphrase their peer's writing. See how closely it matches the original.
