Paraphrase information accurately
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Learning Objectives
- 1Define paraphrasing as restating an author’s ideas in your own words
- 2Follow a four-step routine: read, cover, say it, check
- 3Keep the original meaning while changing the words and sentence shape
- 4Match an original passage to its best paraphrase, not a copy
Mini Lesson
When you read a fact in a book, you cannot just copy it word for word into your own report — that would be copying, not thinking. A strong reader PARAPHRASES the idea: they restate it in their own words while keeping the meaning exactly the same. Paraphrasing proves you understood what you read, and it is one of the most important reading skills in upper primary.
What is paraphrasing?
Paraphrasing means restating an author’s ideas in your OWN words, with your OWN sentence shape, while keeping the original meaning. A paraphrase is usually about the same length as the original. It is not a summary (a summary is much shorter). It is not a quote (a quote uses the author’s exact words inside speech marks). It is something in between — same idea, different words.
The four-step paraphrase routine
- READ — read the original sentence or short passage carefully, twice if needed.
- COVER — cover the original with your hand or close the book so you cannot peek.
- SAY IT in your own words — out loud or in your head, using fresh vocabulary and a different sentence shape.
- CHECK — uncover the original. Did you keep the meaning? Did you change enough of the words? Fix anything that drifted.
How to change the words without changing the meaning
- Swap key words for synonyms — "huge" becomes "enormous", "build" becomes "construct".
- Change the sentence order — start at a different point, or break one long sentence into two.
- Switch active and passive — "The wind moved the boat" can become "The boat was moved by the wind".
- Keep names, dates, and numbers exactly the same — those are facts, not words to swap.
Never change a fact while paraphrasing. If the original says "in 1969" and you write "in the 1970s", you have changed the meaning — that is no longer a paraphrase, it is an error. Words can change. Facts cannot.
A good test: if you change three or four words but the sentence shape is identical, that is NOT a paraphrase yet — that is light copying. Aim to change both the words AND the way the sentence is built.
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