Paraphrase What You Heard is a free printable Grade 4 English worksheet on choosing the paraphrase that keeps what a speaker meant, aligned to Common Core standard SL.4.2. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.
Set 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
1.A speaker says: "Our class collected more cans this semester than in the whole of last year." Which is the best paraphrase?
A.We collected more cans in one semester than all last year.
B.Last year we collected no cans.
C.We collected fewer cans this semester.
2.A speaker says: "Most of the rain falls in just three months of the year." Which is the best paraphrase?
A.Most of the year's rain comes in a short season.
B.It never rains for three months.
C.It rains the same amount all year.
3.A speaker says: "Bees carry pollen between flowers, and without them many fruits would never form." Which is the best paraphrase?
A.Many fruits only grow because bees move pollen.
B.Flowers grow fruit without any help.
C.Bees make fruit taste sweet.
4.A speaker says: "Coral is not a plant; it is made of tiny animals." Which is the best paraphrase?
A.Coral is made only of rock.
B.Coral is really animals, not a plant.
C.Coral is a kind of seaweed.
5.A speaker says: "The bridge cut the journey from two hours to fifteen minutes." Which is the best paraphrase?
A.The bridge made the trip much quicker.
B.The bridge took two hours to build.
C.The journey became longer.
6.A speaker says: "Only one in ten of the seeds we planted came up, because the soil was too dry." Which is the best paraphrase?
A.Dry soil meant few of the seeds grew.
B.The soil was too wet for the seeds.
C.Most of the seeds grew well.
7.A speaker says: "Although the warning was given, most people did not hear it in time." Which is the best paraphrase?
A.A warning came, but too late for most people.
B.Nobody gave a warning.
C.Everybody heard the warning early.
8.A speaker says: "If we leave now, we will miss the worst of the traffic." Which is the best paraphrase?
A.Leaving now means we avoid most of the traffic.
B.We should wait for the traffic to get worse.
C.There is no traffic today.
LessonPrint · SL.4.2 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Paraphrase What You Heard
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.We collected more cans in one semester than all last year.
2.Most of the year's rain comes in a short season.
3.Many fruits only grow because bees move pollen.
4.Coral is really animals, not a plant.
5.The bridge made the trip much quicker.
6.Dry soil meant few of the seeds grew.
7.A warning came, but too late for most people.
8.Leaving now means we avoid most of the traffic.
Questions about Paraphrase What You Heard
What does the Paraphrase What You Heard worksheet cover?
It practices choosing the paraphrase that keeps what a speaker meant — 8 questions for Grade 4, all on Common Core SL.4.2: Put part of what you heard or saw into your own words. The instruction to students is “Circle the right answer”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which Common Core standard does Paraphrase What You Heard practice?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.2 — SL.4.2, under Speaking & Listening for Grade 4. The published standard reads: “Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
Paraphrase What You Heard is written for Grade 4, typically ages 9-10. It is one of the sheets on SL.4.2, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does Paraphrase What You Heard come with an answer key?
Yes. All 8 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.
How many different versions of Paraphrase What You Heard can I print?
25 — one per student, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.
Is Paraphrase What You Heard free to print and photocopy?
Yes. Paraphrase What You Heard, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.
Is there a lesson plan to teach SL.4.2?
Yes — “Paraphrasing What You Heard” is a 40-minute Grade 4 plan for SL.4.2, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Paraphrase What You Heard is the practice that follows it.
More practice for SL.4.2
Put part of what you heard or saw into your own words.
Teaching this next? Paraphrasing What You Heard is the 40-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.