Skip to content
LessonPrint

In Your Own Words is a free printable Grade 5 English worksheet on choosing the note that paraphrases without copying or changing the meaning, aligned to Common Core standard W.5.8. 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 18 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

Next set

One paper per student

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425

Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

In Your Own Words

W.5.8

NameDate

Circle the right answer.

1.Source: "The glacier has shrunk by half in the last hundred years." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.The glacier has doubled in size in a century.
  • B.The glacier has shrunk by half in the last hundred years.
  • C.In a century, the glacier has lost about half its size.
2.Source: "Owls can turn their heads much further than people can." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.An owl can twist its head a lot further than a human.
  • B.Owls cannot move their heads at all.
  • C.Owls can turn their heads much further than people can.
3.Source: "The first trains were slow, but they could carry far more than a horse and cart." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.The first trains were slow, but they could carry far more than a horse and cart.
  • B.The first trains were faster than anything but carried very little.
  • C.Early trains moved slowly yet carried much bigger loads than horse-drawn carts.
4.Source: "Most of the town's workers once had jobs at the mill." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.Most of the town's workers once had jobs at the mill.
  • B.Nobody in the town ever worked at the mill.
  • C.At one time, the mill employed most people who worked in the town.
5.Source: "Sea otters wrap themselves in kelp so they do not drift away while they sleep." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.To keep from drifting while they sleep, sea otters wind kelp around their bodies.
  • B.Sea otters wrap themselves in kelp so they do not drift away while they sleep.
  • C.Sea otters eat kelp before they swim away.
6.Why is it not enough to change one or two words of a source and call it your own?
  • A.The sentence is still the author's, so it is copying, not paraphrasing
  • B.Changing two words always makes a paraphrase
  • C.Paraphrases must be longer than the source
7.Source: "Penguins cannot fly, but they are strong, fast swimmers." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.Penguins fly well but cannot swim.
  • B.Although penguins are unable to fly, they swim powerfully and quickly.
  • C.Penguins cannot fly, but they are strong, fast swimmers.
8.Source: "Recycling one can saves enough energy to run a television for three hours." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.Recycling one can saves enough energy to run a television for three hours.
  • B.The energy saved by recycling a single can would power a television for three hours.
  • C.Recycling cans uses up three hours of energy.

LessonPrint · W.5.8 · Set 18 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — In Your Own Words

Set 18. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.In a century, the glacier has lost about half its size.
  2. 2.An owl can twist its head a lot further than a human.
  3. 3.Early trains moved slowly yet carried much bigger loads than horse-drawn carts.
  4. 4.At one time, the mill employed most people who worked in the town.
  5. 5.To keep from drifting while they sleep, sea otters wind kelp around their bodies.
  6. 6.The sentence is still the author's, so it is copying, not paraphrasing
  7. 7.Although penguins are unable to fly, they swim powerfully and quickly.
  8. 8.The energy saved by recycling a single can would power a television for three hours.

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to W.5.8 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.