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 2 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: "Lightning is hotter than the surface of the sun." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.A bolt of lightning reaches a higher temperature than the sun's surface.
  • B.Lightning is much cooler than the sun's surface.
  • C.Lightning is hotter than the surface of the sun.
2.Source: "Bees carry pollen from flower to flower, which helps the plants make seeds." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.Moving pollen between flowers, bees help plants produce seeds.
  • B.Bees carry pollen from flower to flower, which helps the plants make seeds.
  • C.Bees eat pollen so that plants cannot make seeds.
3.Source: "Camels can go for days without water because they lose very little through sweating." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.Camels can go for days without water because they lose very little through sweating.
  • B.Camels sweat a lot, so they need water every hour.
  • C.Because camels sweat so little, they can survive days with no water.
4.Source: "Penguins cannot fly, but they are strong, fast swimmers." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.Penguins cannot fly, but they are strong, fast swimmers.
  • B.Penguins fly well but cannot swim.
  • C.Although penguins are unable to fly, they swim powerfully and quickly.
5.Source: "Most of the town's workers once had jobs at the mill." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.Nobody in the town ever worked at the mill.
  • B.Most of the town's workers once had jobs at the mill.
  • C.At one time, the mill employed most people who worked in the town.
6.Why is it not enough to change one or two words of a source and call it your own?
  • A.Paraphrases must be longer than the source
  • B.Changing two words always makes a paraphrase
  • C.The sentence is still the author's, so it is copying, not paraphrasing
7.Source: "Owls can turn their heads much further than people can." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.Owls can turn their heads much further than people can.
  • B.Owls cannot move their heads at all.
  • C.An owl can twist its head a lot further than a human.
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.Recycling cans uses up three hours of energy.
  • C.The energy saved by recycling a single can would power a television for three hours.

LessonPrint · W.5.8 · Set 2 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — In Your Own Words

Set 2. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.A bolt of lightning reaches a higher temperature than the sun's surface.
  2. 2.Moving pollen between flowers, bees help plants produce seeds.
  3. 3.Because camels sweat so little, they can survive days with no water.
  4. 4.Although penguins are unable to fly, they swim powerfully and quickly.
  5. 5.At one time, the mill employed most people who worked in the town.
  6. 6.The sentence is still the author's, so it is copying, not paraphrasing
  7. 7.An owl can twist its head a lot further than a human.
  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.