Putting it in your own words. Paraphrasing Putting it in your own words.

What does paraphrasing mean? Paraphrasing means: taking words written by someone else, thinking about what those words mean, and putting those ideas into your own words.

Why is it important to learn to paraphrase? to avoid plagiarism (copying someone else’s words and using them as if they are your own) to check your own comprehension of what you just read; if you can paraphrase it, you understand it, if you can’t, you don’t to determine if you need to re-read for comprehension, or if you need to choose a less complicated source/text

Okapi Ok, let me show you an example. What do you know about the okapi?

I found the following information from an Internet article online I found the following information from an Internet article online. It is my source. “Although the okapi resembles a zebra, it is actually a close cousin to the giraffe. Discovered in 1900, it inhabits the rainforests of the Congo area in Africa. Okapis tend to be solitary animals, secretive in their habits."

Next, I look away from the text and try to put the information in those sentences into my own words: Most people think of a zebra when they look at okapis, but many would be surprised to learn that they are actually a close relative of the giraffe. They weren’t actually discovered in Africa until 1900 because they are animals that live alone and are hard to find.

Now, I check and see if I remembered the information and put it into my own words. I reread the sentences and compare them to my paraphrase. “Although the okapi resembles a zebra, it is actually a close cousin to the giraffe. Discovered in 1900, it inhabits the rainforests of the Congo area in Africa. Okapis tend to be solitary animals, secretive in their habits." Most people think of a zebra when they look at okapis, but many would be surprised to learn that they are actually a close relative of the giraffe. They weren’t actually discovered in Africa until 1900 because they are animals that live alone and are hard to find.

Now, with the person sitting next to you, paraphrase the next excerpt. Remember to: Read the passage closely. Look away from it. Try to put the information into your own words. Look back at the original and compare what you paraphrased. p

EXCERPT #2 Try this one with a neighbor. "Okapis eat mostly leaves, twigs, and fruit which they reach with their long tongues. They may eat as much as 65 pounds of food in one day, mostly during the afternoon and evening when they are most active."

Now, check. "Okapis eat mostly leaves, twigs, and fruit which they reach with their long tongues. They may eat as much as 65 pounds of food in one day, mostly during the afternoon and evening when they are most active."

SAMPLE PARAPHRASE Okapis are herbivores who have extremely long tongues. This physical adaptation helps them reach leaves and other vegetation that most other animals can’t reach. They eat voluminous amounts each day, but only late in the afternoon, and into twilight, as this is when they are most active.

ECHIDNA

Think, Write, Pair, Share: Found throughout Australia, the Echidna is a highly adaptable creature and can be found in coastal forests, alpine meadows and interior deserts. The Echidna has the widest distribution of any native Australian mammal. Echidnas have no teeth! They live on a very specific diet of termites, ants and other soil invertebrates, especially beetle larvae. They have very strong claws with which to break open rotting logs to collect termites.