1. High School Biology TIDEPOOL A good tool to understand complex text
Teacher Resource Day 1 1.2
Paraphrasing
A good tool to understand complex text
SAUSD Common Core Unit

2. What is it?

3. Why you need to know how to paraphrase
“Use your own words” is a common strategy of checking to make sure you actually know what you read
It helps you focus on the key parts of what you are asked to read and ignore the extra stuff that you don’t need to know
Paraphrasing in written responses is NOT plagiarism but you MUST cite the source as the ideas are someone else's!

4. How you paraphrase
Read the article, paragraph, or sentence- you may need to read it more than once
Identify the critical ideas that the author is focusing on
Rephrase words or phrases to express those ideas in a different way
Change word order or sentence order to clarify meaning
Use vocabulary that you know to help understand the author’s meaning
CITE the original source to show what you are paraphrasing

5. Examples of Paraphrasing
Sample text: Some people consider hedgehogs useful pets because they prey on many common garden pests. While on the hunt, they rely upon their senses of hearing and smell because their eyesight is weak ~National Geographic
Paraphrased text: According to National Geographic, Hedgehogs are thought of as useful pets because they eat many garden pests. Hedgehogs have weak eyesight and must rely on their hearing and sense of smell to hunt.

6. Examples of Paraphrasing
Sample Text: T. rex's serrated, conical teeth were most likely used to pierce and grip flesh, which it then ripped away with its brawny neck muscles. Its two-fingered forearms could probably seize prey, but they were too short to reach its mouth. ~National Geographic Online
Paraphrased: T. Rex had serrated, cone-shaped teeth that they used to grab their prey, explains National Geographic. Then, using their powerful neck muscles they would rip flesh off of their prey. T .Rex’s short, two fingered arms could help hold their prey but could not reach their mouths.