In Other Words ... with Grade 5

Fifth graders are practicing their paraphrasing skills. First we worked together to come up with synonyms and ways to recast a sentence.

ORIGINAL: The automobile that went by very quickly was maroon. It went through a big puddle and splashed us.

NEW: A gigantic red car flashed by us and left us soaked from a puddle.

ORIGINAL: The educator removed the unruly student from the learning environment because of the sounds he was making 

NEW: The teacher kicked out the student that was being disrespectful.

ORIGINAL: In the metropolis, the recreation area was dilapidated. Youngsters received injuries when they attempted to utilize the equipment.

NEW: There were kids on the field trying to use old equipment, and they got hurt.

Then they worked on an individual assignment, putting the following sentences into their own words:

During my earlier years, I experienced much conflict with my male and female siblings who were born before me. Now that we are more mature, we have overcome some of our differences and have the ability to interact pleasantly.

Here are some of the new sentences the students came up with:

When I was little, there were some problems between me and my older siblings, but now that we are older, we have learned to get along and put aside our differences. - S.M. 

When I was younger, I fought with my older brothers and sisters. Now we are older and overcome disagreements. - A.F.

When I was a kid, my older sister and I used to fight. Now I am an adult, we can have a conversation without fighting. - K.D.

When I was really young, I had problems with my brothers and sisters. Now that we are older, we do not have problems any more. - E.C.

In the past, I have gone through many problems with my older brother and sister. But now we are older, so we don't argue anymore. - J.G.

When I was younger, I went through a lot of chaos with my older brothers and sisters. Since I'm older now, we are able to be more friendly with each other. - B.D. 

When we were younger, my sister and brother would fight [with me]. Since we are older, we have worked together. - J.K.

When I was young, my siblings and I would always fight and rarely get along. Now as adults, we get along very well. - V.P. 

When I was very young, I did not get along with my older brother and sister. Now we are older, and we no longer have differences and we are happy to be with each other. - R.R.

When I was younger, there was a lot of misbehavior between my brothers and sisters and me. Now that I am older, my brothers and sisters and I behave. - L.D.