Grades 4–5
Explain How Something Works
An explanatory planner: what it is, its parts, how it works step by step and why it is useful.
Writing worksheet · Informational writing
Paraphrase It: Facts in Your Own Words
Two short passages, about hummingbirds and volcanoes, to read, cover and paraphrase, with the steps.
- Grade level
- Grades 4–5
- Time
- About 30 minutes
- Answer key
- Not needed: answers vary
- Kids practice
- Informational writing, Research and note-taking, Text structure, Writing facts in your own words
What kids do
“Writers never copy a book. Read, cover the text, then write the facts in your own words.”
Printed on the sheet:
- Read it twice. · Cover it. · Jot two key words. · Write it your way. · Check you kept the facts.
- Hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world. Their wings beat so fast that they make a humming sound. They can even fly backward.
- In my own words:
- A volcano is an opening in Earth’s crust. When melted rock called magma pushes up, the volcano can erupt. Melted rock that flows out is called lava.
Teacher tip
Have kids flip the passage over before writing. If they can not see it, they can not copy it.
How to use it
- Model taking notes as short phrases, not copied sentences.
- Let kids pick a topic they already know a lot about for a first try.
- Read the directions aloud so the sheet is about writing, not decoding the directions.
Watch for
Opinions sneaking into facts. Ask, “Is that a fact you can check?”
Talk about it
- How would a reader find information in your piece?
- Where else do writers use this skill?
Take it further
Have kids teach their topic to the class in a two-minute talk.
US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.
More informational writing worksheets
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All About Book Planner
Plan an All About book: a topic, a cover and four chapters with two facts each.
Grades 2–4
Research Notes Organizer
Note-taking boxes for any real topic: what it is, three facts, new words and where the facts came from.
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