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Summarizing, Paraphrasing and Citing

A 40-minute Grade 5 lesson on summarizing and paraphrasing information from sources and providing a list of them.

Summarizing, Paraphrasing and Citing is a free 40-minute Grade 5 English lesson plan for Common Core standard W.5.8 — summarize and paraphrase from sources, and list them. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the meaning, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.

Grade:
Grade 5
Length:
40 minutes
Standard:
W.5.8

Grade 5 · Writing

W.5.8

Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.

Objective

Students will be able to choose between summarizing and paraphrasing, and cite the source either way.

Students are successful when they can

  • Writes a summary of an 85-word passage in 25 words or fewer that keeps only the main points.
  • Writes a paraphrase of one sentence that keeps every detail but changes the words and the sentence structure.
  • Chooses summary, paraphrase or quotation for a stated purpose and gives the reason.
  • Writes a complete source entry (author, title, publisher, year) and cites summaries and paraphrases as well as quotations.

What you need

  • The lighthouse passage from the Teach section, one copy each
  • A source-list format card: Author (last, first). Title. Publisher, year.
  • Three purpose cards for the Warm-up
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — which do you need?

5 min
  1. Read three purpose cards. (1) "You're writing one sentence about lighthouses in a report on the coast." (2) "You need to explain exactly how a lighthouse lens works." (3) "A lighthouse keeper said something so striking you want the reader to hear it."
  2. Pairs decide: summary, paraphrase or quotation for each. Answers to fish for: summary (overview), paraphrase (every detail needed), quotation (the exact words matter).

Teach — three techniques, three uses

13 min
  1. Read the passage (written for this lesson): "Before electric lights, lighthouse keepers had to climb the tower every evening to light the lamp. They trimmed the wick and polished the glass so the beam would stay bright through the night. A large glass lens around the lamp bent the light into a strong beam that sailors could see many miles out at sea. Each lighthouse flashed in its own pattern, so a sailor who counted the flashes could tell which lighthouse it was and where the ship was."
  2. Summarize aloud, writing as you go: "Lighthouse keepers kept the lamp lit each night, and a lens and a flash pattern helped sailors see and identify the light." Count it: 21 words from 85. Say: a summary keeps the main points and drops the detail.
  3. Paraphrase the last sentence: "Because every lighthouse had a different flashing pattern, sailors could count the flashes to work out which one they were looking at and figure out their position." Point out: same length, every detail kept, new words AND new sentence order.
  4. Show a fake paraphrase: "Each lighthouse blinked in its own way, so a sailor who counted the blinks could tell which lighthouse it was." Ask what is wrong. Fish for: "It just swapped two words; the sentence is the same."
  5. Quote only where wording matters: "trimmed the wick and polished the glass." Ask: "Why quote this?" Because it shows the actual daily work in the writer's own words.
  6. Write the source entry once in full: "Okafor, Grace. Lights on the Rocks. Harbor Press, 2021." (a model entry for this lesson). Then add "(Okafor)" after the summary, the paraphrase and the quotation. Say: all three borrowed ideas get cited, not only the quotation.
“Summary for the shape, paraphrase for the detail, quotation only when the exact words matter. And all three get cited, because the ideas belong to someone else even when the words are yours.”

Guided practice — all three

12 min
  1. Give a second passage on the practice sheet's topic. Students summarize it in 25 words or fewer and count the words.
  2. They paraphrase one marked sentence, then cover the original and check: "Did I change the structure, not just swap words?"
  3. They choose one phrase worth quoting and write why the exact words matter.
  4. They write one complete source entry and add an in-text citation to all three pieces. Partners check: same length as the original means it is not a summary; same sentence shape means it is not a paraphrase.
“Cover the original before you paraphrase. If you can still see it, your sentence will copy its shape.”

Independent practice

8 min
  1. Students complete the sources page: two short passages, a summary box, a paraphrase box, a purpose-matching task and a source-list entry to complete.

Close

2 min
  1. Read one purpose aloud ("You want to explain exactly what a keeper did each evening") and take answers: paraphrase, because every detail is needed.

What goes wrong, and why

Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.

Swaps a word or two and calls it a paraphrase: "blinked" for "flashed," "blinks" for "flashes."

Why: They have heard "put it in your own words" and count changed words. Nobody showed them that sentence shape is also borrowed.

Fix: Cover the original, say the idea aloud to a partner, then write. Compare shapes, not just words: if the clauses match, start again.

Calls a summary a paraphrase, or writes a "summary" as long as the passage.

Why: Both are "in your own words," so the labels feel interchangeable. The difference is length and detail, which they have not been asked to measure.

Fix: Count words. A summary is much shorter and drops detail; a paraphrase is about the same length and keeps it. Write both from one passage and compare.

Cites only quotations, leaving the summary and paraphrase without "(Okafor)."

Why: Only quoted words feel borrowed; once the words are theirs, the idea feels theirs too.

Fix: Ask, "Did you know about flash patterns before you read this?" If not, the idea came from Okafor and gets cited.

If they are not there yet

  • Give the passage with the main points already underlined so the summary is built from those lines.
  • Paraphrase from a frame: "Because ___, sailors could ___."
  • Provide the source entry with blanks for author, title, publisher and year.

If they finish early

  • Paraphrase a sentence containing a technical term that must not change, such as "lens," and explain why it stayed.
  • Summarize two different passages on lighthouses into one paragraph that cites both.
  • Write a source entry for a web page with no named author and explain what goes first instead.

Exit ticket

"Keepers lived in small houses beside the tower and wrote the weather in a logbook every day." Paraphrase it, then say if you'd paraphrase or summarize for a one-line report mention.

What to look for: New wording and shape keeping both details (home beside tower, daily weather log), plus "summary" for a one-line mention. Two swapped words means paraphrase is still word-swapping; "paraphrase" for the mention means purpose isn't yet driving the choice.

Printable practice for W.5.8

Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.

Questions about Summarizing, Paraphrasing and Citing

How long does the Summarizing, Paraphrasing and Citing lesson take?

40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.

Which standard does Summarizing, Paraphrasing and Citing teach?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.8 — W.5.8, Writing for Grade 5: “Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.” In plain terms, summarize and paraphrase from sources, and list them.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

The lighthouse passage from the Teach section, one copy each, a source-list format card: Author (last, first). Title. Publisher, year, three purpose cards for the Warm-up and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.

What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?

Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: swaps a word or two and calls it a paraphrase: "blinked" for "flashed," "blinks" for "flashes."; calls a summary a paraphrase, or writes a "summary" as long as the passage and cites only quotations, leaving the summary and paraphrase without "(Okafor).". The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.

How do I know whether the lesson worked?

The exit ticket asks: “"Keepers lived in small houses beside the tower and wrote the weather in a logbook every day." Paraphrase it, then say if you'd paraphrase or summarize for a one-line report mention.” New wording and shape keeping both details (home beside tower, daily weather log), plus "summary" for a one-line mention. Two swapped words means paraphrase is still word-swapping; "paraphrase" for the mention means purpose isn't yet driving the choice. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.

Is there a worksheet to go with Summarizing, Paraphrasing and Citing?

Yes — 1 printable W.5.8 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.

Is Summarizing, Paraphrasing and Citing free to use?

Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on October 8, 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.

Last reviewed 2026-10-08. Aligned to W.5.8 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.