Creativity Drills - "Immigration" (Paraphrase)

Shown below is a simple sentence that students must take through a "Complete Paraphrase". In this exercise, students are asked to repeat the sentence using entirely different words without changing the meaning. It forces the students to consider the importance of each word and to think outside the box as they search for alternatives. To learn more about "Complete Paraphrase" scenarios, click here.

Paraphrase the following inscription that is at the base of the Statue of Liberty:

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free"

Where do we begin? Click here to find out how "Complete Paraphrase" scenarios work...

The final goal of the Complete Paraphrase exercise is for students to deliver the full meaning of the original sentence. This may take several more words and be less succinct than the original, and that is okay. Here are sample paraphrases that you might hear for this sentence:

Anyone is welcomed to come to America to get rest, money and freedom.

Even if you are in poverty and are worked to death, you can come to America and be able to live your life as you choose.

Even large groups of people from around the world are welcomed in America and allowed to live a free.

It doesn`t matter who you are, America welcomes you.

***THE RULES: As the teacher you can define how strict the rules are with the student paraphrasing. Usually, common words like conjunctions (`and`, `or`, `for`, `but`) and articles (`a`, `and`, `the`) are always okay to repeat. What is important is that students paraphrase all key words of the sentence (subject, verbs, adjectives, nouns) to demonstrate a full understanding of the topic.