Central Idea/Objective Summary

What does "objective" mean?

• No opinions or reactions, just the facts.

• Giving your personal reflections on the topic.

• No statistics used to support the idea.

• Having plenty of evidence to support your opinion.

Tags

CCSS.L.8.4A

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

Which one of the following is NOT a part of a summary?

• using your own words
• summary being shorter than the text
• quotes words from the text
• including main ideas only

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

What things should not be included in an objective summary?

• Supporting ideas and opinions

• The word "I," your opinion, cited text evidence

• Facts and Statistics

• The author's name and title of the article

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.2

When you write the events you'll want to paraphrase them. Paraphrasing means...

• to list chronologically
• to list objectively
• to reduce to five sentences or less
• to change the wording to your own words

Tags

CCSS.W.8.8

Which of the following is the better objective summary of The Lion King?

• This Disney animated feature follows the adventures of the young lion Simba, the heir of his father, Mufasa. Simba's wicked uncle, Scar, plots to usurp Mufasa's throne by luring father and son into a stampede of wildebeests. But Simba escapes, and only Mufasa is killed. Simba returns as an adult to take back his homeland from Scar with the help of his friends Timon and Pumbaa.
• In a tear jerker story, a young lion, Simba, becomes the victim of his cruel Uncle Scar’s plot to take the throne. After finding himself with the help of his friends Timon and Pumbaa, Simba heroically returns to Pride Rock where he overpowers Scar. While the film is charming and inspiring, the likelihood of a vegetarian lion beating his dominant uncle in a fight is hard to swallow.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Find the central idea
 Being a clown isn't all fun and games.  Rodeo clowns expose themselves to great danger every time they perform.  When cowboys dismount or are bucked off of bulls at riding competitions, rodeo clowns jump in front of the bulls and motion wildly to get their attention.  In this way rodeo clowns provide an alternate target, and in doing so protect the rider.  So you see, sometimes clowning around can be serious business

• Being a clown isn't all fun and games.
• Rodeo clowns protect cowboys by putting themselves in danger.
• Rodeos are exciting.
• Clowns are good at riding bulls.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

Because lambs are sometimes eaten by coyotes, ranchers may hunt or trap the coyotes. However, killing coyotes may upset nature's balance. Scientists have found a way to protect sheep without killing coyotes. Coyotes are fed lamb meat treated with a drug. When they eat the meat, they get sick. Later, coyotes won't even go near lambs. They'll hunt rabbits instead.

This story mainly tells.....

• Coyotes prefer rabbits to lambs.

• Killing coyotes upsets nature's balance.

• Scientists are trying to protect sheep and coyotes.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

Directions: Read the following passage and identify the central idea that best fits the passage.

The fact that electronic computers are now used for data processing has led the general public to believe that it is a mysterious, complicated science and that the computers are giant brains. Both of these ideas are false. A computer is basically just a high-speed adding machine that performs the functions it is told to. If the input data are varied even a little, the computer is unable to operate until it is programmed to accept the variations. The business operations it performs are impressive only because of the extremely high speed of manipulation, but most of these operations have been used for decades. Unlike man, the computer performs repetitive calculations without getting tired or bored.

• A computer is a high-speed adding machine.

• A computer is a mysterious giant brain.

• A computer is impressive because of its high speed.

• A computer is superior to man in many ways.

Directions: Read the following passage and identify the central idea that best fits the passage.

The Louisiana Purchase proved to be one of the shrewdest business pacts in the entire history of the United States. The purchase doubled in the area of the country and provided territory from which fourteen new states were created either wholly or in part. It also gave us control over the mouth of the Mississippi River and opened up the way to foreign trade. Prior to the purchase, the waterway had been blocked by the Spanish, probably with the approval of Napoleon. The land that was bought was rich in timber, minerals, and natural resources of many kinds. Finally, the cost of the transaction was unbelievably low; the total of $15 million amounted to about four cents an acre.

• The Louisiana Purchase was a very good business deal for the U.S.

• The land bought by the Louisiana Purchase was rich in minerals

• The land bought by the Louisiana Purchase was very cheap.

• Most Americans were very pleased with the purchase.

Directions: Read the following passage and identify the central idea that best fits the passage.

The attitudes of Americans toward gambling are amazingly contradictory. You may find, for example, that horse racing is legal in your state, but that you cannot legally play poker for money on your front porch; bookies may be prosecuted by state law, but they are supposed to purchase a federal license nonetheless; one church condemns gambling, while another raises money by sponsoring Bingo games. Gambling laws are inconsistent from state to state or even from town to town and are very difficult to enforce.

• Americans have negative attitudes toward gambling.

• Gambling laws are difficult to enforce

• Gambling laws are inconsistent from community to community.

• Churches do not have uniform ideas about gambling.