Writing an Objective Summary Paragraph

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.

A good objective summary....

• Is a summary sentence of the text that covers the key details.
• Identifies the topic, has all the key words, and is a complete sentence.
• Focus on the main idea of the text and only the details that support it. 
• Uses direct quotes from the text in order to let the audience know what it was about. 

What should NOT be in your objective summary?

• The main idea
• The opinions you create
• The supporting details
• A concluding sentence

Are summarized long and detailed?

• Yes
• No
• It depends on what you're summarizing.

Does your concluding sentence have to be a rephrased version of your topic sentence?

• Yes, it should summarize what the paragraph was about. 
• No, it can be your last detail as long as it's clear the paragraph is coming to an end. 
• Sometimes depending on the material you're summarizing. 

What should use throughout your objective summary, but ESPECIALLY in the last sentence?

• Transition words and phrases
• Direct quotes from the source
• Supporting details from the text
• The main idea of the text

Does the meaning of the text change when you write an objective summary?

• No, it's shorter but has the same meaning.
• Yes, of course the meaning changes because someone else is writing it.
• It depends on the material and who originally wrote it. 

The first part of your topic sentence should do what?

• Use a verb that communicated the purpose the author had.
• Explain the main idea.
• Summarize what we're about to read.
• Identify the text (author and source)

The second part of your topic sentence should do what?

• Explain the main idea of the text. 
• Identify the text (author and source)
• Use a verb that communicates the purpose of the text. 
• Tell a short summary about what the audience is about to read. 

What should the third piece of your topic sentence do?

• Explain the main idea of the text. 
• Use a verb that communicates the purpose of the original text. 
• Tell the audience a short summary about what they're about to read. 
• Identify the text (author and source)