Writing an Objective Summary Objective adj not influenced

Writing an Objective Summary Objective (adj. ): not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts. Example: “historians try to be objective and impartial" Summary (noun): a brief statement or account of the main points of something. Example: "Write a summary of Chapter Three"

Why we summarize: • Sometimes when we read, there is so much information in the text that we have to decide what is most important and worth remembering. • This is an important skill to have for writing essays and research papers. This is also a good skill to have to help us break down and understand more difficult material. • Remember, what is most interesting is not always what is most important.

After we determine what is most important: • List the key points, important events, and the main idea of your story or article. • We then have to decide how to put the information into a format that is concise and clear. • In your own words, you will summarize the story or article in a paragraph. • You should have a topic sentence and a concluding sentence which will state the main idea.

How to write a summary: • Focus on the central ideas from the text • Omit supporting or minor details • Write only enough to convey the central idea • Organize the information clearly • Restate the information in your own words- DO NOT COPY FROM THE TEXT-THIS IS PLAGIARIZING • Do not include any opinions or personal thoughts

Step #1: 3 -Part Topic Sentence • A. Name it: identify the title of the text and the author • B. Verb it: use one of the following “summary” verbs- shows, depicts, reveals, describes, explains, discusses, lists, explores, illustrates, teaches, compares, states • C. Central Idea (CI): identify the central idea, or thesis, of the text • Ex. • In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J. K.

Step #2: 3 -5 Essential/Key Ideas Pick 1 -2 essential details from the beginning, middle, and end of the text

“Stomp Out Bullying” Article • How would we write the topic sentence? • What would our essential/key ideas be?

3 -Part Topic Sentence for “Stomp Out Bullying” Name It Verb It Central Idea “Stomp out Bullying” by Jennifer Dignan shows Why bullying is a problem and how it can be solved

Key Details: • Thousands of teens are bullied every day. • Many schools and organizations have established anti-bullying programs to stop this problem. • To stop bullying, individuals should speak up when they are bullied or when they see bullying happen. • (Notice I wrote these statements in my own words. )

Summary example: • The article “Stomp Out Bullying” by Jennifer Dignan shows why bullying is a problem and how it can be solved. The article discusses how one out of four teens is bullied. In fact, many schools and organizations have established antibullying programs to address this problem. To help stop bullying, students should speak up when they are bullied or when they see bullying happen. (I added transitions to make my ideas flow together in a logical manner that makes sense for my reader. )