Writing an Objective Summary
A summary is a short, concise statement of the most important information in a text. In
particular, a summary identifies the topic and most important textual details of a text. When
you write a summary, you write the information in your own words.
An objective summary is a summary that does not include any opinions or judgments about
what is written in the text. Instead, it only includes information that comes from the text.
Writing objective summaries can help you understand texts that you read and identify the
most important information in the text. Moreover, writing objective summaries can help you
improve your writing skills!
To write an objective summary, follow the instructions below. You can summarize a whole
text, like a book or news article, or just a portion of a text, like a book chapter. If you need any
help, be sure to ask an adult.
1. As you are reading, jot down the most important details from the text in the “Details”
column on the graphic organizer. Important details are those that are critical to
understanding the text. If someone could understand the text without knowing about a
certain detail, then it is not important! In addition, remember that textual details must be
written in your own words, and should not contain any opinions or judgments about
the text!
*Tip: Don’t “fall in love” with interesting details! Even if a detail is interesting, strange, or
exciting, it is not necessarily an important detail.
