Grade 6 · Reading · Lesson 15

Summarize objectively vs critique

Reading carefully means two different things depending on your goal. When you summarize, your job is to be a mirror: reflect what the text says, as neutrally and accurately as possible, without letting your own opinions in. When you critique, your job is to be a judge: evaluate the quality of the text — what it does well, what it fails to do, and why those judgements matter. Both skills require evidence from the text. The difference is what you do with that evidence.

What this lesson teaches

1Distinguish between an objective summary and an evaluative critique
2Sort statements into Objective Summary or Critique using language and purpose clues
3Write a structured objective summary identifying what a text is about and its main point
4Compose a critique that identifies one strength and one weakness supported by evidence

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