Write an objective summary of an article
Lesson preview: the Mini Lesson and Vocabulary are open to everyone. Guided practice, exercises, the parent checklist and the printable PDF worksheet come with full access (free 7-day trial or membership).
Learning Objectives
- 1Identify the main idea and key supporting details of an informational article
- 2Distinguish between objective summary (facts only) and evaluation or opinion
- 3Write a summary that captures the who, what, when, where, and why without personal reaction
- 4Select only the most relevant details to include in a concise summary
Mini Lesson
An objective summary captures the most important ideas from a text using only facts — no opinions, no personal reactions, no extra details. A strong summary answers the five W questions: Who is involved? What happened or what is the topic? When did it take place? Where did it occur? Why is it significant? Keeping these five questions in mind prevents you from drifting into commentary or leaving out something essential.
What makes a summary objective?
- It contains only information found in the source — no personal feelings or opinions.
- It is shorter than the original — it captures the main idea, not every detail.
- It avoids loaded language or evaluative words such as "amazing," "terrible," or "I think."
- It preserves the author’s meaning without quoting large chunks of text.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Adding your opinion: "I think coral reefs are beautiful and we must save them."
- Including irrelevant details: listing every scientific statistic in the article when only one is needed.
- Copying sentences word for word instead of paraphrasing.
- Writing a summary that is nearly as long as the article itself.
Article sentence: "Rising ocean temperatures cause coral to expel the algae living in their tissues, turning the coral white — a process called bleaching."
Which of these is an objective summary sentence?
The objective version restates the cause-and-effect relationship from the article without any personal reaction. The subjective version adds emotion ("so sad," "beautiful") that does not come from the source text.
Summary tip: after you draft your summary, read it aloud and ask — "Does every sentence come from the article?" and "Did I add any judgment or feeling?" If the answer to either question is yes, revise before you submit.
Unlock the full HSEA system for 7 days.
Add your first kid profile and your 7 days start: every lesson in every grade, saved progress for each child. Nothing to set up, no card required, nothing to cancel.
- ✓ All 1,680 lessons, Grades 1–6, every subject
- ✓ Profiles + saved progress for every kid
- ✓ Printable lessons with answer key